A lawsuit filed by an Englewood man to remove sexual material out of Sarasota County school books is going in front of a judge next week.
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Englewood resident Robert Craft filed a motion, demanding a trial by jury. He wants a jury to decide if the books in question should be allowed in public schools or not.
"This is essentially a motion to skip all of the normal judicial processes and cut to the chase to have a jury answer the questions that he off the cuff made up. The judicial system doesn’t work that way. Our legal system doesn’t work that way," said Dan DeLeo, Attorney for Sarasota County School Board.
Craft says he is adhering to Amendment 7 of the Bill of Rights, which states:
"In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."
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DeLeo says there are procedures in place for parents to use if they have an issue with a book. They can fill out a form and then the book in question is reviewed by a committee.
"Mr. Craft has never availed themselves of those procedures. No parent has sought to challenge and use the procedures for these books at issue. This is the process mandated by our legislature, the Florida legislature. All 67 counties must have this set of procedures for citizens to challenge it,” said DeLeo.
