Florida School Offers Yearbooks Omitting LGBTQ+ Content After Backlash
photo of the yearbook posted by WKMG in Orlando. A few quotes from interviews with queer students at the school are also included on the page, according to a report from NBC News affiliate WESH.In response to receiving comments from parents and students who said they found the pages "inappropriate," Seminole County Public Schools Superintendent Serita Beamon sent a letter to Lyman High School parents announcing an option to receive a refund or reprinted version of the yearbook for those who opposed the year's edition."While this matter is being reviewed further at the district level, any student or parent who purchased a copy of the 2022-23 Lyman yearbook may choose to return it to the school for a full refund or request an exchange for a re-printed yearbook that omits the pages in question," read Beamon's letter, which was obtained by WKMG.Parents at Lyman High such as Sharman Craft, whose son is a sophomore at the public school in Longwood, Florida, told Fox 35 that the pages in question are "not relevant to school activities" and that including LGBTQ+ terms and definitions is "not appropriate" for a high school publication.The yearbook's editor-in-chief, however, told the outlet that pages were intended "to be more inclusive and more understanding and just gain that perspective.""We didn't do anything wrong," Sarah Ward, yearbook editor-in-chief, told Fox 35 last week. "We covered a full and fair representation, which is what we're supposed to do.
So I'm quite baffled and quite confused why this is a thing, but I'm going to defend our book because I'm proud of it."According to Fox 35's report, a spokesperson from the Seminole County school district said that the yearbook was not in violation of the school board's.
