Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL
0:00 ♪♪
0:35 Good evening.
0:37 I’m happy to welcome all of my fellow board members
0:39 and call the March 9, 2021 school board meeting to order.
0:42 Pam, roll call please.
0:44 Mrs. Belfort.
0:45 Present.
0:46 Ms. McDougall.
0:47 Present.
0:48 Mrs. Jenkins.
0:49 Present.
0:50 Mrs. Campbell.
0:51 I’m here.
0:52 And Mr. Susan.
0:53 Present.
0:54 Please be reminded that school board meetings will be held in a
0:58 manner consistent with other
0:59 district meetings and activities.
1:01 All attendees must wear a face mask covering the nose and mouth
1:05 at all times when not more
1:07 than six feet from the nearest person or when moving about.
1:10 Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
1:16 We will now hold a moment of silent reflection and invite the
1:18 viewing audience to join us.
1:35 Thank you.
1:36 Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
1:44 At this time, I would like to offer my fellow board members and
2:04 Dr. Mullins the opportunity
2:05 to recognize student staff or members of the community.
2:08 Who would like to start us off?
2:10 I can start.
2:11 Thanks, Ms. Jenkins.
2:12 I’m going to keep it short and sweet tonight.
2:14 I just kind of stick to one topic.
2:16 I just want to do a shout out to Dr. Theri, Chris Moore, and
2:22 Robin Novelli for their tremendous
2:26 effort on behalf of our staff and getting distributed vaccines
2:31 to them.
2:33 Parrish Medical Center, I believe they gave 200 vaccines to our
2:39 staff members.
2:41 Rockledge Regional gave us access to 400 vaccines.
2:47 This coming weekend, the Department of Health has agreed to have
2:50 almost 4,000 vaccines for
2:53 our staff.
2:54 Currently, the plan was for the guideline that was about a week
2:58 ago for 50 and up employees.
3:01 We will see what happens in the future, but I know we have a
3:03 really good partnership with
3:05 them.
3:06 I thank them so much for thinking ahead and thinking forward so
3:08 our staff doesn’t have
3:09 to fight in line and they don’t have to take off of work knowing
3:11 that we have a significant
3:13 shortage of substitutes.
3:14 So thank you so much to our team who works tirelessly to make
3:17 that happen.
3:19 Thanks, Ms. Jenkins.
3:21 Ms. McDougall?
3:22 Sure.
3:23 I want to give a shout out to Cocoa High School.
3:26 They had a wonderful Black History Month celebration at the
3:31 River Amphitheater there in Cocoa
3:34 Village.
3:35 And I want to give a shout out to the students in the chorus,
3:40 the dancers, and also the orchestra.
3:45 And I just want to let everyone know that everyone wore a mask.
3:48 The dancers wore a mask, the singers wore a mask, and the
3:50 orchestra all wore a mask
3:52 and it was an amazing program.
3:54 So kudos to, I want to make sure I get all the teachers, the
3:57 orchestra was underneath
3:58 the direction of Ms. Sylvia Cernosus.
4:02 Chorus and Gospel Choir was in the direction of Dr. Ms. DeMartinez.
4:06 And the dance troupe was Tamara and Tamarita Cooper.
4:11 So shout out to that.
4:13 It was a wonderful performance and it was outside and it was
4:16 just fantastic.
4:18 So shout out to Cocoa High School.
4:21 The last thing I have is from, wrong side, here we go, from Edgewood.
4:29 Edgewood Junior Senior High School, two of the students were
4:33 selected to be part of the
4:35 National Association for Music Education.
4:37 And it’s across the country and only certain students are
4:41 selected and two from Edgewood
4:43 were selected.
4:44 One was the senior Trevor Meyer who plays contrabass bass rather
4:49 clarinet and a sophomore
4:51 Ian Woodrich who plays viola.
4:54 And very few people are selected.
4:56 They were selected and I want to give a shout out to the band
4:59 director Brian Fenzel and
5:01 chorus and orchestra teacher Joseph Franco.
5:03 So congratulations to all of those students and staff for the
5:07 hard work and the honors
5:09 that they’re receiving.
5:11 Thank you, Ms. McDougall.
5:12 Ms. Campbell, would you like to offer some recognitions?
5:16 Absolutely.
5:17 First of all, I want to thank the Harriet T. and Harriet V.
5:21 Moore Cultural Complex and
5:23 all of the group that hosted us for our reading or ceremony
5:28 honoring them on, I believe that
5:32 was February 24th.
5:33 It was just a great night and I really appreciate their hosting.
5:37 Thank you to BFT and our district staff for courting that as
5:41 well.
5:42 It was a beautiful night and I was happy to be a part of it.
5:47 We had several months ago now, I think in December, we had our
5:52 prisoner of war missing
5:54 in action flag ceremony at ESF outside of the building and it
5:58 was such a great ceremony.
6:01 I know that they’ve been doing those, rolling them out to each
6:05 of our schools and delivering
6:07 the POW/MIA flag to each school.
6:09 But I was able to be a part of a very special ceremony at Bayside
6:13 High School a week ago
6:15 Monday and of course Rolling Thunder was there and they also had
6:20 a widow of a former POW
6:23 and she was able to speak and it was such a great day.
6:26 I just want to really give kudos to our DARE OTC there at Bayside
6:31 because they, just having
6:34 the whole battalion there and the leadership there, they did
6:37 such a fantastic job and represented
6:40 their school and our district so well in that ceremony.
6:43 So we’re really excited to be a part of that.
6:45 My last two would just be, let me do a real quick plug for the
6:50 week of April 4th.
6:53 There’s going to be for all of our employees a virtual health
6:56 fair and I hope that everybody
6:58 will jump on and take advantage of everything that you can that
7:02 week.
7:03 They’ll be exploring lots of different benefits that you may not
7:07 be aware of and whether you’re
7:10 part of our insurance program or not, there’s some of the
7:11 benefits that are for all of our
7:13 employees.
7:14 And then I just want to do one final shout out to Suhan and the
7:17 whole facilities team,
7:19 the ICOC as I have continued to look through our surtax and
7:23 capital budget projects.
7:26 I am always amazed at how well they manage those projects and
7:30 manage those funds so that
7:33 we really can meet the needs of all of our schools.
7:37 It’s always nice to see at the end of some of the agenda items
7:40 that this money was left
7:42 over and saved and what they’re doing to appropriate it to
7:47 different needs.
7:49 But they do such a fantastic job and I’m so proud of the work
7:52 that they do, the whole
7:54 team.
7:55 And I just wanted to give that shout out to Suhan and all of her
7:58 crew.
7:59 Awesome.
8:00 Thank you, Ms. Campbell.
8:01 Mr. Susan?
8:02 First off, I wanted to welcome everybody to Brevard Public
8:05 Schools.
8:06 I want to congratulate everybody who took the time out of their
8:08 busy schedules to come
8:10 in and visit us.
8:11 This is what I love about the job that I have is that seeing
8:14 every one of you and the process
8:17 that we have in governing.
8:18 I am also specifically happy because the individuals that are
8:21 sitting up here have pushed Anthony
8:23 Colucci to the back of the building.
8:25 And I just wanted to say thank you for doing that.
8:29 Also, next one up.
8:31 Sorry, Anthony.
8:32 This is yesterday was National Woman’s Day and I wanted to take
8:35 a minute to say thank
8:37 you to the leadership that this board, the women that make up
8:41 this board, thank you for
8:43 your leadership and for all of the women that work in leadership
8:46 positions and work inside
8:48 of our district.
8:50 What you see today governing in front of you was not a reality
8:53 20, 30, 40 years ago.
8:55 As we seek right now, over 75% of your school board members
8:59 throughout the entire state
9:01 are female.
9:02 I am becoming a they call me a unicorn because males on school
9:05 boards are no longer.
9:07 So I want to say thank you.
9:08 It’s been an honor serving with you.
9:10 And it was a nice day yesterday.
9:12 I have four daughters and a very strong wife that I am so proud
9:17 to be a part of.
9:19 And National Woman’s Day is a big day.
9:21 So thank you.
9:22 All right.
9:23 I wanted to take and take a second.
9:25 I am want to say thank you to the following people who are going
9:29 to collaborate with me
9:31 on a COVID review return task force.
9:34 I’ve got Dr. Marani, medical director of critical care and pulmonology
9:37 of Stewart Health.
9:39 Dr. Williams, owner and medical director of Parrish.
9:43 Mary Ann Sterling, grandparents raising grandchildren of Brevard.
9:46 Eric Hoppenbauer, director of Business Voice.
9:49 Ashley Hall, Moms for Liberty.
9:51 Scott Rook, Moms Demand Action, Samantha Nazario, Hispanic Third
9:54 Street Bridge.
9:56 Gary Shiffrin, Bassa, that is the president of the Brevard
9:59 Administrators Association.
10:02 Jonathan Hilliard, Brevard Federation of Teachers.
10:05 And parents Sherri Lynn Derskin, Jennifer Nagy, and Luke Carter,
10:09 Viera High SGA.
10:11 We’re going to meet and I wanted to say thank you.
10:13 They’re going to sit down and we’re going to go through and unpackage
10:16 all of the things
10:16 that we’ve seen and how we can possibly bring new and innovative
10:19 ideas to the return
10:20 for next year with me.
10:22 That’s district four.
10:23 Those are just people inside my district.
10:25 And I wanted to say thank you to Peter Fuskas, who I think is in
10:27 the back.
10:28 Peter, are you back there?
10:29 You raise your hand.
10:30 Peter has agreed to help me out and chair a district four budget
10:33 review committee.
10:34 And he’s putting together some individuals.
10:36 He also does it for the county.
10:37 They have a budget review committee that’s made up of citizens.
10:40 And he’s going to work with me on doing that.
10:42 I want to say thank you, Peter, for all your dedication already.
10:45 And I did want to say last Monday I went and I substituted at
10:48 Melbourne High School.
10:51 And one of the things that I got the opportunity, Jenna’s Pizza
10:55 donated pizza to the entire staff.
10:57 And so each one of the staff members came through and I sat
11:00 inside of the teacher’s
11:03 workroom as they came through, got a free piece of pizza, and
11:06 they talked to me about
11:07 all the things that they’re dealing with, with the hybrid model,
11:10 with not having substitutes,
11:11 with having to cover classes, and just various things that they’re
11:14 dealing with in general.
11:16 And I will tell you, the main reason that I did it, and the
11:19 reason that I’m talking
11:20 about it now, is to request all of you who are in here and so
11:23 passionate about this topic,
11:27 please register to substitute.
11:30 We are in a point where we don’t have subs that are covering
11:33 classes.
11:34 And what’s happening is our teachers are having to give up their
11:37 planning, which is taking
11:39 away from the educational value of our children’s future.
11:43 So I am here to say, and I put it on as an agenda item later on
11:45 to discuss some ideas
11:47 that I have that came up, but I’m here to also say, please, if
11:50 your passion comes here
11:52 and you have this one issue, we would love to see your activity
11:55 on more issues.
11:57 And you can do that by registering at each one of the local
11:59 schools to become a substitute
12:01 and help out.
12:02 Even if it’s for the last couple of months of this COVID
12:04 response, many of you have been
12:05 vaccinated, please come out.
12:07 And with that, I think that that’s it.
12:09 Thank you.
12:10 - Thanks, Mr. Susan.
12:11 Dr. Mullins.
12:12 - Thank you, Ms. Belford.
12:14 I just like to echo Mrs. Jenkins’ sentiments to our staff.
12:19 And just my appreciation for a team that always rises and steps
12:23 up and takes care of our employees.
12:27 Several of staff have given up their first weekend of spring
12:30 break and will be at the
12:32 vaccination distribution for two full days on Saturday and
12:35 Sunday.
12:36 And that’s because we put our employees first.
12:39 So thank you to my team for that.
12:41 Ms. McDougall, I’m echoing a lot of the sentiments already
12:45 because there’s just so much, such
12:47 great events over the last couple of weeks from the Moore Center,
12:50 but also the Black
12:51 History Month celebration with Cocoa High School.
12:55 One of our students recited a poet laureate, Amanda Gorman’s
12:59 poem, “The Hill We Climb,”
13:02 completely by memory.
13:04 And with a demonstration of such passion, there were goosebumps
13:11 on the crowd.
13:13 And it was amazing.
13:15 Mr. Ross, a longtime community member, recited Dr. Martin Luther
13:19 King’s “I Have a Dream”
13:20 speech from memory.
13:22 It was like we were standing there on the lawn of our Capitol.
13:29 It was amazing.
13:30 The student performances, like you said, Ms. McDougall, were
13:33 just absolutely enchanting
13:35 and so reflective and appropriate for the reason we are there
13:39 together.
13:41 So thank you for recognizing them.
13:43 So the last, I’d like to call out one individual.
13:46 We have a staff member, Christine Rodriguez, who is our director
13:50 of procurement.
13:52 She was recently recognized as the Central Florida chapter for
13:57 the Institute of Public
13:59 Procurement as the 2021 Manager of the Year.
14:04 That’s a big deal.
14:06 It’s representing over 100 agencies, over 300 Central Florida
14:09 public procurement officials.
14:12 It is an externally decided recognition, and it is well-deserved.
14:19 To put it into context, Ms. Rodriguez joined Team BPS, I want to
14:23 say, about a year ago,
14:27 and was instrumental in helping us stay ahead of supply chain
14:32 during the height of getting
14:34 materials through COVID.
14:36 But she has also continually pushed this organization to
14:40 renegotiate contracts to the benefit of
14:43 our district, saving, last I heard, which is several weeks old
14:48 now, approximately $300,000
14:51 in renegotiated contracts for the organization.
14:54 So Ms. Rodriguez, congratulations.
14:57 We are thrilled to celebrate this with you, and we so appreciate
15:00 your service and leadership
15:02 in Brevard schools.
15:03 - Thank you, Dr. Mullins.
15:06 Much of what I was going to talk about has already been covered,
15:11 but I do want to give
15:12 a shout out.
15:13 I don’t know if any of you all saw, there was an article in
15:16 Florida Today about a week
15:18 or so ago.
15:19 In addition to serving on this board, I also serve on the board
15:23 of the Brevard Homeless
15:23 Coalition.
15:24 And one of the things that we talk about constantly is the lack
15:27 of affordable housing in Brevard
15:29 County.
15:30 And there’s an organization called St. Stephen’s Way in
15:33 Melbourne that has partnered with a
15:38 church donated about eight acres, I think.
15:42 And they are building affordable housing for families who have
15:45 children attending school
15:47 in Brevard County.
15:48 So we have approximately 3,000 homeless students in Brevard
15:50 County.
15:51 That number fluctuates all the time, probably higher now because
15:54 of COVID.
15:55 And certainly this project isn’t going to solve the issue, but I
15:59 just think it’s a huge
16:01 undertaking and such a great thing for them to focus on.
16:04 And so they are actually on that property going to be building
16:07 43 bedroom apartments
16:09 for homeless families who have children in Brevard public
16:11 schools.
16:12 And so just, we’re so blessed in Brevard to have wonderful
16:15 partnerships.
16:16 And we say all the time, we can’t do it alone.
16:19 It takes us all.
16:20 And so it’s wonderful to see other organizations coming
16:22 alongside us to address some of those
16:24 issues.
16:25 Excuse me.
16:26 And then I have to give a shout out to Florida School Board
16:30 Association.
16:32 We had our annual day in the legislature on Friday, I believe it
16:35 was.
16:36 They’ve done such a phenomenal job with the shift to virtual
16:39 conferencing.
16:41 We have an entire day of education on Friday and so well
16:44 orchestrated, so much great information.
16:48 I will be forwarding that information along to you all.
16:51 There’s several areas of legislation and budget and all sorts of
16:54 things.
16:55 So I will definitely be sharing with you all.
16:58 And then the last one that I have is a shout out to Nemours.
17:01 They have been a phenomenal partner through all of COVID.
17:04 And I don’t know if you all get them, but they are routinely
17:09 doing webinars with doctors
17:12 in different areas at Nemours.
17:14 The one that they did last week was on the cardiac issues in
17:18 youth athletes and just
17:21 constantly making sure that they’re sharing information that’s
17:23 valuable to us as decision
17:25 makers in the schools.
17:27 So thanks to them as well.
17:29 And that’s all I have for shout outs this evening.
17:33 So that is going to bring us to the adoption of the agenda, Dr.
17:36 Mullins.
17:41 Ms. Belford and members of the board on tonight’s agenda, we
17:44 have one presentation, 27 consent
17:47 items and one action item.
17:49 There are two board discussion items.
17:52 Changes made to the agenda since it was first released to the
17:54 public on March 2nd, 2021
17:58 are as follows.
17:59 The item on non excuse me, the item on termination of the
18:02 structural employee was deleted.
18:05 Items F18 on bonus for eligible non bargaining personnel, F19 on
18:11 substitute pay and F20 on
18:14 salary adjustment for eligible non bargaining personnel are
18:17 additions.
18:18 Discussion items on substitutes and LGBTQ guidelines were also
18:22 added after the agenda
18:24 was published.
18:25 What are the wishes of the board?
18:28 Moved by Mr. Susan, seconded by Ms. McDougall.
18:32 Is there any discussion?
18:34 Please vote.
18:35 It’s not coming now, is it coming up for anybody else?
18:44 I don’t have a vote option.
18:49 Oh, now I do.
18:51 Telling me I’m not here.
18:54 Oh, yeah.
18:56 It says not present for all of us.
18:58 Do you want me to take a voice vote Pam?
19:04 All in favor?
19:06 Aye.
19:07 All opposed?
19:08 Aye.
19:09 Any opposed?
19:10 The motion passes 5-0.
19:12 All right, this evening’s presentation is an opportunity for
19:15 board member discussion
19:17 on mask mandates as requested by Ms. Jenkins.
19:20 We have moved the discussion to the presentation portion of the
19:22 meeting in order to have representatives
19:24 from Florida Department of Health on hand for questions.
19:27 We appreciate Helen Medlin, program manager epidemiology, Barry
19:30 Inman, epidemiologist,
19:32 and Anita Stremel, assistant director, for being here this
19:35 evening with us.
19:36 Ms. Jenkins, I will turn the discussion over to you.
19:39 Sure.
19:40 So, we received a request to have one-on-one meetings with an
19:47 individual to discuss the
19:50 request of metrics to remove masks.
19:52 And so I went ahead and asked it to be a discussion item because
19:56 I believe they’re right.
19:59 They’ve asked this question time and time again.
20:01 I know one or two of us have addressed it.
20:04 They may not have liked that response, but I think they deserve
20:07 to hear it as a board,
20:08 as a whole, as a district as a whole, and/or have the
20:11 opportunity for us to ask those questions
20:14 that we’re saying back to our Department of Health so that way
20:16 it’s not our opinions,
20:19 it’s coming from the people that we’re receiving that scientific
20:21 information from.
20:23 So, I appreciate you all coming here tonight.
20:26 So, should I just go ahead and start asking some questions?
20:30 Sure, if you’d like, and then we can see if other board members
20:33 have questions as well.
20:35 Sure.
20:36 So, one of the questions that I think is really important for us
20:39 to address is what is the
20:41 current positivity rate of Brevard County, and do we typically
20:45 look at that one isolated
20:47 day?
20:48 So, what is going on communities around us?
20:51 Are we looking at a 14-day rolling average?
20:53 What does that look like for Brevard?
20:56 So, today we had – overall, 13-day rolling average.
21:18 So, I’m going to ask a question.
21:30 I wasn’t on the board when this information was brought up, and
21:33 I don’t know who was the
21:35 one who gave the answer, so I apologize if it wasn’t one of you
21:39 two, or four.
21:41 But I believe there was a moment when we were having a
21:43 conversation about the reopening
21:46 plan, where someone made a statement that we should be concerned
21:50 about the safety in
21:52 our schools when we have a positivity rate over 5%.
21:55 Can somebody speak to that?
21:59 Well, we know once you get over 5% of the community that has COVID,
22:08 and the strain on
22:11 the community, the number of people getting infected, what have
22:16 you, is at more risk or
22:18 whatever.
22:19 If you get below 5%, then there’s less COVID in the community,
22:25 and therefore less risk.
22:28 But let me just say one thing about all this, is that we’ve got
22:32 to keep our public health
22:34 measures involved, including the masks, and of course, the hand
22:37 washing, the social distancing,
22:40 everything that we need to do, the contact tracing and all that,
22:43 needs to be done until
22:45 we get the vaccine.
22:46 And we’ve got to get a high percentage of people vaccinated for
22:49 that, and all that.
22:51 This virus is very unique in its ability, that all of us are
22:53 vulnerable to it.
22:55 Now the flu, you may or may not be, you’ve had the vaccine, you’ve
22:58 had the flu in the
22:59 past, or whatever, COVID can attack anybody at any particular
23:03 time.
23:04 So percentages, they’re important, and the more they go up, the
23:06 more we’re concerned
23:08 with it.
23:09 But we have to keep these efforts up, until the day that we have
23:13 enough people vaccinated
23:15 in the community.
23:19 So I want to say something that’s been brought up a couple of
23:22 times, and have you agree or
23:24 disagree with it, but what is the evidence saying now about our
23:28 pediatric population,
23:30 and their ability to possibly carry COVID home to family members
23:34 or in the community?
23:36 Where are we now?
23:39 I’ll talk to that.
23:43 So the studies do show that pediatrics typically do not transmit
23:50 as much as adults do.
23:53 There’s a lot of reasons for that.
23:55 Part of it is their lung capacity, part of it is their immune
23:59 system.
24:00 However, you have to be aware that a school is a community of
24:03 all ages, so we’re not
24:05 just concerned about pediatrics, we’re concerned about adults as
24:09 well.
24:10 So it only takes one person to transmit, and we do see
24:15 transmission within pediatrics.
24:18 We see it particularly in our population of daycares in Brevard
24:24 County, where the children
24:27 are not masked.
24:28 We see a lot more transmission in those settings than what we
24:31 see in our school system, where
24:34 our children are wearing masks.
24:37 Have you seen a prevalence of adverse effects of mask wearing on
24:41 children in the pediatric
24:43 population?
24:44 No.
24:46 We, here in Brevard County and Brevard Public Schools, we have
24:52 had about 3,000 positive
24:56 cases that we’re aware of, and I say aware of because we know
24:59 sometimes we have asymptomatic
25:01 adults, and mostly in the pediatric area, so we know that they
25:05 haven’t all been tested.
25:08 Do you believe, what your expert opinion, would that number have
25:13 been marginally higher
25:16 if we weren’t doing safety mitigation like mask wearing, hand
25:19 washing, social distancing?
25:21 Absolutely.
25:22 I’ll speak to that.
25:23 It would not be marginally higher, it would be significantly
25:27 higher.
25:28 Thank you.
25:41 We see that percentage of our population in Brevard County is
25:44 starting to receive vaccinations,
25:47 and I think, I don’t know the percentage right now, I think we’re
25:52 at 15% in Brevard.
25:54 Do you believe, again, with your expert opinion, I know you can’t
25:57 foresee, but do you believe
25:59 there is a percentage in the scientific community that agrees
26:02 where we can start lifting those
26:05 restrictions of how many people being vaccinated?
26:08 Well, the standard is 70 to 75%.
26:15 One of the things you do have to take into context, though, is
26:17 the number of people that’s
26:19 been infected because they have some immunity to the virus also,
26:24 so you have to take that
26:26 into consequence with it, but I mean, I would think that if we
26:29 got half the community vaccinated,
26:32 we would see a sharp, sharp decline in COVID in our community
26:37 and elsewhere.
26:39 What is the data showing now, if somebody is infected with COVID-19,
26:43 how long they have
26:44 immunity for?
26:47 We know it’s at least three months, but because of the way the
26:51 immune system works and because
26:53 there’s memory T cells that you have that, you know, either by
26:57 the vaccine or by the
26:58 disease itself, it may very well be longer than that, but, you
27:02 know, in medical science,
27:05 things move slowly, so we want to be able to prove that, so no
27:08 one’s willing to come
27:10 out right now and say, “Oh, yeah, it will be a year, it will be
27:14 two years,” and what
27:15 have you, and the other caveat we have to throw into that is the
27:18 variance that I know
27:20 everyone has heard about.
27:21 You know, we’re not exactly sure what impact they’re going to
27:25 have on the immunity that
27:28 we may have.
27:30 So when you talk about 77% of the population needing to have the
27:34 vaccine in order for us
27:36 to start kind of lifting those restrictions, are you including
27:40 pediatrics in that percentage
27:43 of our population?
27:45 Yes.
27:46 And we currently do not have a vaccine approved for pediatrics,
27:49 correct?
27:50 No.
27:51 Right, so am I safe to assume that we are not able to get there
27:54 as a community until
27:56 that exists for our pediatric population?
27:59 Yeah, well, we’re going to need the pediatric population, you
28:01 know, immunized.
28:03 Now, as Helen says, they don’t transmit it, you know, as well.
28:07 That needs to be taken into consideration, but I don’t see the
28:09 vaccine being available
28:11 to them since clinical trials have just begun until maybe the
28:15 fall or maybe even this time
28:17 next year.
28:18 We’ll just have to wait and see on that.
28:21 So, in your expert opinions, would you be comfortable suggesting
28:26 a point at which us
28:28 as an organization can start lifting restrictions such as a mask
28:33 mandate?
28:35 Well, that’s, you know, information we’ll have to run by the
28:40 Department of Health, you
28:43 know, in Tallahassee.
28:44 Of course, we probably get some guidance from CDC along those
28:48 lines about, you know, when
28:50 they think that, you know, we can start to pull back on some of
28:55 these precautions and
28:57 things that we’re taking to get back to a more normalcy.
29:01 So, just for some people in the audience that their specific
29:05 question is about metrics and
29:07 they want an answer on that.
29:09 So, who and what organizations do you confer with to kind of
29:13 make that ultimate decision?
29:16 Well, that’s going to be the Department of Health, the epidemiology
29:19 section in Tallahassee,
29:21 and, of course, the CDC.
29:23 That’s who we take our lead from, nearly always.
29:27 Thank you.
29:29 Does anyone else have additional questions for Department of
29:33 Health representatives?
29:35 No?
29:36 Mr. Sudo?
29:37 Yeah, I’ll ask real quick.
29:39 So, the total number of cases, I think, were registered at
29:42 roughly 34,000.
29:44 Is that what I heard somebody say in the county so far?
29:47 Right, 34,944.
29:49 Do we have a total number of vaccines that have been distributed
29:53 as of now for local
29:55 people?
29:56 I know we’ve got some numbers, but I don’t know if everybody’s
29:58 local.
29:59 You know what I mean?
30:00 Well, in Brevard County, we have 98,545 vaccines have been
30:05 administered, and that comes to
30:08 52,047 individuals who have had their two-dose series.
30:12 So, they’re completed.
30:13 The balance, 46 and change have had their first dose.
30:17 We are at 50% vaccination rate so far for our 65 and older
30:20 population.
30:22 Got it.
30:23 Which is the targeted.
30:24 Okay.
30:25 Which is the – I keep hearing you say, sir, 50% is kind of that
30:29 number, and I keep hearing
30:31 things called herd numbers.
30:33 You know what I mean?
30:34 What are we looking at before it becomes a situation where – I’ve
30:37 heard 60, 70%.
30:39 If you could talk somewhere in there where those numbers become,
30:43 you know, definition
30:45 of those things.
30:46 Well, I’m saying like 50% of the community being vaccinated, but
30:49 like I said, we’ve got
30:51 people, unfortunately, getting infected, and they’re going to
30:53 have some immunity, too.
30:55 So, I would think if we got half the community vaccinated, we
30:59 should start to see a very
31:02 dramatic decrease, you know, in our cases.
31:05 Now, that’s more theory, you know, than anything at this point.
31:09 And the herd immunity, when you get to about – now, each
31:12 disease is different.
31:14 Measles needs 95% herd immunity because it’s so contagious.
31:19 And one of the reasons is there is a reproductive ratio.
31:23 And the reproductive ratio for measles is that if I have measles,
31:26 I can infect 12 to
31:28 15 people.
31:29 Now, COVID, it’s more like possibly one to three people with
31:34 that.
31:35 So, that’s where they’re coming up with the 70, 75%.
31:40 And what we mean by herd immunity, if you’ve got that many
31:43 people that are protected by
31:45 vaccine or disease, if the virus comes in, where is it going to
31:49 go?
31:50 It’s going to bump into a wall.
31:52 It’s going to bump into somebody who has an immunological
31:55 response to it, so it just
31:57 dies out.
31:58 That’s the reason we don’t have much of a problem with measles
32:01 or mumps or rubella
32:03 or whatever because a high percentage, and particularly for kids,
32:06 are well-vaccinated
32:07 for that.
32:08 And measles is incredibly infectious.
32:11 It’s completely airborne.
32:13 It can go from room to room.
32:15 It’s that infectious.
32:17 And so, as I look at it now, we have about 98,000 people that
32:22 have received the first
32:24 dose, 52 with the second dose, 34,000.
32:27 We’re creeping up to about 132,000 people that have either
32:31 received the first dose,
32:33 the second dose, or have gotten COVID itself.
32:37 And I’m hearing you say that right around 50%, which would be
32:39 300,000, would be the
32:41 number where it starts to decline.
32:43 Do you guys think that by the middle of the summer, we maybe
32:46 have vaccinated into that
32:48 number of half of the people, or do you think that that’s still
32:52 far off and we wouldn’t
32:54 be able to tell?
32:57 I would certainly hope so, and I think that’s reasonable.
33:02 Let me tell you what’s concerning me, is that we’re starting to
33:05 see people and their
33:07 behaviors go back to more normalcy.
33:11 Okay.
33:12 And I know there’s been a bit of good news because the number of
33:15 cases have declined,
33:17 but they’ve only declined because of the surge that we had at
33:20 the holidays.
33:22 And that was incredible.
33:23 You know, one week we had 2,300 cases, 2,300 cases around, I
33:28 forget the exact date, but
33:30 it was January 1st, 2nd, something like that.
33:33 Yeah, and cases are declining to some extent, but they’re also
33:38 starting to plateau.
33:40 And to plateau, they can go right back up.
33:42 In the nation, yesterday they had 125,000 cases, where we were
33:46 having 50,000 cases or
33:49 so.
33:50 That’s one day, and you can’t look at one point in time.
33:53 You can’t do that.
33:54 But that concerns me.
33:55 If people’s behaviors, and we start going back to those before
34:00 COVID, things could all
34:03 change with that.
34:04 And if we are in a race between the vaccine and the virus now.
34:07 And I’ve noticed the median age is starting to go down a little
34:10 bit too, and I think the
34:11 target of those 125,000 were more on the younger side than we’ve
34:14 seen in the past because
34:16 of the vaccinations.
34:18 So thank you.
34:19 I really appreciate that.
34:20 I just wanted to ask those questions.
34:22 Those, you know, and I appreciate you taking the time to answer
34:25 them.
34:26 Thank you.
34:27 Anyone else?
34:28 Can I just, I don’t mean to jump in front of everyone, anyone,
34:30 if anyone else has questions,
34:32 but can I just piggyback to ask questions about what they just
34:36 said?
34:37 Yeah?
34:38 Okay.
34:39 So you mentioned behaviors are starting to go, or people are
34:42 starting to go back to normalcy.
34:45 So can you explain to me what you mean by that?
34:47 What kind of behaviors are you seeing that you’re concerned
34:50 about?
34:51 You had mentioned that you were concerned about people going
34:53 back to normalcy.
34:54 So what exactly are you concerned about?
34:56 What are those behaviors?
34:57 Well, we’re starting to see, you know, more people in
35:00 restaurants, bars are opening, spring
35:03 break is coming, are already here to some extent.
35:08 People are, there are more opportunities for people to gather.
35:12 We just had a fair across the way here.
35:15 We have more situations like that.
35:18 More and more people are throwing parties and situations like
35:21 that, and not taking precautions
35:23 in that.
35:24 And so that’s what concerns me because, you know, I know
35:26 everybody wants to get back to
35:28 the normalcy, but we’ve got to be patient.
35:31 The virus doesn’t care whether we’re patient or not, you know,
35:36 but if we lack patience,
35:38 you know, right now, we could go back.
35:40 We could go back.
35:41 So we’re not done with this.
35:42 As the saying goes, you know, you don’t spike the football till
35:45 you’re in the end zone.
35:46 And we got a ways to go.
35:48 So do you think it’s in the best interest of our public health
35:50 for Brevard County to
35:51 continue a mask mandate in our public schools?
35:54 Absolutely.
35:55 Yes.
35:56 Definitely.
35:57 Again, you guys are the medical experts of our community.
36:00 Would you, I know I kind of asked this, but I want to ask it
36:03 again, just because I want
36:05 to give that opportunity to get an answer to that question.
36:09 As medical experts, are you able to advise us on a metric as to
36:12 when we can start rolling
36:14 back the mask mandate?
36:16 I think as Mary said, we need to take the lead from the CDC and
36:20 the Department of Health,
36:22 the State Health Office.
36:24 Okay.
36:25 Thank you.
36:26 Anybody else?
36:27 All right.
36:28 So one question that I had when we’re looking at herd immunity,
36:36 Mr. Susan did some math
36:37 there, but I just want to make sure that we’re looking at it
36:39 correctly, right?
36:41 Because a lot of people will take that and be working on the
36:42 math and be looking at those
36:44 numbers.
36:45 So is anyone tracking the number of people who have tested
36:51 positive for COVID who are
36:54 also vaccinated?
36:56 Or are we just looking at those numbers separately?
36:59 Because I would think that there would be some overlap there,
37:00 right?
37:01 So if there are, I don’t know, say 10% of the people who have
37:06 already been vaccinated
37:09 also had COVID, we can’t just add the two numbers together,
37:12 right?
37:13 Would that be accurate as far as determining herd immunity?
37:16 And the data I have doesn’t indicate if someone previously had
37:20 COVID at all.
37:22 So we’re not tracking that at the local level, correct?
37:25 Okay.
37:26 Not that I’m aware of.
37:28 No, we’re not tracking that at all.
37:32 We’re specifically looking at just who’s been vaccinated,
37:35 although I could certainly pull
37:37 someone’s record up and say they’ve had the disease plus the
37:41 vaccines.
37:43 I think it’s important when we’re looking at herd immunity to
37:48 understand that with the
37:50 disease itself at the moment, we’re not fully aware how much, or
37:56 sorry, for how long we
37:58 receive immunity.
37:59 We know with other COVID diseases, because there are other COVIDs
38:02 that we’ve lived with
38:04 for a long time, that with those, we get anything from about
38:08 three months to two years.
38:11 So it’s not lifelong immunity that one gets with this disease.
38:15 It never will be.
38:16 And what we see at the moment and what the CDC is saying is that
38:20 three months.
38:22 For some people, I’m sure they get more, and some people may
38:25 well get less.
38:26 And we do see that.
38:27 We’ve seen people who have been infected already twice by this
38:31 disease.
38:32 So, you know, when we’re looking at herd immunity, we really
38:37 want to look at how many people
38:40 are vaccinated is really what we’re looking for at this point in
38:44 time.
38:45 When Barry talks about looking at both the disease and the
38:48 vaccination rate, that will
38:50 give us some idea in general, but we really want good vaccine
38:54 rates throughout our community
38:57 to be able to protect everyone decently.
39:00 So when you say we’re seeing about three months of immunity, is
39:06 that after people have
39:08 been infected with the virus, they’re seeing about three months
39:10 of immunity?
39:11 Yes.
39:12 Sorry.
39:13 Okay.
39:14 Yeah.
39:15 Natural immunity from the disease, as opposed to you’re talking
39:17 about immunity from the
39:18 vaccination.
39:19 Okay.
39:20 Yeah, no.
39:21 So I’m talking about natural immunity.
39:22 So the immunity from the disease.
39:26 Okay.
39:27 And then you all mentioned, I think it was Barry that mentioned
39:30 that the R number on
39:31 COVID is like one to three.
39:34 Is that consistent with the R number that we’re seeing on the
39:37 variants or are we seeing
39:38 differences there?
39:39 Well, the variant, the difference there is the variant.
39:45 You’re able to transmit the virus longer.
39:48 If you have the B one seven, B one one seven from the United
39:52 Kingdom, you can transmit
39:54 it for five more days with that.
39:57 So so far as the reproductive ratio you’re talking about or what
40:01 have you, I don’t know
40:02 that that’s really been analyzed just yet, you know, with with
40:06 that, but we know they
40:07 can transmit it for a longer period of time.
40:10 So do we then, sorry, do we then anticipate as we correct me if
40:15 I’m wrong, but what I’ve
40:17 been reading is we anticipate to see a significant amount of the
40:21 variant coming into our community.
40:24 Something I’ve read is indicated we anticipate spikes in March
40:28 and April.
40:29 Do have you had any discussion on changing quarantine
40:35 recommendations based on current
40:37 situation or based on the longer transmission time of those
40:40 variants?
40:41 Well, you know, it all depends on many different, you know,
40:45 factors.
40:45 You know, if you get vaccinated and most of these vaccines seem
40:49 to be pretty effective
40:50 that, you know, protecting pretty effective, they may be
40:54 somewhat less effective than the
40:57 than the original variants that we’ve had with that.
41:00 So you have to take a look at that.
41:02 But you know, you mainly want to look at what happens in the
41:04 community.
41:05 If the variant starts going up in our cases start going up, well,
41:09 then then we may have
41:10 to intensify things, you know, with that.
41:13 So it all depends, you know, that’s where surveillance is very,
41:16 very, very important.
41:18 We got to keep surveillance in our sites and making sure that
41:22 our rates are keep going
41:24 going down or at least leveling off, but hopefully go down.
41:28 But we got to get more vaccine into the community.
41:32 Thank you.
41:34 The other thing that we have had some discussion around is the
41:38 current quarantine protocols.
41:41 And I know that you all work very closely with our team on on
41:45 determining who needs
41:46 to quarantine and for how long and what is the day zero and what
41:52 is day seven and there
41:54 are some in our community that are somewhat frustrated with the
41:57 fact that we are quarantining
41:58 healthy kids.
41:59 Can you all speak to why that recommendation is there and why
42:07 why you believe it’s important?
42:09 I speak to that.
42:11 So in quarantining other children, basically, the school’s very
42:17 good at looking at the children
42:20 who have been in close contact.
42:22 So we are following the CDC guidelines with that.
42:26 When we quarantine those children, we do see then some of those
42:32 children being sick and
42:34 positive.
42:35 So that means that they are already out of school.
42:40 They’re not those they’re not transmitting it anymore in school.
42:44 If we had not taken them out of school, then you’re just going
42:50 to see this balloon occur.
42:53 And that’s to be honest, that’s what we want to see.
42:55 We want if we’re going to see disease in the school, we want to
42:58 see it in the children
42:59 that we have quarantined because that means we did it correctly.
43:02 OK, so if we’ve got one sick case and we quarantine 10 children
43:06 and out of those children, we
43:08 see two cases, that means we’re not then having to quarantine
43:12 more children.
43:13 We just that’s the 10 children who quarantined.
43:17 If we hadn’t quarantined those 10 children and those two
43:21 children were still in school,
43:22 then we’d be seeing four children sick.
43:25 And if we don’t quarantine around them, we’d be seeing 16
43:28 children sick.
43:30 So we have to quarantine healthy people because we don’t know
43:34 when they’re not going to
43:36 be healthy anymore.
43:38 And you are considered infectious two days before your onset of
43:42 symptoms.
43:43 And the disease does spread unknowingly.
43:45 So if we don’t quarantine these children, you would have a whole
43:50 lot more disease in
43:51 that community.
43:52 And I think that it speaks a lot to how well the school is quarantining
43:56 the children, because
43:58 we do see in those cases that are quarantined that they do
44:01 become some of them do become
44:03 sick.
44:04 So that was the right decision to make.
44:08 The other thing is that we’re not seeing a lot of transmission
44:11 within the school because
44:13 of that.
44:15 Super, thank you for that explanation.
44:20 And one more thing that I just happened to think of, as you were
44:22 talking with regard
44:23 to, I guess, what the future holds, right, what it looks like
44:27 going forward.
44:29 There was new guidance that came out, I believe yesterday, from
44:34 the CDC with regard to what
44:36 people who have been vaccinated should be doing as far as
44:39 mitigation strategies.
44:41 And it seemed to indicate that it shouldn’t be a free for all
44:44 right, like even someone
44:45 who has been fully vaccinated still needs to wear a mask still
44:48 needs to socially distance
44:49 unless they’re, I think it was like around a single family where
44:53 there was no significant
44:55 risk or something along those lines.
44:57 So do we do we reasonably anticipate that mitigation strategies
45:02 are going to have to
45:03 continue even after the majority of the population is vaccinated?
45:10 I think that what we’ll see is so there’s there’s two things.
45:16 When a vaccine is studied to go on to the market, what they’re
45:21 looking for is antibody
45:23 production, they’re looking to see if those people, you know,
45:28 show that they have immunity
45:30 to a disease.
45:31 But the studies are not done in real life, like it’s not done in
45:36 a community.
45:37 And so now when the vaccine is now used in the community, then
45:41 they’re going to look
45:42 at, you know, how much protection does it give within a
45:48 community?
45:49 So as more and more people are vaccinated, they’re looking at
45:55 specific measurements to
45:58 see how down the line they can see how well the vaccine is
46:04 actually doing in a community
46:06 as opposed to a lab or or an isolated situation.
46:11 Right now, probably our best community studies are coming out of
46:14 Israel.
46:15 I think a lot of information will come from there because they’ve
46:18 been able to vaccinate
46:19 so well.
46:21 And so as time goes by, you will see, I think that they the
46:24 studies will show certain amounts
46:27 of protection and that they can decrease some of the mitigation
46:31 that we’re doing at this
46:33 point in time.
46:35 I would like to say it’s a tad bit early, but, you know, in the
46:40 long term care facilities,
46:42 we’ve aggressively vaccinated the residents and the incidents
46:47 there has dropped dramatically,
46:49 dramatically.
46:50 So that’s that’s that’s that’s something to be thankful for.
46:54 Absolutely.
46:55 Thank you, Mr. Susan.
46:58 And I think it goes to say also that the percentages in the age
47:02 bands of getting vaccinated is
47:04 getting better as we go down.
47:05 And those are the targeted bands where we where we see the most
47:09 deaths and we see the
47:10 most complications and everything else as we’re vaccinating down
47:13 and getting more and
47:14 more of those people.
47:16 The significant risk as to what happens outside of our schools
47:19 and stuff like that starts
47:21 to diminish.
47:22 Also, I think there’s another piece to the pie that we need to
47:25 keep our eyes on.
47:26 And that is, is that the dark web has increased significantly.
47:30 The mental health of our students on the different platforms
47:34 that we have and being isolated
47:37 on e-learning is significant.
47:39 There’s a lot of other figures and facts that we need to take a
47:42 look at when deciding these
47:43 pieces.
47:45 And I really appreciate the DOH for coming tonight.
47:48 Thank you for taking the time and being here.
47:51 That’s all.
47:52 Thank you.
47:53 Thank you, Mr. Susan.
47:54 Ms. Campbell, are you good?
47:56 I am.
47:57 I just I would just add in, first of all, just thank you guys
48:01 for being here whenever
48:02 we have had questions to ask and I appreciate your time.
48:07 The Campbell family is getting to experience firsthand the
48:11 wonderful work that our school
48:13 system and our Department of Health are doing in the quarantine
48:16 process right now.
48:17 So I really hate to not be there with you guys tonight, but I
48:21 just when we talk about
48:22 this discussion, we have this discussion on math and the metrics
48:27 and things.
48:28 There’s one piece of information that we have now, and it’s
48:31 already been mentioned tonight,
48:33 that we have now that we didn’t have when we were formulating
48:36 our reopening plan.
48:37 And that is how successful we have been into the school year.
48:42 And so we had we are not having the drastic measures, the
48:48 drastic data that people thought
48:51 we were going to have thousands and thousands of cases and
48:54 hundreds and hundreds of people
48:55 that in our schools.
48:56 I mean, we were getting emails and people were predicting those
48:59 kinds of numbers.
49:00 We haven’t had that.
49:01 And we with the things that we have in place, we have seen
49:05 relative to what’s going on in
49:08 the outer community, relatively low numbers.
49:11 And I am consistently hearing from our principals, from our
49:15 district staff as as they’re hearing
49:18 as they’re tracking these numbers, it’s really very rarely
49:22 happening that we have spread
49:24 within our schools.
49:25 It is still mostly from the community, you know, students
49:28 getting it from our staffing
49:30 from their families or activities that they’re they’re
49:32 participating in.
49:33 So we have that data.
49:35 And we can see that something that we’re doing or all of the
49:38 things that we’re doing are
49:40 working.
49:41 And so it’s not a perfect situation by any means, but I just
49:44 feel like at this point,
49:45 we don’t only have our productivity rates and our case for 100,000.
49:49 We can look at our BPS specific data and say, you know, and you
49:52 know, you can actually go
49:54 out and encourage anybody in the public who haven’t checked it
49:57 out yet, the Department
49:58 of Health, the Florida Department of Health has the COVID
50:00 website and in addition to all
50:02 this data we’ve talked about, it does have how many vaccinations
50:05 we’ve had it but has
50:06 a school list, you can go and see every single school in the
50:10 state of Florida, including
50:11 all the public schools, charters, private, I think daycare
50:15 centers, colleges even and
50:16 you can see how many cases have been reported at each school.
50:23 And you know, you can you can see how it’s working.
50:26 And it would be interesting if someone wanted to track at which
50:28 counties had a mask mandate
50:30 in their schools, which ones didn’t and how the cases compare, I
50:32 haven’t gotten that deep
50:33 because it’s a lot of data.
50:35 But I just think it’s really important to look at our success
50:39 here in Brevard and I
50:41 I’m ready to get there as well.
50:42 I am an optimist and I appreciate the the thought that was
50:47 shared that you know, as
50:49 we see that vaccinations go up, we should see a sharp decline.
50:53 And the truth is, we talk about metrics, we just don’t know we’re
50:56 still in a state of
50:58 I don’t know, which nobody likes to be there.
51:00 But, you know, as the numbers come down, I think what then we’ll
51:03 be able to get a better
51:04 picture of when we can start rolling back more and more, as we
51:09 as we see how it’s looking
51:11 here in Brevard County, as well as CDC guidelines, but we always
51:13 have to keep our eyes on what’s
51:15 happening here in Brevard because this is, you know, where,
51:18 where this is where we live
51:20 and this is this is, you know, the greatest impact.
51:22 We don’t necessarily compare with some of the other areas in the
51:26 states that have been
51:27 harder hit.
51:28 That’s all.
51:29 Thank you.
51:30 Thank you, Miss Campbell.
51:31 Anyone else have anything for our partners at the Department of
51:34 Health?
51:35 All right, I will just say an enormous thank you to you all as
51:39 you have been closely partnered
51:41 with us and our team throughout all of this and we appreciate
51:44 you immensely and certainly
51:45 appreciate you dragging yourself out tonight.
51:47 I’m sure you’ve had a long day and are ready to be home but we
51:49 do appreciate you being
51:50 here.
51:51 Thank you.
51:54 So can I just add, excuse me, for the purpose of this discussion.
52:00 I think it’s really important at some point for us as an
52:04 organization to be really clear
52:06 about how we’re going to interpret that data and what that means
52:10 for us.
52:10 And to put that out there, because I think we can all agree that
52:15 certain members or a
52:16 member of this board is bearing the brunt of these questions and
52:21 this is a decision
52:23 that we’re making as an organization and we’re all interpreting
52:26 the data that was presented
52:27 tonight.
52:28 So I think it’s important and I think it’s necessary for our
52:31 community for us to make
52:33 a clear stand on how we’re going to interpret what we heard here
52:37 tonight.
52:38 Not as individuals, as an organization, because my opinion doesn’t
52:42 matter.
52:43 Our individual opinions don’t matter.
52:45 We’re here to serve the county as a whole, so.
52:49 So what exactly are you asking for from the board, Ms. Jenkins?
52:53 I don’t know.
52:54 I don’t know if it’s a statement, a clarification, something,
52:57 but I think it’s necessary.
52:59 I think it’s necessary to tame the community flames and dialogue.
53:05 Again, as an organization, we have a duty to interpret the data
53:08 that was presented to
53:09 us and to put it back out there, how we think best fit.
53:16 Ms. Belford, if I may.
53:20 Yes.
53:21 Ms. Campbell.
53:22 Ms. Campbell, go ahead.
53:24 Yes.
53:25 Thank you.
53:26 I, you know, I, again, one of us doesn’t speak for the whole
53:28 board, but I think what we’ve
53:29 heard tonight is that we need to continue to watch and see, and
53:34 that, you know, it’s
53:36 too early to make decisions right now when we’re, when our, you
53:38 know, local health experts
53:40 are saying, you know, you know, taking their very best guess,
53:44 which is what anybody can
53:45 do.
53:46 So I, what I’m hearing is that we need to continue to just keep
53:50 our eyes on the numbers.
53:52 Thank you, Ms. Campbell.
53:54 So we have this as a discussion item toward the end of the
53:58 meeting as well.
54:00 So maybe think about what it is that you would like going
54:02 forward.
54:03 I mean, I, I feel like we have said consistently that we will
54:06 follow the direction of the CDC
54:07 and the local health department.
54:10 So but I, you know, if, if you would like to contemplate that as
54:14 we move through the
54:15 remainder of the meeting, we can circle back and during our
54:18 discussion portion this evening
54:19 and see if we can nail down what exactly it is that you would
54:22 like from your peers.
54:23 No, I, I know it’s been said, I just think it is never
54:25 necessarily been said and addressed
54:27 immediately after those questions were asked.
54:29 And I think it’s really important after this conversation to be
54:32 very clear about where
54:33 we stand and what we see happening here.
54:35 That’s all.
54:36 So is the statement that we’re going to follow CDC
54:40 recommendations sufficient or?
54:42 I mean, if that’s how the organization feels, I just think it
54:45 needs to get away from individual
54:47 opinions and as a collective organizational statement of where
54:51 we stand on this issue.
54:53 Okay.
54:54 Super.
54:55 Everybody good?
54:56 Yeah.
54:57 I’ll wait.
54:59 Okay.
55:00 So we will circle back on that at the end of discussion.
55:03 If I can just remind everyone that as we are up and moving
55:07 around the room that we need
55:09 to be masked, please, to ensure everyone’s safety, we would
55:12 appreciate it.
55:13 All right.
55:14 We are now at public comments.
55:17 I’m guessing we have more than 10.
55:21 Ms. Escobar.
55:22 Yes, and these two are the only ones who– Okay.
55:29 Perfect.
55:30 Thank you.
55:31 I’m sorry?
55:32 What’s our total?
55:34 That’s what I was just looking at.
55:40 So we have 49 speakers scheduled to speak this evening.
55:46 And typically we would have a recommendation, excuse me, to
55:54 either stick with our process
55:57 of taking 30 minutes of public comment or to extend that time.
56:06 We currently have only two speakers scheduled to speak directly
56:10 to agenda items.
56:11 So it would be my recommendation that we take those two speakers
56:15 and then whoever else we
56:17 can fit in the first 30 minutes and then postpone the remainder.
56:21 We don’t have a long agenda.
56:22 So we should be able to knock out the rest of the agenda and get
56:25 to the rest of the public
56:26 speakers.
56:27 That’s my recommendation.
56:29 I would entertain a motion in that direction or any other motion
56:32 you’d like to offer up.
56:37 I can make a motion to go ahead and let’s take the two that are
56:41 definitely appointed
56:43 to the agenda.
56:44 Do 30 minutes worth, next in line.
56:47 And then go ahead and do our meeting and then have other people
56:52 speak, absolutely.
56:54 So I have a motion and a second.
56:57 Mr. Gibbs, are you good with that motion?
56:59 All right, then we will move forward as motion– Oh, we need to
57:03 vote on the motion.
57:05 Sorry.
57:06 Let me see what I should write along.
57:07 All right.
57:08 All in favor, please say aye.
57:09 Aye.
57:12 All opposed?
57:14 Hearing none, we will move forward with public comment.
57:18 Okay.
57:21 Each speaker– Sorry.
57:26 Speakers are required to wear a face mask covering the nose and
57:28 mouth while walking
57:29 to the microphones and when traveling back to his or her seat.
57:32 As long as you maintain six feet from the nearest person, you
57:35 may remove your mask while
57:36 speaking, but please remember to wear your masks as you return
57:39 to your seat.
57:40 Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes are provided at the
57:49 microphones.
57:52 Each speaker is limited to three minutes.
57:54 We have a clock in front of me to help you keep track of your
57:57 time.
57:57 When your time is over, you will be asked to stop and allow the
58:00 next speaker his or
58:01 her turn.
58:04 Please listen carefully to the rules of decorum as they will be
58:07 heavily enforced this evening.
58:09 Always keep in mind that reasonable decorum is expected at all
58:13 times.
58:13 Your statement should be directed to the board chairman.
58:17 As chairman, I may interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant’s
58:20 statement when time is up.
58:22 It is personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant.
58:29 Should an individual not observe proper etiquette, I may request
58:34 the individual leave the meeting.
58:36 Let’s all encourage an environment appropriate for our children
58:39 who may be present or watching
58:40 from home.
58:45 Please note that in order to proceed with the business portion
58:47 of the meeting, board
58:48 members will not have opportunity to respond to speakers during
58:52 or immediately following
58:53 public comment.
58:55 I may, however, direct you to specific staff members to assist,
58:58 or board members may request
59:00 that I add your topic as a discussion item at the end of the
59:04 meeting.
59:05 For those of you that are speaking this evening on the LGBTQ
59:08 issue, I do want to let you know
59:09 before you speak, there is no vote scheduled on this issue.
59:14 We’re going to have additional discussion at the end of the
59:18 meeting to clarify some
59:19 of the questions that have arisen, but there is no vote just so
59:23 you know that going into
59:24 your your presentations.
59:27 All right, we are going to start with Mark Levine followed by
59:33 Dolores Varney.
59:35 Mark, if you would make your way I know I saw you earlier.
59:40 Mr. Levine, Mr. Colucci, Mr. Hilliard, do you know where Mr.
59:50 Levine is?
59:51 Okay.
59:52 All right, so I’m actually I’m going to go ahead and go to Dolores
59:55 then.
59:56 Okay.
59:57 Or is he that close?
59:58 Do you want me to Okay, there he is.
1:00:07 Thank you, Mr. Levine Yep, take your take your pick whichever
1:00:17 one
1:00:17 you prefer.
1:00:24 You had an agenda item that you pulled, which related to the
1:00:32 termination of one of your
1:00:33 educators, Ms. Enright, and she doesn’t mind that I say that it
1:00:38 was on the agenda.
1:00:40 And we came to the district this afternoon early and met with Dr.
1:00:45 Thede and legal counsel
1:00:47 and we’ve had a very, very productive discussion.
1:00:52 This is a major issue.
1:00:55 Not just for Brevard County at this point, but also statewide.
1:00:59 I think I guess I was brought into it because it’s the first
1:01:03 time we’ve really had the opportunity
1:01:06 to deal with this issue that may have some statewide
1:01:10 implications.
1:01:12 I will tell you as a lawyer, and I’ve done this a lot of times
1:01:15 before this board.
1:01:17 It’s tough issue.
1:01:19 It’s a tough issue when you have an educator who is well liked,
1:01:24 who has exemplary evaluations,
1:01:27 whose principal wants her back, who had outstanding reading
1:01:31 scores, who got pushed down a set
1:01:34 of stairs by a child.
1:01:37 She went to administration to report that she did not have the
1:01:41 child arrested against
1:01:42 my advice, actually, but she didn’t think that was right.
1:01:47 And they said, “Well, you gotta go file a workers comp claim.”
1:01:49 She goes, “I’m not hurt.”
1:01:51 They said, “You gotta file the claim.”
1:01:52 She files the claim, they take her, they do the traditional test,
1:01:56 and it comes back positive
1:01:58 for medical marijuana, which apparently is in violation of the
1:02:02 district’s policy.
1:02:03 Now there is a policy that you have in place that deals with
1:02:07 students being permitted to
1:02:09 use medical marijuana.
1:02:12 We would hope at some point you might consider stepping up and
1:02:15 stepping out and putting a
1:02:17 policy in place for faculty and staff.
1:02:20 There will be discussion amongst yourselves and your
1:02:22 administrative staff about the loss
1:02:24 of federal funding.
1:02:26 I do believe that that is a red herring, not in a sense that
1:02:30 anybody’s trying to mislead
1:02:33 you, but I can promise you that the United States Attorney in
1:02:36 the middle district of
1:02:37 Florida is not gonna come over here and bust you guys because
1:02:41 you sanctioned medical marijuana
1:02:43 for faculty and staff.
1:02:44 I can promise you that the present administration in Washington
1:02:47 is not gonna remove your federal
1:02:49 funding.
1:02:50 In fact, you don’t get direct federal funding, it comes through
1:02:52 the State Department of Education,
1:02:54 met with their counsel yesterday.
1:02:56 They are staying out of this argument.
1:02:58 So what we hope to do, and everybody, believe me, is on the same
1:03:02 page, they wanna see this
1:03:03 educator go back to work.
1:03:05 It’s important to your district to have educators of this
1:03:09 caliber.
1:03:09 So what we’re gonna try to do is to fashion a remedy that we can
1:03:12 bring to you.
1:03:13 If we can’t, I guess we’ll fight about it.
1:03:15 But that’s all I have to say, and I thank you very much.
1:03:18 Thank you, Mr. Levine.
1:03:19 Ms. Varney?
1:03:20 As Ms. Varney is approaching, our next three speakers will be
1:03:25 Lois Lacosta, Andrew Triolo,
1:03:28 and Laura Cobb.
1:03:36 - Good evening.
1:03:37 My name is Dolores Varney.
1:03:38 I’m the-
1:03:39 - Can you get just a little closer for me, Dolores?
1:03:40 - Can you hear me now?
1:03:41 - Better.
1:03:42 - You always have this problem on me, don’t you?
1:03:44 - Yes.
1:03:44 - My name is Dolores Varney, and I’m the business representative
1:03:48 for Local 1010
1:03:49 of our public school support staff union.
1:03:53 We recently put our contract negotiations out
1:03:58 to the support staff to vote on.
1:04:00 And they voted yes for the most.
1:04:04 There was 317 yes, 144 no.
1:04:08 And unfortunately, only 16% of the support staff even voted.
1:04:14 So the majority allowed 16% to vote yes or no for them.
1:04:20 But it passed the support.
1:04:22 So I’m hoping that you guys will do the same.
1:04:25 Thank you very much.
1:04:26 Hope you have a good evening.
1:04:28 - Thanks, Dolores, you too.
1:04:30 And thanks for working with us
1:04:32 with the confusion when you got here.
1:04:33 We appreciate it.
1:04:35 All right, Lois.
1:04:49 - I’d first like to ask, well, I don’t need to now
1:04:51 ‘cause it didn’t sound in the room
1:04:52 like this microphone was even on.
1:04:55 Okay, I am here regarding boys using girls restroom
1:05:00 and boys competing in girls sports.
1:05:03 This is the most outlandish topics of discussion
1:05:06 our school board and parents should be having.
1:05:08 Boys do not belong in girls restroom
1:05:12 and boys competing in girls sports is just as appalling.
1:05:16 If you have students who do not know for sure
1:05:19 if they are a boy or a girl,
1:05:21 please let me help you in knowing that God created us
1:05:27 with one or the other chromosome,
1:05:29 which makes us male or female.
1:05:31 For the liberal left who seem to rely so heavily on science.
1:05:37 - So ma’am, I’m gonna interrupt you.
1:05:38 I’ve stopped your time.
1:05:39 So you’re not missing your time, okay?
1:05:42 I’ve stopped your time.
1:05:42 So I’m not using your time to address this,
1:05:45 but we’re not gonna do name calling, okay?
1:05:47 From anyone who’s speaking tonight, please.
1:05:50 - I’m not insulting anyone, I’m stating a foul.
1:05:53 - You’re referring to liberal left.
1:05:55 Let’s just talk issue and move forward, please.
1:05:59 - Anyway, they want proof of science
1:06:02 and it does not include chromosomes.
1:06:05 Any identity crisis our children may be having
1:06:07 should be a concern to the parents of those children,
1:06:10 not school board members or teachers.
1:06:13 That is not your job.
1:06:15 Your job is to make sure our children receive
1:06:18 a good quality education.
1:06:20 These guidelines are an atrocity.
1:06:23 These guidelines pertain primarily to transgender students.
1:06:27 What percentage of the Brevard County student body
1:06:30 is transgender or LGBTQ?
1:06:34 Well, if you don’t know, you better find out
1:06:36 before you start passing rules and regulations
1:06:40 on the majority of who are not LGBTQ.
1:06:44 Why are we kowtowing to a small percentage of students
1:06:48 only to harm the majority of the student body?
1:06:52 Girls and boys deserve privacy in their own restroom
1:06:56 without overlapping gender.
1:06:58 If our K through 12 children are still so confused,
1:07:02 then provide a non-gender specific restroom
1:07:05 for those children.
1:07:07 Boys competing in girls sports is just as outrageous.
1:07:11 Boys should compete with other boys
1:07:13 and girls should compete with other girls.
1:07:15 It is a great disadvantage to the girls
1:07:18 to have a boy competing with them.
1:07:20 In closing, more than half of my property taxes
1:07:24 go to Brevard County Public Schools.
1:07:26 So I do have a vested interest in the decisions you make.
1:07:30 You have been elected to support us, your constituents.
1:07:34 We elected you and our taxes pay your salary.
1:07:38 Please do your job.
1:07:41 I know there isn’t much left anymore,
1:07:43 but please use some common sense
1:07:46 because you have become so open-minded on these issues
1:07:50 that your brains have fallen out.
1:07:53 And finally, the issue is not about equity or equality.
1:07:57 It’s about the end of decency in America.
1:08:00 The citizens of Brevard County are watching you.
1:08:04 More importantly, God Almighty is watching you.
1:08:07 How will each one of you answer to Him?
1:08:10 I remind each one of you,
1:08:12 no man or woman can overrule the laws of God.
1:08:14 - Thank you for your time, Lois.
1:08:16 Your three minutes are up,
1:08:17 but thank you for joining us this evening.
1:08:21 Andrew?
1:08:23 (clears throat)
1:08:32 - Good evening.
1:08:33 Can you hear me?
1:08:34 Yeah, all right.
1:08:35 My name is Andrew Triolo.
1:08:37 I live in Satellite Beach.
1:08:39 I’m here as a 16–
1:08:39 - Andrew, can you speak up a little bit louder?
1:08:41 - Sorry, is this better?
1:08:44 - Louis, could we adjust that mic that Andrew’s at?
1:08:51 They’re getting it.
1:08:53 I’ll restart your time, Andrew.
1:08:55 Don’t worry about it.
1:09:01 Okay, give it a try, Andrew,
1:09:03 and see if we’ve got a little more volume.
1:09:05 - Is that good?
1:09:06 Yeah, that’s a lot better. - Perfect, thank you.
1:09:09 - Hello, my name is Andrew Triolo
1:09:11 and I live in Satellite Beach.
1:09:13 I am here as a 16-year-old transgender male
1:09:15 and a sophomore at Satellite High School.
1:09:18 My journey as an out-of-the-closet transgender male
1:09:21 started in the middle of eighth grade at Delora Middle School
1:09:24 I came out to my teachers through a formal email
1:09:27 asking them to address me with he/him pronouns
1:09:29 and my chosen name.
1:09:32 It began with extremely inappropriate issues
1:09:34 with my teachers.
1:09:35 They demanded me to tell them how I knew I was trans,
1:09:38 never used the correct pronouns,
1:09:40 and started treating me very unfairly in my class
1:09:42 after I came out.
1:09:44 I was forced to be removed from my favorite subjects
1:09:46 because of this targeted harassment from my own teachers.
1:09:50 Instead, I started spending a free time,
1:09:53 a free period in the back of my favorite teacher’s class.
1:09:56 He, on the other hand, greeted me at the door, a sir,
1:09:58 and told me he was proud of me.
1:10:01 My algebra teacher also respected my identity
1:10:03 and used the correct pronouns when addressing me.
1:10:06 My other four teachers didn’t respond to the email
1:10:09 or ever confront me in class.
1:10:11 They did not know how to deal with a transgender student.
1:10:15 I did part of my freshman year at O’Gally High School,
1:10:18 but I was forced to leave and do virtual school
1:10:21 due to discrimination, extreme anxiety, and fear.
1:10:26 I have only just started going back to school
1:10:28 at satellite high.
1:10:29 Since I furthered my transition journey,
1:10:32 I passed as a cisgender male
1:10:33 and my mental health has improved.
1:10:38 I was already facing discrimination
1:10:40 from the administration of high school
1:10:43 at satellite high school.
1:10:45 They told me that I am not allowed
1:10:46 to use the men’s restroom.
1:10:48 I must go all the way to the nurse’s bathroom
1:10:50 if I wanted to use the restroom.
1:10:54 So there I was, about to go back to school
1:10:56 for the first time in over a year
1:10:57 after being bullied out of the whole system
1:11:01 that caused me to leave in the first place.
1:11:04 I wonder how I will be targeted next in my own classroom.
1:11:09 LGBTQ inclusion guidelines
1:11:11 must stay implemented in our schools.
1:11:14 Teachers should be equipped with the knowledge
1:11:15 to make queer students feel safe, affirmed,
1:11:18 and loved in their learning environment.
1:11:20 My LGBTQ peers and I are counting on the school board
1:11:24 to start cracking down on the discrimination
1:11:26 within all schools so that we can go to our classes
1:11:29 knowing we will be treated with the same dignity
1:11:31 and respect our straight and cisgender peers are.
1:11:35 We are just children going to school.
1:11:37 We want to learn to make friends to play sports,
1:11:40 nothing more.
1:11:42 Queer students are no different from other students
1:11:46 in our school.
1:11:48 Thank you for your time.
1:11:51 - Thanks, Andrew.
1:11:52 (audience applauding)
1:12:06 Laura, you’re gonna be up next,
1:12:08 followed by Regina Osgood, Honey Walls, and Terry Gelman.
1:12:14 - Hi there.
1:12:15 Good afternoon.
1:12:16 I’m Laura Cobb for pronouns of Indian covered people,
1:12:19 Florida native, also Brevard tax payer.
1:12:23 Two, proud mother of two Brevard Public School students,
1:12:28 one of whom is transgender.
1:12:32 I am also serving as president
1:12:33 of the Melbourne Space Coast PFLAG Chapter.
1:12:35 For those who don’t know,
1:12:36 PFLAG is one of our country’s oldest safe havens
1:12:39 for the LGBTQ community and their allies.
1:12:42 We celebrate diversity and provide inclusive spaces
1:12:46 and support for the families and friends of the LGBTQ youth
1:12:49 that your guidance policy protects.
1:12:52 Today, I want to express my unwavering support
1:12:56 and immense gratitude for your teamwork efforts
1:12:59 to create these consistent LGBTQ guidelines for our county.
1:13:05 We appreciate their alignment with not just local,
1:13:07 but also state and federal laws.
1:13:10 Like any mom, I simply wish for school to be safe
1:13:12 for all students, regardless of gender identity
1:13:15 and sexual orientation.
1:13:18 And that every student is served with excellence
1:13:20 as the standard, regardless of their gender identity
1:13:23 and sexual orientation.
1:13:25 They are outgoing, charismatic, accomplished,
1:13:28 resourceful, and adaptable.
1:13:31 They are brave, they are children.
1:13:33 Let them play and let them learn.
1:13:35 I’m asking you today to continue to support
1:13:38 and protect my trans son
1:13:40 and the rest of my LGBTQ family in Brevard County.
1:13:44 Thank you for your time.
1:13:46 - Thanks, Laura.
1:13:52 Regina, Regina Osgood.
1:14:01 - Hello, board president, superintendent,
1:14:04 and all the peace staff, thank you.
1:14:06 I’m Regina.
1:14:08 I knew I was transgender when I was six years old.
1:14:12 That was during the ’60s and late ’50s.
1:14:18 I put lipstick on when I was six years old, first grade.
1:14:25 I was so proud of myself, it was perfect.
1:14:29 I showed my parents my butt was sore for an awful long time.
1:14:37 We’d call it child abuse now.
1:14:39 That’s what occurred back in the old times,
1:14:42 back when everybody said you were either male or female.
1:14:49 Move on till I got sick.
1:14:51 I couldn’t do much of anything.
1:14:53 I spent a lot of time in the hospital,
1:14:55 a lot of time at home.
1:14:57 I ended up making Barbie doll clothes for my sister.
1:15:01 That was so nice because I got to play with Barbie doll.
1:15:07 Move on.
1:15:09 I had gonamastia, which is large breasts, as a male.
1:15:14 As I tried to play football and some of the other things,
1:15:17 the guys tried to grab me in the showers
1:15:20 and constantly made fun of my breasts.
1:15:26 I was told by my preacher, I was told by everybody else,
1:15:29 oh, you can just be a male, tough it up, tough it up.
1:15:36 Doesn’t work.
1:15:38 I went in the submarine force.
1:15:40 I rode motorcycles.
1:15:42 I did as male of things as you could.
1:15:43 I got married, had two children.
1:15:48 About 30 years ago, some things started going wrong with me.
1:15:52 I couldn’t deal with life too much.
1:15:56 As a kid, I thought about suicide often.
1:15:59 There was no help whatsoever at that time period.
1:16:03 The fact that you guys have an LBGT guide right now
1:16:11 is amazing.
1:16:13 When I heard that, when I first moved into Brevard,
1:16:15 six years, it was just amazing.
1:16:18 Thank you.
1:16:20 What I don’t understand is how people can sit down
1:16:23 and condemn you for that.
1:16:26 What’s amazing is that these kids still need help.
1:16:29 They exist.
1:16:31 No matter what we’re told, this isn’t the ’50s.
1:16:34 There’s more than two sexes.
1:16:36 And no matter what they say, we still exist.
1:16:40 I appreciate you.
1:16:41 And please keep that guide.
1:16:43 I appreciate it.
1:16:44 Thank you.
1:16:46 - Thank you, Regina.
1:16:48 (audience applauding)
1:16:52 - Honey Walls.
1:17:03 - How is everybody this evening?
1:17:05 It’s nice to be here and to share our opinions
1:17:08 and outlooks with you.
1:17:10 Thank you for the opportunity.
1:17:13 My name is Honey Smith-Walls.
1:17:15 I am a small business owner here in Melbourne.
1:17:20 And I had a child who went to Satellite High.
1:17:24 I’m here to show my support to the LGBTQ children.
1:17:30 And I’m so glad that you’re trying to do the same thing
1:17:34 because they are children.
1:17:37 And no matter how they feel inside, they are children.
1:17:42 And we’re just trying to do our best
1:17:45 to help them survive this planet
1:17:48 in the best way they can inside themselves
1:17:52 to feel good about themselves and do what they can
1:17:56 to change our world for the better.
1:17:59 So I applaud your efforts and listening.
1:18:02 And I applaud these children’s efforts in coming
1:18:05 to explain how they feel to you
1:18:08 in the hopes that you can make good regulation
1:18:11 for all of them.
1:18:13 And then maybe finally someday,
1:18:16 all of our children will have an equitable education.
1:18:20 Thank you so much for your time.
1:18:23 - Thank you, Honey.
1:18:25 Terry Gelman.
1:18:35 She’s scheduled right after you.
1:18:37 So are you?
1:18:40 Yes.
1:18:42 - Ms. Belfer, do you wanna just clarify
1:18:47 that everyone who was on the list
1:18:48 is gonna get an opportunity to speak tonight?
1:18:50 - Correct, yeah.
1:18:51 We are just taking the first 10 speakers
1:18:53 and then we’re gonna wrap up our board business.
1:18:55 We have a fairly short agenda that we have to get through
1:18:58 and then we’re gonna get back to the rest of the speakers.
1:19:00 So everybody will have an opportunity,
1:19:02 but Sonali is scheduled right after you.
1:19:05 And then after Sonali, we’re gonna go to the board business
1:19:08 and then come back.
1:19:11 - Sure.
1:19:11 - I just wanna start by saying I learned a few years ago
1:19:14 that you guys already have this on and already in place.
1:19:18 And as a mother, I thought that was wonderful.
1:19:22 I think it was wonderful that you just went ahead and did it
1:19:24 and you didn’t make a big deal about it.
1:19:27 So thank you.
1:19:29 Hello, thank you for taking the time to listen
1:19:32 and hopefully learn and absorb feelings
1:19:34 of a smaller population that has a limited voice
1:19:38 in this community.
1:19:39 I would like people to know I am a conservative
1:19:42 that believes in all people’s rights.
1:19:44 That is what all sides should believe in, love for all.
1:19:49 Our son, who is gay, who has attended Vera High
1:19:53 and will be graduating this year.
1:19:55 He has continually been told he will go to hell
1:19:58 and he is unacceptable in God’s eyes.
1:20:02 How little we have become when we think our thoughts
1:20:05 are better than God’s design.
1:20:08 It truly breaks my heart that I have a son
1:20:11 who has been deeply hurt from small-minded thinking.
1:20:16 God has created everyone and everything,
1:20:19 not just straight people, nor did God, pardon me, screw up.
1:20:24 It is not your job to judge, that is God’s job.
1:20:27 It is your job to protect our children and all our children.
1:20:32 Instead of worrying about taking protection away,
1:20:34 we need to start bringing all people together
1:20:37 and teach love and acceptance and working together.
1:20:42 Not just who you feel comfortable with, God loves us all.
1:20:46 If one child is harmed due to changing the rules,
1:20:49 that is on our whole community.
1:20:52 I would like to add, if you do not agree with me
1:20:55 and have thrown out what I have said, then think of this.
1:20:59 As soon as one child is negatively affected
1:21:03 by removing rules of protection,
1:21:05 you will be putting our community in the spotlight
1:21:08 and a huge cost of a lawsuit, which we will all lose.
1:21:14 Thank you.
1:21:15 - Thank you, Terri.
1:21:17 (audience applauding)
1:21:21 Sonali.
1:21:33 - May I start off by saying I do not envy
1:21:35 your positions here today.
1:21:37 Whatever your differences in age, gender,
1:21:39 political affiliation, I can see you’re all clearly dedicated
1:21:44 to our children, our taxpayers, and the future
1:21:46 of our nation.
1:21:48 For that, I express my sincere thanks.
1:21:50 My name is Sonali Tawadia, and I came here today
1:21:54 to speak as a clinical psychologist in training.
1:21:57 I had research on statistics, suicide, homicide,
1:22:03 and other issues of the LGBTQ community regular,
1:22:07 deals with on a regular basis.
1:22:10 As my husband can attest, I’m rarely at a loss for words.
1:22:15 And here I am struggling to articulate how I feel.
1:22:20 When I first walked into the parking lot,
1:22:23 most simply, I suppose I felt fear and shock.
1:22:29 I was afraid of people with loudspeakers,
1:22:31 people using language I would not deem appropriate
1:22:34 even without children around.
1:22:38 And my biggest fear was that nothing I say about science,
1:22:41 research, family will change anyone’s mind.
1:22:46 My largest concern is if I, as an educated adult
1:22:50 with 20/20 hindsight that comes with age can feel so afraid.
1:22:56 How scary would it be for a child or student of any age
1:23:01 to feel that their very identity and the laws
1:23:04 that protected them were stripped away?
1:23:08 I am on a leave of absence from my PhD program
1:23:11 for one reason alone, to help raise my children.
1:23:15 Whatever our differences in this room,
1:23:19 we can all say that we are here for the students
1:23:23 and the wellbeing of the entire community.
1:23:27 For the sake of our children in future,
1:23:29 let us uphold the laws that exist already
1:23:32 to protect the students of Brevard County.
1:23:35 Let us lead them into the,
1:23:36 let them lead us into the future.
1:23:39 Thank you.
1:23:41 - Thank you, Sinalia.
1:23:42 (audience applauding)
1:23:48 All right, we are going to push through our business meeting
1:23:52 and then we will get back to our remaining speakers
1:23:55 for this evening, okay?
1:23:58 That is going to move us into the consent agenda.
1:24:00 Dr. Mullins.
1:24:02 - Madam Chair and members of the board,
1:24:03 there are 27 agenda items under the consent agenda.
1:24:07 - Does any board member wish to pull any item
1:24:09 from the consent agenda?
1:24:12 Hearing none, I’ll entertain a motion
1:24:13 to approve the consent agenda as presented.
1:24:16 - Move to approve.
1:24:17 - Second.
1:24:18 - Moved by Mr. Susan, seconded by Ms. McDougall.
1:24:20 Is there any discussion?
1:24:23 Please vote.
1:24:29 It still doesn’t like you, Mr. Susan.
1:24:35 - Log out.
1:24:36 - Yeah, log out and.
1:24:52 (speaking faintly)
1:25:16 All right, and the motion passes five-zero.
1:25:23 We will move on to the action agenda, Dr. Mullins.
1:25:30 - Ms. Belford and members of the board,
1:25:32 item G37 is on procurement solicitation.
1:25:36 - What are the wishes of the board?
1:25:37 - Move to approve.
1:25:39 - I’ll second it again.
1:25:40 - Moved by Mr. Susan, seconded by Ms. McDougall.
1:25:42 Is there any discussion?
1:25:47 Hearing none, please vote.
1:25:52 (speaking faintly)
1:26:09 And the motion passes five-zero.
1:26:14 All right.
1:26:21 So that is going to move us into our additional
1:26:23 public speakers prior to moving into board discussion.
1:26:28 Everyone good for pushing through on it?
1:26:31 Okay.
1:26:32 All right, then we are going to start with Krishna Tawadia,
1:26:37 Jacob Gelman, and then Shelly Rodden.
1:26:45 Krishna.
1:26:51 - I’m a student at Edgewood, and I would just like to say
1:26:55 there should be no doubt in this room today
1:26:57 that anyone who is against the 2016 policy
1:27:00 is on the wrong side of history and stands solely for hate.
1:27:04 In a country built on the idea that we should all enjoy
1:27:06 the rights that our military has sought to defend,
1:27:08 I hope that the irony of asking our county government
1:27:11 to take away freedoms and protections from school children
1:27:14 in the name of freedom and liberty is readily apparent.
1:27:17 They’re saying that we should take away rights
1:27:19 in the name of their freedom.
1:27:20 This kind of rhetoric is dangerous
1:27:22 and was used to defend segregation.
1:27:24 Back during the fight to desegregate schools,
1:27:26 whites often stated that they had to defend their, quote,
1:27:29 “freedom of association,” meaning that they thought
1:27:31 they should have the freedom not to associate
1:27:33 with black people.
1:27:34 We cannot accept denying rights to oppressed groups
1:27:37 as somehow guaranteeing freedom and liberty.
1:27:39 Former Alabama governor George Wallace’s 1963 inauguration
1:27:43 speech is infamous because in it he declared
1:27:47 that he desired segregation forever.
1:27:49 However, this is the part of the speech
1:27:51 that history remembers, yet what we must recognize
1:27:53 is the part of the speech that history has forgotten,
1:27:55 where right before he voiced his blatantly racist ideas,
1:27:59 he stated, quote, “Let us rise to the call
1:28:01 “of freedom-loving blood and send our answer
1:28:03 “to the tyranny that clanks in its chains.”
1:28:06 The tyranny he was referring to was desegregation.
1:28:09 He also stated that whites must, quote,
1:28:11 “sound the drum for freedom.”
1:28:13 He wanted to sound the drum for the freedom
1:28:15 to oppress others, and right now the opposition
1:28:18 is sounding this very same drum.
1:28:21 If you oppose protections against LGBTQ+ discrimination,
1:28:24 it is impossible for you to support freedom.
1:28:27 I can already hear the people stating
1:28:28 that he was different or that he was an extremist.
1:28:31 However, if George Wallace was an extremist,
1:28:33 why does your language echo his?
1:28:35 What kind of freedom lovers want to allow discrimination?
1:28:39 If you feel offended at being called out this way,
1:28:42 imagine the pain that marginalized groups
1:28:44 such as the LGBTQ+ community feel
1:28:46 when they are generalized and attacked as a whole body.
1:28:49 The pain that you feel from this now
1:28:53 is infinitely less than the pain
1:28:54 that the 2016 provision defends against.
1:29:00 Students do not have liberty when there are adults
1:29:02 who actively attack their rights
1:29:03 by demanding the government removing them.
1:29:06 And if you do not support the 2016
1:29:09 anti-discrimination policy, you must ask yourself,
1:29:12 what type of liberty are you fighting for?
1:29:14 Liberty cannot exist when citizens are at each other’s
1:29:17 throats and demanding to take away each other’s rights.
1:29:20 Liberty does not exist when there are people
1:29:21 like Andrew, Regina, and Jacob in this room
1:29:23 who have to fear for being attacked
1:29:25 simply because of who they are in this school system.
1:29:29 People who are against this provision
1:29:32 are not fighting for liberty.
1:29:33 They are fighting for oppression.
1:29:35 Human rights should not be subject to partisan politics,
1:29:38 and the same people who are afraid of their government
1:29:40 taking away their freedoms are asking
1:29:42 to take away liberties from school children.
1:29:44 Liberty is liberty, and we ought not
1:29:46 to steal it from each other.
1:29:47 We cannot allow ourselves to become a society
1:29:49 which removes the rights of citizens it doesn’t understand.
1:29:51 Thank you.
1:29:52 - Thank you, Krishna.
1:29:53 (audience applauds)
1:30:02 Jacob Gelman.
1:30:09 - Hi, my name is Jacob Gelman, and I’m in Melbourne.
1:30:12 I have known those laughed at by students and teachers alike.
1:30:16 I have known those chased down dirt roads.
1:30:18 I have known those threatened by the police.
1:30:20 I have known those cut out from school events.
1:30:22 I have known, I have known, I have known.
1:30:25 I have known those who’ve gone through too much,
1:30:28 who’ve attempted their own life
1:30:29 because they couldn’t handle the hate put upon them.
1:30:33 And it wasn’t because of who they were as people.
1:30:35 It was because they were trans, gay, different,
1:30:39 and their experience isn’t unique.
1:30:41 LGBT people in Brevard and across America
1:30:44 each have their own stories.
1:30:46 We are laughed at.
1:30:47 We are villainized.
1:30:48 We are misrepresented.
1:30:50 We are discriminated against.
1:30:52 We are pushed into closets.
1:30:53 We are pushed out of the conversation,
1:30:55 but we’re still human.
1:30:57 Our blood drops drip the same red
1:30:59 and are brought down by the same gravity.
1:31:01 Our tears fall just as heavy.
1:31:03 Our smiles spread just as far across.
1:31:05 We stress out just as much and laugh just as hard.
1:31:07 We get just as angry, and our cheeks get just as red.
1:31:10 We are human.
1:31:11 We are more than our identity.
1:31:13 My name is Jacob Gelman.
1:31:14 I was born on December 16th, 2003 in Winter Park, Florida.
1:31:17 I’m a son, I’m a brother, I’m a friend, I’m a student.
1:31:21 But when I walk into Brevard, that all goes away.
1:31:23 I’m the other.
1:31:24 I’m no longer Jacob Gelman.
1:31:26 I am the gay Jew.
1:31:27 Today is no different.
1:31:29 People don’t say what they said outside
1:31:31 because they have a problem with Jacob.
1:31:33 They have a problem with gay people.
1:31:34 They didn’t have a problem with guidelines,
1:31:36 but a problem with trans people.
1:31:38 It’s not about bureaucracy, but our claim to humanity.
1:31:41 Not about protecting students,
1:31:42 just about suppressing trans ones.
1:31:45 And I shouldn’t have to prove my claim to humanity.
1:31:47 I will not prove my claim to humanity.
1:31:49 I stand in front of you and I breathe your air,
1:31:51 I hold the same space, I live in the same county,
1:31:53 and my knees push against the same floor.
1:31:55 That is my humanity.
1:31:57 My humanity lies in the fact that I stand here today.
1:32:00 That is it.
1:32:01 The promise of inalienable rights are just that.
1:32:03 They’re non-conditional.
1:32:04 The genius of liberty is not that it is a tool
1:32:07 for discrimination, but a tool for just the opposite,
1:32:10 equality.
1:32:11 And that is why we are here today.
1:32:13 To ensure we can cash in the same check
1:32:16 America hands all of us.
1:32:17 The promise of equality.
1:32:19 I cannot force someone to see my humanity.
1:32:21 That is up to them.
1:32:23 But I can force them to respect my right
1:32:25 to exist free from coercion.
1:32:27 These guidelines do that.
1:32:28 Ensure every LGBT student here in Brevard County
1:32:31 can cash in the check of America
1:32:33 to which they are guaranteed.
1:32:35 The promise of existing freely, to self-determination,
1:32:38 to read the words of the Constitution and live their truth.
1:32:41 The promise to do better than their parents.
1:32:43 The promise to be given the same chance.
1:32:44 The promise to be protected by their government.
1:32:47 The promise of change that the America of the future
1:32:50 will be even better than the America of today.
1:32:52 An America where people’s humanity isn’t up for debate.
1:32:55 Where every student is guaranteed a right to respect.
1:32:58 An America where students can be in a playground
1:33:00 instead of at a school board meeting.
1:33:02 An America where I’m not simply the gay Jew.
1:33:05 I’m Jacob Gelner.
1:33:07 Thanks, Jacob.
1:33:08 [APPLAUSE]
1:33:21 Shelly?
1:33:23 Rodden?
1:33:27 I’ll adjust it for you, Shelly.
1:33:28 Dr. Mullins is coming.
1:33:32 [SIDE CONVERSATION]
1:33:48 Thank you, Dr. Mullins.
1:33:50 I just have to say that it’s very hard to follow Jacob.
1:33:54 I know Jacob, and he’s beyond amazing.
1:33:57 Thank you.
1:33:59 Good evening, everybody.
1:34:01 Distinguished members of the school board,
1:34:02 my name is Shelly Rodden, and I use she/her pronouns.
1:34:05 I speak to you tonight as the Youth Director of Space Coast
1:34:08 Pride, which is the largest LGBTQ organization in Brevard
1:34:12 County.
1:34:13 We advocate for the rights of and support
1:34:19 the needs of LGBTQ youth in Brevard County.
1:34:23 I am also a proud out citizen of Brevard County.
1:34:27 I’m an educator, as is my wife.
1:34:30 She teaches at Melbourne High School,
1:34:32 and we have two sons, also in Brevard County Schools.
1:34:35 I’d like to start off by giving you
1:34:37 a little bit of background information on why
1:34:39 I’m so passionate about this.
1:34:43 In 2016, I spoke as an employee who
1:34:48 feared losing my job for who I am and who I love.
1:34:53 I fought in this very room with many of the people
1:34:57 here tonight to add four words to the nondiscrimination
1:35:03 policy.
1:35:05 We fought for three years.
1:35:10 And in July 2016, we celebrated in this very room
1:35:16 as the board approved adding the protections
1:35:19 of sexual orientation and gender identity.
1:35:22 Four words, and I sat right over there.
1:35:28 Now we move forward almost five years.
1:35:31 I work in the schools.
1:35:32 I work with these kids.
1:35:34 Yes, the guidelines have always been there.
1:35:36 The guidelines that are up in debate right now
1:35:40 have always been there.
1:35:43 This is a formal reference tool for administrators
1:35:49 and teachers.
1:35:50 I’ve been in the schools where teachers and administrators
1:35:53 came to me as a GSA sponsor at a Valley High School
1:35:56 because they didn’t know what to do.
1:35:59 I’ve been the teacher that students came out to,
1:36:04 but they were afraid.
1:36:06 They looked to me for guidance.
1:36:08 Many teachers didn’t know what to do.
1:36:11 I’ve been in the classrooms.
1:36:13 I’ve seen substitute teachers use dead names for students
1:36:17 when they knew better and incorrect pronouns.
1:36:20 We have to do better than this.
1:36:24 But I’m not here for myself tonight.
1:36:26 I am here for these kids.
1:36:31 I’m going to skip the statistics because I’m
1:36:34 sure that someone else will give those to you.
1:36:36 I really want to talk about them.
1:36:38 In the schools, I’ve listened to their voices.
1:36:43 I’ve heard their stories.
1:36:45 I’ve seen their smiles, and I felt they’re hurt.
1:36:50 The accounts of needless bullying and rejection.
1:36:55 Sorry, Shelly.
1:36:58 I apologize.
1:36:59 Time’s up.
1:36:59 If there’s anything that you would
1:37:00 like to share with the board beyond what
1:37:01 you had the opportunity to share,
1:37:03 you’re always welcome to email it to us, OK?
1:37:05 Or if you want to hang out, we’re
1:37:07 always happy to talk to you after as well, whatever’s
1:37:09 easiest for you.
1:37:10 I just want to say that I support you and mostly support
1:37:13 these kids.
1:37:13 I’m here for you, and I will fight for you every time.
1:37:16 Thank you.
1:37:17 Thanks, Shelly.
1:37:18 [APPLAUSE]
1:37:25 Gina?
1:37:29 Gina Duncan?
1:37:42 Thank you so much.
1:37:43 Good evening, everyone.
1:37:45 It’s a pleasure to be here.
1:37:47 My name is Gina Duncan, and I am the state director
1:37:49 of transgender equality at Equality Florida, the state’s
1:37:52 largest LGBTQ advocacy organization.
1:37:57 I live in Orlando, but Brevard will always be my home.
1:38:01 I had the good fortune of being the co-captain
1:38:05 of the first Merritt Island undefeated state championship
1:38:08 football team in 1973.
1:38:12 So Brevard will always hold a special place in my heart.
1:38:15 In 2016, the Brevard School Board
1:38:19 voted to expand nondiscrimination policy
1:38:23 to add sexual orientation and gender identity protections,
1:38:27 a vote that confirmed to all students, especially
1:38:31 our LGBTQ students, that they will be treated equally
1:38:35 with dignity and respect, and that Brevard schools
1:38:40 will be a place where all of our students
1:38:43 can feel safe, included, validated, and affirmed.
1:38:48 The policy would result in extensive revisions
1:38:52 to the school district’s anti-harassment rules,
1:38:55 its equal employment rules, and its grievance procedures.
1:38:59 In hindsight, the Brevard County policy actually
1:39:02 was before its time in 2016, fostering
1:39:07 an inclusive environment in Brevard public schools,
1:39:10 helping shield LGBTQ students from bullying and preventing
1:39:15 employment discriminations against LGBTQ staff.
1:39:19 Since that time, one third of school districts,
1:39:22 including Brevard, have also written and implemented
1:39:25 LGBTQ guidelines to clarify changes
1:39:29 in nondiscrimination policies and legal rulings,
1:39:35 these rulings creating a safe environment for all students.
1:39:38 This list also includes other districts,
1:39:41 such as Alachua, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Leon,
1:39:46 Orange, and Pinellas County.
1:39:50 Under Title IX, schools must provide transgender students
1:39:53 equal access to educational programs and activities,
1:39:58 including sports, even in circumstances
1:40:00 where others, including students, parents,
1:40:03 or community, raise objections or concerns.
1:40:08 It is no coincidence at this time
1:40:10 that lawmakers in Tallahassee are
1:40:12 working to pass laws to demonize transgender athletes
1:40:17 and to take away health care from our young people.
1:40:23 Transgender young people need to be affirmed and empowered,
1:40:26 not used as political pawns.
1:40:29 Our focus should be on protecting them and providing
1:40:32 them with the support they need to thrive, not attacking them
1:40:36 for who they are.
1:40:39 These policies should stay.
1:40:41 Thank you.
1:40:42 Thank you, Geno.
1:40:43 [APPLAUSE]
1:40:47 All right.
1:40:48 Our next three speakers are Lawrence Donna, Chelsea
1:40:51 Partridge, and Gustavo Toledo.
1:41:04 Hi there.
1:41:05 Hi.
1:41:07 Firstly, I would like to start by saying
1:41:09 I’m not against you all at all.
1:41:11 Love who you love.
1:41:12 Use your pronouns.
1:41:15 That’s all fine and well.
1:41:16 I’m glad.
1:41:18 I have stopped your time, so I’m not taking away
1:41:20 your speaking time, OK?
1:41:21 I just want to remind us that we’re all on the same page.
1:41:24 The only request is that everything
1:41:25 be directed to the board chair as opposed to the audience, OK?
1:41:28 Thank you.
1:41:29 I come to you all as a doubt of four.
1:41:34 Three of them are girls.
1:41:36 The concern that I have with the new guides
1:41:40 is the fact of the sexual assault.
1:41:47 I brought quite a few references here,
1:41:50 but the one that I will use for this here tonight
1:41:52 is a year ago on March 4th, the Washington Examiner
1:41:58 posted an article in regards to a sexual assault
1:42:01 at Rhinelander High School in Wisconsin.
1:42:06 In this case, one student was arrested and charged
1:42:09 with a fourth degree sexual assault for exposing himself
1:42:16 in child enticement.
1:42:19 The alleged assault took place in a gender neutral bathroom.
1:42:26 The problem that I have is I do not need nor want
1:42:30 my girls to be sharing the same bathroom as a boy.
1:42:36 Boys need to use the boys bathroom.
1:42:39 Girls can use the girls.
1:42:42 If there is a need for a trans bathroom, then that is fine.
1:42:48 But I personally, as a parent, do not
1:42:50 want my kids, my son, or my daughters
1:42:54 to be sharing a bathroom with someone of the opposite sex.
1:43:01 Because in the three cases that I brought up here tonight
1:43:04 to speak on, they all three had the same tone,
1:43:08 and that was the schools did nothing
1:43:10 to help the victims at all.
1:43:14 And in one of the cases, one of the schools
1:43:18 even tried to shift the blame and the investigation
1:43:23 towards the victim.
1:43:25 And that is not something me, as a parent, I’m OK with.
1:43:29 My number one job on this earth is to take care of my kids.
1:43:34 I cannot do that the 6 and 1/2 hours a day they’re in school.
1:43:40 So I leave that to y’all and to their teachers to do.
1:43:44 And it’s apparent to me that by these new guidelines
1:43:48 that anyone can just go to an administrator
1:43:53 and say, oh, I’m a boy, or oh, I’m a girl.
1:43:57 And then they can just use whichever bathroom
1:44:00 that they prefer.
1:44:03 And me, as a dad to both boys and girls, that is not fair,
1:44:07 nor is it right.
1:44:08 Thank you.
1:44:09 Thanks, Lawrence.
1:44:10 [APPLAUSE]
1:44:13 Chelsea Partridge.
1:44:18 Hello.
1:44:21 My name is Chelsea Partridge, and I live in Port St. John.
1:44:24 I am here today speaking on behalf of the Space Coast
1:44:27 Equality Coalition in favor of guidelines
1:44:29 to help schools follow state and federal law
1:44:32 to protect LGBTQ students.
1:44:34 I am one voice of many in our coalition
1:44:36 supporting these guidelines and supporting all students.
1:44:40 These guidelines that Brevard County schools have written
1:44:42 follow state and federal law that
1:44:44 require school districts to treat all students fairly
1:44:47 and without discrimination.
1:44:49 The legal requirement does not change if these guidelines did
1:44:53 not exist.
1:44:54 However, this document ensures all faculty and staff
1:44:57 are consistent in enforcing the rules that
1:45:00 ensure equitable treatment for all students.
1:45:03 18.2% of Florida high school students
1:45:06 identify as lesbian, gay, bi, or ensure
1:45:09 of their sexual orientation, and 3.3% identify as trans.
1:45:12 Now, that does not include other schools.
1:45:14 That is just high schools only.
1:45:16 Just like their peers, they want to go to school to learn
1:45:20 and to thrive and participate in extracurricular activities.
1:45:24 LGBTQ students are already three times
1:45:26 more likely to consider suicide than their straight peers
1:45:30 and are five times more likely to actually attempt suicide
1:45:34 instead of 5% of their straight peers.
1:45:38 Gay and transgender students cannot thrive if they are
1:45:40 facing discrimination.
1:45:43 They cannot thrive if they are denying themselves food
1:45:45 and water because they cannot use the bathroom of their choice
1:45:49 when they are at school.
1:45:51 They will not thrive if they are excluded from being
1:45:53 part of a team on team sports.
1:45:56 These students cannot reach their full potential
1:45:59 without–
1:46:00 when they are facing these barriers that other students
1:46:02 don’t.
1:46:03 Beyond thriving, equal and fair opportunity means surviving.
1:46:10 Gay and trans students deserve to be
1:46:11 treated with the same respect as other students.
1:46:14 Not only is it a matter of what is decent,
1:46:17 but what is dictated by federal law.
1:46:19 Title IX says that schools must provide transgender students
1:46:22 with equal access to educational programs, activities,
1:46:26 and facilities.
1:46:27 A student’s sexual orientation, gender identity,
1:46:30 or transgender status should not exclude them
1:46:34 from having the same access to facilities, education,
1:46:38 and extracurricular activities.
1:46:40 And just like everyone else, they
1:46:43 deserve to be treated with dignity and decency.
1:46:47 Thank you for your time, for your support,
1:46:49 and allowing me to speak on behalf of our LGBTQ students.
1:46:53 Thanks, Chelsea.
1:46:54 [APPLAUSE]
1:47:00 Gustavo Toledo.
1:47:01 And after Gustavo, we have Michael Bloom, Brandy Bertrand,
1:47:05 and Marie.
1:47:06 Marie, when you come up, you’re going
1:47:07 to have to tell me how to say your last name correctly,
1:47:09 because I have–
1:47:10 Rogerson, Rogerson, let me know when you got here, OK?
1:47:14 Go ahead.
1:47:16 Good evening to everyone.
1:47:17 My name is Gustavo Toledo, and I am the student body president
1:47:20 of Edgewood Junior Senior High School.
1:47:21 I’m married out in Florida, and I’ve come here today
1:47:23 on behalf of my classmates to defend them
1:47:25 from a senseless attack on their privacy, their well-being,
1:47:28 and their varied identities.
1:47:30 The current attacks on the school board’s
1:47:31 non-discrimination policies are not only alarmist, shameful,
1:47:34 and fueled by misinformation, but they invalidate
1:47:37 the very existence of thousands of students in this country–
1:47:39 in this county– of an inherent right to their safety,
1:47:42 their identity, and their privacy.
1:47:44 The very fact that I, as a student,
1:47:46 have to come here to stop such an attack by those
1:47:48 who are sworn to protect us is only a small part
1:47:50 of the hypocrisy presented by the opposing side.
1:47:54 The very fact that a group which swears to protect children
1:47:56 have little to no student support here tonight
1:47:58 should tell the members of the school board
1:48:00 everything they need to know.
1:48:02 The opposition is presenting yet another thinly veiled attack
1:48:06 on the welfare and safety of our students
1:48:08 under the guise of, quote, “parental rights”
1:48:10 in an attempt to legislate their moral and religious views.
1:48:14 Once again, they are weaponizing misunderstood issues
1:48:16 and echo chamber politics to undermine
1:48:18 the rights of LGBTQ students to have
1:48:20 safe and supportive educational environments.
1:48:25 It is an undeniable fact that in this country,
1:48:27 the normalization of homophobia and transphobia
1:48:29 has put these students at an alarming risk
1:48:31 of suicide, depression, and ostracization.
1:48:34 As such, our school board has a duty
1:48:36 to create an environment where these students can
1:48:38 thrive and grow as opposed to shaming them
1:48:40 for their very existence.
1:48:42 If a student feels as they are safer expressing their identity
1:48:44 at school instead of at a home environment
1:48:47 where they may face severe and unjust consequences
1:48:49 because their sexual identity or gender or sexual orientation
1:48:53 or gender identity, things that they cannot control as much
1:48:55 as they control their height or their race,
1:48:58 it is the school’s duty and the school board’s duty
1:49:00 to protect this autonomy.
1:49:01 The implied constitutional right to privacy,
1:49:03 just as with speech and expression,
1:49:05 does not stop at the schoolhouse doors.
1:49:08 As broad as a parent’s right to raise their children is,
1:49:12 they have no legal jurisdiction over private thoughts
1:49:14 and identities.
1:49:16 For a group of parents to openly advocate
1:49:18 against the safety of thousands of children
1:49:20 and promote a culture that normalizes
1:49:22 dangerous LGBTQ conversion practices
1:49:24 is not only ironic, but downright neglectful
1:49:27 and, dare I say, immoral.
1:49:28 The attacks against the non-discrimination policies
1:49:31 are indeed part of a fight for liberty,
1:49:32 just the liberty to discriminate and liberty to hate.
1:49:35 There comes a time when, in order
1:49:37 to build a more equitable and supportive community,
1:49:39 we must examine and counteract the inherent biases
1:49:42 and privileges that we face– that we harbor today.
1:49:45 The fight for equal protection is far from over,
1:49:47 and the opposition to this non-discrimination policy
1:49:49 has shown it.
1:49:50 Quite frankly, I’m alarmed and ashamed
1:49:52 that such a beneficial policy is facing such a fervent attack
1:49:56 by our community, and I commend the school board
1:49:59 for defending it, and I hope they continue to do so.
1:50:01 Thank you.
1:50:02 Thanks, Gustavo.
1:50:03 [APPLAUSE]
1:50:08 Michael Bloom.
1:50:17 Good evening.
1:50:18 My name is Michael Bloom.
1:50:20 My pronouns are he, him, and his.
1:50:22 I’m a resident of school board five,
1:50:26 and I’m the son of an elementary music teacher.
1:50:30 I sit on numerous executive boards and committees
1:50:34 throughout the county, including the student transition
1:50:36 committee.
1:50:39 I spent a lot of my time advocating
1:50:40 for the LGBTQ+ community, the homeless community,
1:50:45 and abused children.
