Commenters disrupt school board meeting with sexually graphic material, obscenities

photo by: YouTube screenshot

Michael Eravi parades a notecard with an obscene word on it in front of the Lawrence school board on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.

The Lawrence School Board meeting on Monday was disrupted by three adults who insisted on reading obscenities and sexually explicit material to board members and the listening public, in apparent protest of the board’s new policy that asks commenters to refrain from using foul and obscene language, in part because students may be watching the meetings.

During a chaotic few minutes, commenters read from books that they said were available in school libraries, with one describing a particularly graphic sex act, and two others — frequent commenters Justin Spiehs, who spoke online, and Michael Eravi, who spoke in person — repeatedly using the F-word and other obscenities to the board and insisting, as they have in multiple lawsuits and meetings, that the U.S. Constitution gives them the right to say anything they want any way they want during the business meetings of local governing boards.

Board President Kelly Jones, who appeared flustered, gave warnings, paused the meeting multiple times and muted and unmuted speakers while board members filed out of the room in recess. At one point only Jones and interim Superintendent Jeanice Swift remained in their seats.

photo by: YouTube screenshot

Lawrence school board members file out of the meeting room during a recess caused by public commenters Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.

Before Spiehs began his commentary, board member Anne Costello, who was attending virtually, could be heard saying “Crazy Justin Spiehs” over the sound system, which she later apologized for.

Spiehs noted Costello’s insult to the board before he began reading from the young adult novel “The Hate U Give,” aggressively repeating the F-word several times before Jones warned him and said he could email his comments if he couldn’t refrain from foul language.

“You told me I couldn’t cuss in here because children are listening, but yet it’s in your library. …Why am I not allowed to say it here if you’re protecting their ears?” he asked.

Jones told Spiehs that he had “a valid point” and that the board wanted to hear it, but Spiehs was unwilling to comply with the commenting policy, which also is designed to comport with the district’s anti-bullying policy.

Eravi began his in-person commentary by proudly parading a note with an obscenity in front of the board, then went on to recite a string of foul language, ultimately leading Jones to mute the livestream of him and leading other members of the board to leave the room as Eravi kept talking. At one point Eravi appeared to approach Jones, and she said, “You cannot disrupt the business of this board” and “Do not walk up to me. Do not approach this board.”

After board members returned, a third commenter online began to read from a book called “A Court of Silver Flames,” which she said was in both high school libraries. The woman read a graphic description of fellatio before Jones asked her to make her point. Instead of discussing her concerns with the board, though, the woman went right back to reading the passage before board member Shannon Kimball made a point of order and reminded Jones that if people have complaints about library materials that there’s a complaint policy regarding that — drawing an apparent distinction between private reading time and public commenting.

The board directed the woman to the library materials policy, but the woman asked if she had the right to keep reading the sexually graphic material at the public meeting, and Jones told her that she did not.

The school board announced last week, following a disruptive, profanity-laced comment by Spiehs, that it was interested in modifying the guidelines for the public comment periods during business meetings to clarify anti-bullying policies for public commenters and to communicate the consequences for people who do not follow the guidelines, including not being allowed to speak after an ignored warning but being allowed to comment in writing instead.

The board also noted in its updated commenting policy that its streaming platform, YouTube, has policies regarding acceptable use. The district may edit video from a meeting to comply with the platform’s rules, but patrons may request an unedited version from the board clerk.