JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County school board members are facing backlash from parents over pink shirts they wore at a recent meeting.
The shirts, worn by four board members, including Chair Charlotte Joyce, Vice Chair April Carney, Tony Ricardo, and Melody Bolduc, featured the phrase “This Is The Turning Point” in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
However, some parents believe the message is linked to the conservative group Turning Point, founded by Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last month.
Erin Sharer, a parent in the district, voiced her frustration, saying, “We want less political theater from our non-partisan elected officials.” She criticized the board members for appropriating the color pink, which represents breast cancer awareness, to promote what she called “divisive rhetoric.”
Sharer explained her concerns in a Zoom interview, stating, “Turning Point is a political organization. They have a PAC, and they’re a highly divisive one at that.”
Mandy Rubin is another DCPS parent who shared her frustrations over the shirts during the meeting on Tuesday during public comment.
“I currently get care for preventative breast cancer due to my very high risk profile, and I see your shirts that is shameful to appropriate and take away awareness for breast cancer to advance this divisiveness,” Rubin said.
Board Chair Charlotte Joyce responded to the controversy in a phone interview. She said the shirts were inspired by a memorial for Charlie Kirk and were not official Turning Point merchandise.
“I don’t really have a pink shirt or a pink anything. I don’t wear pink. So I’m going to, I’ll get a t-shirt, and just to remember Charlie Kirk, I’ll put freedom on it,” Joyce said.
Rubin felt like the message was aligning with Charlie Kirk’s organization, Turning Point. News4JAX spoke with her over Zoom just a few minutes before she went into a mammogram appointment.
“I saw pink at first, and I assumed it was, you know, they’re typical, just people trying to spread awareness about breast cancer, which was nice. And then I read what was on the shirts, and it was a little bit like a slap in the face,” Rubin said. “It was just pretty shocking.”
Joyce added that she wanted the shirt to carry a meaningful message related to breast cancer awareness and difficult conversations.
“I thought it’s the turning point. We need a turning point in America where, you know, we can get rid of a disease, or we can have an open dialogue and conversation without yelling at people. And I thought it was very appropriate for that, you know, that messaging for that night. I never…wanted it to offend anyone. That was not my intention.”
Sharer found the shirts hypocritical, especially as the district investigates teacher and activist Hope McMath for political statements made on social media.
“What they do in their personal time, it’s different, but this was a public school board meeting in which they were on duty, acting as nonpartisan school board officials,” Sharer said.
When asked about parents’ concerns that the shirts could be seen as a political stance, Joyce clarified, “It was not a Turning Point USA t-shirt, It was not bought from… I had it made, and it said, ‘This is the turning point.’”
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier addressed ongoing investigations into teachers temporarily reassigned due to social media posts during Tuesday night’s meeting. While he did not confirm specific names, it is assumed Hope McMath is among those under review.
Bernier said details could not be shared until investigations are complete.
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