Alarmed citizens succeeded in killing a secret “mental health” program – loaded with sexual topics — used in Nassau County schools but have been unable to find out exactly what was in the mysterious curriculum.
The school board and contractor (Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare) supplying the program, which was called Ripple Effects, used numerous delaying and dodging tactics to hide information from the public – despite a court order declaring the material to be public record.
However, those asking questions are not done yet.
The latest development is that state legislators have gotten involved.
Jack Knocke, head of Citizens Defending Freedom in Nassau County, took the issue to court, and won – sort of.
Knocke had asked for the public records in July 2023.
The district said it would provide the material, then later said it didn’t have it, then later claimed it wasn’t public record.
Knocke filed suit.
The school district hemmed and hawed for six months. A Circuit Court judge called that unreasonable while declaring the program a matter of public record and directing the defendants to give curriculum material to Knocke and pay part of his attorney’s fees.
Still no records.
Knocke filed a motion to enforce the original judgment and won again.
However, after the court ruling, SPBH revealed it had terminated the contract months earlier (apparently in the midst of the legal proceedings) and was unable to obtain and release the materials in the curriculum from Ripple Effects.
Knocke isn’t relenting. He has filed another motion. He is asking for enforcement, sanctions and penalties – and a criminal referral. He also has filed a criminal referral himself.
Incredibly, he alleges in his court filing that SPBH now claims the information has been lost. It is illegal to dispose of public records.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Dean Black and Sen. Clay Yarborough are calling for the resignation of the director of SPBH.
In other words, the obese lady has not sung.
Black and Yarborough, who represent Nassau County said they are seeking the resignation of Laureen Pagel, SPBH CEO, after “revelations of deceptive practices toward parents.”
They cited Knocke’s legal case and said they find “the organization’s conduct reprehensible, deceptive, and contrary to parents’ rights of transparency in the care of their children.”
They said a video surfaced showing a Starting Point employee advising an alleged minor that the organization routinely conceals information from parents about children’s mental health counseling and deliberately omits information from files – particularly regarding LGBT-related matters and other sensitive issues, The video suggests that this is not an isolated occurrence but “a pattern embedded in the corporate culture of Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare.”
What remains is the question of why a government school system, funded by taxpayer money, would go to such lengths to keep secret what it is using to indoctrinate children.
It is not only Nassau County. Ripple Effects has been administered to 400,000 students in 4,000 schools in every single state throughout the nation.
According to Knocke, the state Dept. of Education says they don’t know where Ripple Effects is used in Florida.
Ripple Effects emphasizes bias awareness and equity strategies, which indicates it is another liberal attempt to mold young minds. Liberals have been pushing pornography in the schools, as well as sex education on steroids and racist material.
As a result, parental organizations such as Moms for Liberty and Citizens Defending Freedom have sprung up across the country to protect children and families.
They are making a difference. But as the Nassau County matter shows, liberal politicians are resisting efforts to provide accountability.
For Nassau, the best remedy may be to do what exasperated Duval County voters did: toss out the liberals and elect a school board that represents the people. With 48 percent of Nassau voters being Republican, that seems doable.
