Residents upset Dearborn school board cancels public comment

DEARBORN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Tensions flared at a Dearborn Public Schools board meeting after administrators suddenly canceled the session Monday night. 

Roxanne McDonald, a school board member, tried to dismiss part of the crowd citing safety and capacity concerns. 

However, nearly the entire agenda took place with packed crowds standing by waiting for the public comment session to begin. 

Right before it was scheduled to begin, McDonald said the fire marshall would shut the meeting down if some of the crowd didn't leave the room because it was over capacity. 

"The school board finished with their agenda and when it was time for public comment, the excuse of the fire code came out and what we witnessed was a spontaneous reaction of concerned parents who felt like they were being silenced," said Hassan Chami, a Dearborn resident. 

Chami, who has family members in the district, said he believes the narrative has been hijacked by the extremes on both sides.

 Chami also said parents have a right to have questions about six books the district temporarily suspended. 

"The people in Dearborn are not tied to the left or the right on this issue, they're just concerned parents," Chami explained. 

At the center of the controversy are six books, three of which have LGBTQ content and the other three do not. At issue, according to what some parents have claimed, is the sexual content in those books. 

On Thursday, the board will hold a special session at 7 p.m. at Fordson High School, in order to accommodate the large crowd. 

However, Detroit Now News has learned that the fire marshall will be monitoring the size of the crowd more closely at this next meeting.