School District Consents to Protecting Citizens' Rights to Read from School Library Books at Board Meetings

"The Court permanently enjoins the District ... from ... prohibit[ing] ... speakers ... from reading or quoting verbatim from the text of any book or written works available in any FCS library or classroom, while addressing the school board during the public-comment period at school board meetings."

From the Jan. 30 Consent Judgment in Mama Bears of Forsyth County v. McCall (N.D. Ga.):

As part of the Parties' settlement of this matter, … the Court[s] enter the following order, which the Court finds appropriate and consistent with the Court's prior order issuing a preliminary injunction[:] …

[a.] The Court permanently enjoins the District … from enforcing any current or future FCS public participation policy to prohibit … any … speakers entitled to speak at an FCS school board meeting … from reading or quoting verbatim from the text of any book or written works available in any FCS library or classroom, while addressing the school board during the public-comment period at school board meetings.

[b.] Plaintiffs are each awarded nominal damages in the amount of $17.91 [plus costs and fees to be calculated later] ….

The $17.91 in nominal damages seems to be a little bit of symbolism offered by plaintiffs' lawyers, Institute for Free Speech, in this case and in others. Congratulations to Endel Rohe Kolde (Institute for Free Speech) and Erika Birg (Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough).