Hello? The Disconnect at the Sarasota School Board Meeting
Are you there? Bridget? Robyn? Karen? Can you hear me?
There were so many takeaways, epiphanies and moments of sheer incredulity at the February 6 School Board meeting, that I had to self-medicate with Thin Mints and trash TV before this could even be written.
I’m not even talking about Paulina Testerman’s refusal to leave the dais and all the irony (and school police) that surrounded that. Or the Booker High School Graduate who started his speech off by stating that he wants recognition for always being nice, but then in frustration and Spanish, he called Board Chair Karen Rose a “Communist”.
Attention-seeking Martin Hyde was merely the bush league off-key opening act to this Comedy of Errors. Many speakers called out members of the school board justifiably for claiming ‘Constitutional Mandate immunity’ with specific laws and examples mentioned. There was so much going on, that Bridget Ziegler’s stark admission may have been missed. Additionally, most were already zoned out (or shellshocked) that by the time Board Member Tim Enos weaved his expertise on the subject of the effect social media has on kids, it was all gobbledeegook.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Writer Steven Walker described the first irony of the night with a tweet on ‘X’. He opined that a dissonant melody played adroitly on the violin during a student performance (that opened the meeting) was congruous with a dissonant board. After that it was all down or uphill, depending on how one looks at it.
The main event raged on - ‘Bridget Go. Just Go’, as sung to the tune of KC & The Sunshine Band’s ‘Please Don’t Go’. Her hypocrisy in harming marginalized students, including and especially the LGBTQ+ community, while she herself is of the bi or plus leaning just proved too confusing, duplicitous and distracting for someone who is supposed to lead. There was more on the docket, of course.
Some speakers felt it imperative to clarify and correct statements made by the board from the last meeting. The juxtaposition of facts presented and what the board members led the gullible public (like me) to believe was startling, yet eye-opening.
Board members Robyn Marinelli and Karen Rose had both espoused that as “Constitutional officers”, Florida’s constitutional mandates made it impossible for them to remedy draconian laws that harmed (mostly) LGBTQ+ students. A few meetings back, Marinelli suggested that those protesting go to Tallahassee and tell the legislators, as their hands were tied
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Not so quick, stated Carol Lerner, of Support our Schools. “Both Rose and Marinelli said they must follow state mandates even if they disagree with the policy. Yet, they don’t tell us which policies they disagree with.
“We are going to Tallahassee with Equality Florida” Lerner continued, “We invite you to join us.” She stated the importance of being allowed to challenge these laws at meetings as the implications are important locally.
She called out Ziegler on two different issues. The first being HB1, which has affected enrollment and helped private schools. Ziegler’s children attend private school. HB1 resulted in a hiring freeze and she questioned how the $4 billion projected cost statewide could have better served student achievement and teacher’s salaries.
Like those before and after her, Lerner took the air out of the smugness in Ziegler’s “ha, ha, told you so” moment at the January 16 board meeting referencing book bans. When Ziegler asked Superintendent Terry Connor if books were banned, he hesitatingly answered no.
Lerner called this a “phony question”.
“If she had asked him - ‘Did the district remove books to satisfy any state laws?’ - the answer would be different
Tom Edwards had also explained that teachers and librarians had removed books from classrooms and shelves due to the laws that put them in fear of possibly committing a felony. If math books can be taken out of the classroom for CRT, then even the Dictionary can be held in violation.
Speaker Dr. Mike Weddle told the board members that he wanted to clarify Ziegler’s comment as well (“since she brought it up”).
“I want to remind the board that less than a year ago there was a written complaint to the Sarasota School Board from the National Coalition Against Censorship for Banned Library books,” he began. In a twist of the plot, he referenced the board to a motion that Tim Enos made allowing the book Stamped to remain on the shelves. This book on racism is geared to teens, is a New York Times Bestseller and won the National Book Award.
