A pastor in North Carolina was removed from a school board meeting by police after reading excerpts from a graphic book available to students at Lake Norman High School.
What happened
Pastor John K. Amanchukwu Sr. spoke at the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education meeting on October 12, 2026, and began reading from the novel *Push* by Sapphire, which contains explicit depictions of incest, rape, physical and emotional abuse, and related trauma.
Before he started reading, the Board Chair, Dr. Doug Knight, warned him that reading explicit content would not be allowed, but Pastor Amanchukwu continued, arguing that his First Amendment rights were being violated.
As he read from the book, Knight told him he was out of order, and police approached and removed him from the meeting.
Following the incident, the school has removed the book from its library, and the Troutman Police Department has announced that it will no longer provide off-duty security for school board meetings, citing concerns about the legal basis for removals and the protection of Constitutional rights.