Ziegler voted against the book being allowed even after making an amendment that the book would not be on the shelves, but remain in the library. Students would only be allowed to read it if parents gave permission to the librarian. Her amendment was voted on and passed. Bye bye Stamped. To the backroom coffers you go.
Mr. Weddle explained that most students don’t go into the library searching for a book title. If it’s not on the shelf, chances are they won’t read it. If a parent can’t reach a librarian, then the book won’t be read. Weddle gave further examples of the semantics in the word banned.
Robin Williams compared what is happening in Florida to 1939 Nazi Germany. “Most under Nazi rule went along to get along to protect their jobs and status.”
Encouraging the board to not acquiesce and begin a shifting paradigm, she emphasized that “non-compliance helps preserve Democracy.” She cited Rosa Parks, who wouldn’t sit in the back of a bus. Lerner spoke of the courage of Ruby Bridges at the age of six years old walking into an all-white school.
She noted that the Board of Education banned Social Studies books before they were even adopted. The activist asked the board to no longer claim that there aren’t ‘book bans’ as libraries removed books to meet rewritten library guidelines.
Richard Stammer said that instead of the word ‘ban’, some are calling it the “wholesale removal of the books before we even have a right to ban them.”
Among one of the most stunning and disappointing moments that occurred at the meeting, happened at the end when after three hours of speeches, a tone-deaf Marinelli said: “Books aren’t being banned.” She had emphatically stated at the last meeting that she listened to the speakers. Paraphrasing, she said that she would be willing to stay after midnight in order for all the speakers to have their three minutes of time, if that’s what it takes.
What a difference a couple of weeks make.
This meeting, she’s raising her hand for speakers voices to be reduced to two minutes. Months of discourse, speeches, histrionics and protests, the existential wisdom Marinelli has gleaned is that “books aren’t being banned”. Was she gaslighting the public or is simply that indoctrinated into a false alt-right talking point?
Going in another direction, several speakers asked for accountability for the voted on and approved school choice agenda.
“You chose to experiment with our children on school choice. The taxpayers. . . want to know the effect of this change,” Vicki Nighswander began. Urging monthly reports made available to the public, she calculated that over 150 students left the public schools at an estimated cost of $8000.00/ea. “Over $1million left the public school system, and we should have accountability.”
Speaker Wendy Rosen also wanted stats. “How many have gone to the charter schools? How many have we gained?” she asked.
Speaking personally and eloquently on the subject, Nicole W. shared that she is now considered disabled. Private schools don’t have to make exceptions for Special Ed or the disabled. While she’s out of school, she said: “I want other kids coming up to have the same shot in education that I did.”
Jessica Thomason followed up on constitutional mandates, asking that board members let their constituents know where they stand ideologically. “As a substitute teacher, I was asked by a third grader if I had a husband.” She replied that she did. Thomason then asked the board: “Would it be permissible to say I was married to another woman?” She attempted to distinguish the board’s obligation to not break laws, but tasked them with interpretation. She expressed hopes that they would navigate the laws and mitigate the harm that is being done. “Be an advocate for every student,” she implored. If even newer laws didn’t allow for it, she stated it was still their moral obligation to do so.
In agreement, Julie Forestier directed this question to Robyn Marinelli: “Should Rosa Parks have followed the laws and sat in the back of the bus?” Stating a desire for compassion for Ziegler, she blamed the board member for laws being written that hurt marginalized students and therefore, couldn’t have empathy. Citing that all of Ziegler’s peers have asked for her resignation, Forestier double downed on their motivation.
The next speaker, Steven Russell kept his missive to Ziegler short and simple: “You harmed the LGBTQ community. You do not represent the entire student body. You must resign.”
Explaining this further, Polytechnic High Senior, Hanna Silva cited specific Florida House bills and how the Board could interpret laws to benefit all students. In HB 1157, the rule reads that changes in services or well-being to students need to be reported to parents. In applying this law, Silva stated that the board interpreted this by “putting a target on queer and transgender kids by outing them to their parents.” This was an unnecessary action.
High School Senior August Rey further elaborated bluntly stating that the Sarasota School board is failing on this issue. “State law intentionally allows space for interpretation.” Explaining the difference, Rey describes Broward County as believing it is never appropriate to out a kid without the child’s consent.”
“Sarasota is setting up a kid for violence and permanently destroying the trust a student has with school resources.” Speaking also on the book ban, he said how some school districts allow a book like Choked to be freely accessible, while others make it difficult. “It’s semantics. It’s still a banned book.”
I go back to Marinelli and her demeaning and dismissive theory that “books aren’t banned.” and deem it a slap in the face. I would ask that she sit down with Dr. Weddle, Ms. Silva and Mr. Rey for an education. I’ll buy the WaWa coffee.
Sheila Van Ness suggests that the board at least sign an affirmation that all children and families - especially those of a marginalized community - are respected. Then maybe, they would believe that the board really is for “every student, everyday and earn back some respect.”
There were a handful of yippie ki-yo-ki-yay types present beseeching homophobic epithets that they learned from Steve Bannon or Alex Jones. “These opinions are my own,” they started. “Not those of where I work.” Maybe they would be better off in our diverse country, where we can brag that we’re a melting pot by saying: “These are not my opinions.”
Appealing to the core of the board member’s psyches, retired teacher Katrina Ward asked them what they wanted their legacies to look like: “What will your legacy be as an elected official sitting in your seat? Did you serve as a role model with impeccable morals?”
In a full circle moment, Former Sarasota Herald-Tribune writer Billy Cox, who covered education for a limited time, addressed Ziegler mostly with a heartfelt story he hoped she could soul-search on. Cox decided to go to a gathering at Five Points as HB1557 (the “Don’t Say Gay” law) was coming to fruition. He discovered a 14-year old girl and it appeared she was alone. She was having identity issues and was afraid to tell her parents. She turned to a teacher where her secret was safe, but was now scared that she had no one. In a sight Billy says he wishes he could unsee, he said: “She broke down weeping.”
“I know Bridget (Ziegler) would never want to hurt a child. Not directly anyway or deliberately, not to their face.”
Cox went on, describing a dialogue from Madmen: “Closeted misery doesn’t have to be your destiny.”
“People don’t change.”
“We live and learn.”
Concluding Cox stated, “We’re all students. May we all will be lucky enough to have teachers we can trust.”
When it was Ziegler’s turn to speak, she referred to her situation as a ‘hot button topic”. Reflecting, the targeted woman of so many “arrows” since December stated that in March, she allowed a person to continue to speak, as they raged on a homophobic rant. However, she said she rejects that gender be discussed and stated so, as it has no relation to board business.
“I do believe specific to sexual orientation and what have you, has no place in comments up here,” Bridget expounded. “Personal lives, families, all of those. But I also accept the fact that as elected officials we open ourselves up to incredible criticism, but as an individual I absolutely reject that.”
She believes that they have created a “safe, fair and tolerant” atmosphere at the meetings, but acknowledges that the audience doesn’t share this opinion. She then turned to Superintendent Connor and asked him for suggestions on how this could happen.
That’s the precise moment irony struck gold as she’s the cause of the unsafe tenor at the school board meetings and in the classrooms. One has to wonder, did Superintendent Connor think the same thing as everyone else? That the solution is for her to resign.
A sidebar Substack will be presented in the next DearBubbie. Speaker Paulina Testerman’s microphone was turned off as she described the hypocrisy of Ziegler’s personal life vs. the harmful rules she instituted on the board. Chair Rose threatened to ‘clear the room’ and a speaker subsequently called Rose out citing that “(she) has no damn business being an American elected official if you can’t handle accountability; if you censor and mute - MUTE - public comment that you don’t agree with.” Bring the cookies and milk. You’re going to need them.
We also have Breaking News on Christian and Bridget Ziegler’s attempt to not disclose cellphone transmissions to the public as part of a police investigation. They cited Marsy’s Law, which protects victims. Did this approach work or fall flat on its face?