1:50:48 One of our PFLAG moms asked me to read a letter for her
1:50:51 tonight, and I quote.
1:50:56 “First of all, I would like to say thank you
1:50:58 to the school board for the thought and effort that
1:51:00 went into creating the Brevard LGBTQ+ district guidelines five
1:51:06 years ago.
1:51:07 Your efforts are sincerely appreciated.
1:51:10 I’m a Brevard County native and have
1:51:11 called Brevard my home for most of my 55 years.
1:51:15 I’m a taxpayer, a voter, a community volunteer,
1:51:19 and most importantly, I am the proud parent
1:51:21 of an amazing transgender teen.
1:51:24 I’m sad and angry about the unwanted attack on this policy
1:51:28 and on transgender kids.
1:51:30 These people are uneducated about the subject,
1:51:33 and they are doing nothing more than trying
1:51:34 to cause division among citizens and using these vulnerable kids
1:51:39 as their political pawns.
1:51:41 Utah Governor Spencer Cox recently
1:51:44 commented on the subject that these kids are–
1:51:48 they are just trying to stay alive.
1:51:51 This statement is literally true for many of these kids.
1:51:55 Suicide is the second leading cause
1:51:58 of death among young people.
1:52:01 The second leading cause of death and transgender youth
1:52:05 do not even have adequate support
1:52:07 or significantly higher rate of committing or attempting
1:52:10 suicide.
1:52:12 The vast majority of these kids do not
1:52:14 play sports for several reasons, and this
1:52:17 is well known by people who actually know something
1:52:19 about these kids.
1:52:21 Many trans kids go all day, and I literally mean all day,
1:52:26 without using the school restroom because they are afraid.
1:52:31 Using a nurse’s restroom is not an option for many
1:52:35 because a nurse’s office is too far away
1:52:37 and the kids would be late for class if they did that.
1:52:40 These kids are not the ones to be feared.
1:52:43 They are the ones often fearing others.
1:52:47 My teen and several others wanted
1:52:49 to be at this meeting to talk about their experiences,
1:52:52 but they are not here today because they
1:52:55 have legitimate concerns about what
1:52:57 these angry people might do.
1:53:00 These kids have seen nasty comments
1:53:02 from local politicians and anti-LGBTQ groups
1:53:06 about them and their parents for loving and supporting them,
1:53:09 and in doing is what is in their best interest
1:53:12 according to their medical professional.
1:53:16 Thank you for your time and support of these guidelines.
1:53:19 Thanks, Michael.
1:53:20 [APPLAUSE]
1:53:27 Randy Bertrand?
1:53:36 School board chair, superintendent,
1:53:38 fellow board members, my name is Randy Bertrand.
1:53:43 My family and I were front and center for the past 14 months
1:53:47 petitioning the Flagler County School Board
1:53:49 to add the words gender identity to the district
1:53:52 non-discrimination policy.
1:53:55 After over a year, our efforts narrowly passed three to two,
1:53:59 but I’m not here for that.
1:54:01 I’m here for something more.
1:54:03 I want to share something today that will hopefully
1:54:05 fill you with some much needed courage.
1:54:07 Our days lay ahead of you.
1:54:10 Almost 18 years ago, right around this time,
1:54:13 I was preparing my unit to cross the Birmingham to Iraq.
1:54:17 It was early spring 2003, March 17, to be exact.
1:54:22 We were one of the units selected to penetrate
1:54:24 the Iraqi Defense Forces.
1:54:26 My driver, Sean, came to me and said,
1:54:29 sir, really hard for me to tell you this, but I’m scared.
1:54:35 I looked at Sean and I gave him some advice.
1:54:38 It’s relevant for all of you today, so I’m going to share.
1:54:42 I told Sean, when you feel your knees buckle,
1:54:45 when you’re feeling that fear well up inside of you,
1:54:48 remember this.
1:54:49 Everything behind you is safe.
1:54:53 Your friends, your brothers and sisters, your family,
1:54:58 everything, you are the one thing
1:55:01 that stands between them and harm.
1:55:05 School Board, I tell you this.
1:55:07 When you feel the world is coming
1:55:10 to take measures that can harm the kids of Brevard County,
1:55:13 I want you to stand there and say, everything behind me
1:55:17 is safe.
1:55:19 Today, people would seek to make changes that could potentially
1:55:23 harm LGBTQ+ kids, and you are the one that
1:55:27 stands between them and harm.
1:55:31 You are entrusted with the citizens of Brevard County’s
1:55:33 most precious resource, your children, all children.
1:55:39 Not just the ones that look and act like you, but all children.
1:55:43 Don’t bottle the pressures that others may place on you.
1:55:46 Just stand there strong and promise these kids
1:55:49 that you will stand between them and harm.
1:55:52 Tell them to stand behind you, because everything behind you
1:55:56 is safe.
1:55:57 Thank you.
1:55:59 Thanks, Randy.
1:56:07 As Marie approaches, she’s going to be followed
1:56:09 by Susan Hodgers, Katherine Hagen, and then Jennifer Dunn.
1:56:15 So fix me, Marie.
1:56:16 How do I say it correctly?
1:56:17 It’s Rogerson, but you’re good.
1:56:18 Thank you.
1:56:19 So I have heard a lot tonight about what our organization is
1:56:23 here doing, but to my knowledge, I
1:56:25 am the first one from Moms for Liberty to speak tonight.
1:56:27 And I’d just like to state for the record, Moms for Liberty
1:56:30 does not condone hate, and we condemn any hateful actions
1:56:33 that took place outside of this meeting.
1:56:36 I personally am here to address two main things regarding
1:56:38 your LGBTQ guidelines that you released to staff,
1:56:41 but not parents.
1:56:43 Those are the sanctity of the family
1:56:45 and the sanctity of our republic.
1:56:47 Either parents have the right to direct the upbringing
1:56:49 of their children or they don’t.
1:56:52 Either we have a representative form of government or we don’t.
1:56:56 According to your guidelines, we have neither.
1:56:59 Your guidelines allow a minor, which in case we need reminded,
1:57:02 is a person under the age of full legal responsibility,
1:57:05 someone society has deemed is not responsible enough
1:57:08 to buy a lottery ticket, change their name,
1:57:10 or vote children who you don’t even
1:57:13 trust to carry their own inhalers or ibuprofen.
1:57:16 These children can walk into a school,
1:57:19 tell a teacher they identify as a different gender,
1:57:21 want to use new names and pronouns,
1:57:23 and you see no need to identify their parents
1:57:26 or to tell their parents.
1:57:28 Parents as legal guardians of their children
1:57:30 are responsible to provide protection, education,
1:57:33 and care, but apparently in your eyes
1:57:35 shouldn’t be given the opportunity to do so.
1:57:38 To be clear, my issue is not with any transgender children.
1:57:41 My issue is with you keeping more strain upon that child
1:57:45 by enabling them to live a double life.
1:57:47 Can you honestly not see how that
1:57:48 would add to anxiety, depression, and even potentially
1:57:51 lead to suicide?
1:57:53 The real issue here is you believe
1:57:55 you must protect children from their parents.
1:57:57 I reject that notion.
1:57:59 Parents as a whole are more trustworthy
1:58:01 than any government entity.
1:58:03 They should decide what is best for their children, not you.
1:58:06 Beyond the issue of parental rights,
1:58:08 you have undermined our representative form of government.
1:58:11 In a republic, we elect people to make our decisions
1:58:13 on our behalf, and you are responsible to us
1:58:15 via an election for the decisions you make.
1:58:18 These guidelines were not put in place by you.
1:58:21 Unelected staff circumvented the system
1:58:23 and used as justification a 2016 policy which was passed,
1:58:27 which was not intended to do any of these things.
1:58:29 I myself was here when it passed.
1:58:32 I heard board member after board member say,
1:58:34 it’s not a bathroom policy, and I
1:58:36 wouldn’t vote for it if it was.
1:58:37 And one of you even said, we have no plans
1:58:40 to change procedure.
1:58:42 What is the point of this board if staff committees
1:58:44 and other non-elected entities are responsible for the things
1:58:46 that really matter?
1:58:48 If you are not willing to do your elected duty,
1:58:50 then much like you have done to parents,
1:58:51 you should be cut out of the picture.
1:58:54 In this republic, laws are made by legislative bodies,
1:58:56 not by executive order, not by judges,
1:58:59 and certainly not by the FHSAA.
1:59:01 You claim to be following law, but no such law actually
1:59:04 exists.
1:59:04 What you’re really doing is running scared of lawsuits.
1:59:08 Our rights as parents don’t end at the classroom door,
1:59:10 but yours certainly end at mine.
1:59:12 As long as this policy is in place, none of my children
1:59:15 will attend a BPS school, because I will not
1:59:18 put them at the risk of people who
1:59:20 don’t understand their authority and fail to recognize mine.
1:59:22 Thanks, Maureen.
1:59:24 [APPLAUSE]
1:59:27 Susan?
1:59:31 [INAUDIBLE]
1:59:36 Good evening.
1:59:37 Thank you for letting us speak, and we have a great turnout.
1:59:40 I did have a speech prepared, but I’m just
1:59:43 going to tweak it a little bit.
1:59:45 I’m coming to you as a Brevard former student.
1:59:48 I grew up here.
1:59:49 I went to elementary school, junior high school,
1:59:51 and satellite high school, the GO-SCORP.
1:59:53 And also as a parent, my children
1:59:56 are in a public school system here.
2:00:00 A lot of people, I think, have spoken to most of you up here.
2:00:03 A lot of people in here know I’m active in the community.
2:00:06 I was president of the Trump Club.
2:00:07 Well, I wanted to come speak here.
2:00:10 I came from work in Titusville, so I–
2:00:13 that normally don’t look like this.
2:00:15 I came in my scrubs, I wrote a speech,
2:00:18 I grabbed my daughter’s binder here,
2:00:21 and I was verbally attacked by people
2:00:24 in my own party out there, that they were screaming,
2:00:27 called me a lesbian lover, gay lover.
2:00:30 I was shaking, I’m still shaking,
2:00:33 I just can’t believe that happened.
2:00:34 So we need to have decorum, treat people to respect.
2:00:38 In medicine, I’m a healthcare provider,
2:00:40 so if I see somebody who’s gay, who’s pansexual,
2:00:43 I treat everybody with respect.
2:00:45 I don’t say, oh, you’re a transgender,
2:00:47 or you’re gay, I treat people.
2:00:49 So that’s just going back to the golden rule.
2:00:52 I’m not gonna be redundant on some of the topics,
2:00:56 I’m already stan, I think we don’t need more rules
2:01:00 and everything, but that’s another topic.
2:01:02 Some of the things I think that nobody else has brought up
2:01:06 is this, I’ve reached out to Russell Brun,
2:01:11 I think I saw him here earlier, and Lisa Elam.
2:01:14 This was passed in 2016, my question is,
2:01:17 none of the school board members
2:01:19 that were elected after that,
2:01:20 they didn’t say anything about it, why now?
2:01:23 So that’s my question.
2:01:25 Second question is, where does everybody stand?
2:01:28 I know this is public comments,
2:01:29 I can’t interrogate you like in a court case,
2:01:32 but I’m a district four, my school board member
2:01:35 sent an email out to the Republican Executive Committee
2:01:38 and said this is Biden language,
2:01:41 which he was in an office in 2016,
2:01:44 working on the sports angle after the FHSAA.
2:01:47 So I’ve never spoken at a school board meeting,
2:01:49 so I don’t know all the legalities.
2:01:52 Our backs are against the wall, my friend.
2:01:57 So that’s why I wanted to try to find out more
2:01:59 and learn more about this LGBTQ guidelines.
2:02:04 His very gold water said, government governs best
2:02:07 when it governs least and tries to stay out
2:02:09 the impossible task of legislating morality.
2:02:12 And I felt like I met morality police out there
2:02:15 because of the way I was dressed, because of my folder,
2:02:18 and I’m horrified, I’m embarrassed.
2:02:21 This is not the party that I grew up in.
2:02:23 I’ve been a registered Republican since high school.
2:02:26 I’ve been active in politics since high school.
2:02:29 And our party on our website says,
2:02:32 we believe in equal right, equal justice,
2:02:36 equal opportunity for all regardless of race,
2:02:38 creed, age, and sex.
2:02:40 I had Trump Club members that were gay and transgender.
2:02:42 - Thanks, Susan. - Thank you.
2:02:46 (audience applauding)
2:02:47 - Catherine.
2:02:58 - Good evening, Madam Chair.
2:03:00 My name is Catherine Hagen.
2:03:00 - Can you move just a little closer for me,
2:03:02 Catherine? - Certainly.
2:03:04 I’m a 21-year resident of Brevard County.
2:03:07 I come to you as a concerned citizen, a voter,
2:03:10 and a representative of Spectrum Health.
2:03:13 Spectrum Health is an LGBTQ+ focused
2:03:19 community health center in Orlando.
2:03:23 We serve a number of patients in Brevard.
2:03:28 I am the chair of the Brevard County Advisory Board
2:03:34 for Spectrum.
2:03:36 In that role, I work as a community advocate
2:03:40 and a peer mentor.
2:03:42 I work with some of these youth
2:03:43 that are directly affected by these policies.
2:03:45 I know them.
2:03:46 I know their parents.
2:03:47 Their parents are my personal friends.
2:03:51 I also know the despair that comes with living
2:03:54 in a different time, in a different place,
2:03:56 where these types of protections were unheard of.
2:04:01 I know what it’s like to stay in the closet.
2:04:04 I also know what it’s like to come into the light.
2:04:07 And I applaud you, each of you that were here in 2016,
2:04:12 that implemented these policies in the first place
2:04:14 that allowed these kids to live their authentic lives.
2:04:19 You’ve already done the hard work.
2:04:21 All that I’m asking you to do now is to stay the course.
2:04:26 None of the policies that are being discussed
2:04:29 or none of the guidance that’s being discussed
2:04:33 creates any rights that don’t exist for anyone else.
2:04:38 Transgender kids, transgender adults,
2:04:41 we don’t want anything special.
2:04:43 We just want to be accepted, affirmed, and to blend in.
2:04:49 I’ve heard people ask, well, how many trans kids are there?
2:04:51 How many LGBT are there in the school system?
2:04:54 I don’t know exactly.
2:04:56 Considering it’s a group that largely hides in plain sight.
2:05:00 But I do know that when the time came for Spectrum
2:05:03 to expand and open a second office,
2:05:06 we chose to do so here in Brevard County.
2:05:09 Thank you.
2:05:11 - Thanks, Katherine.
2:05:12 (audience applauding)
2:05:17 Jennifer Dunn, followed by Alexander Chernshov,
2:05:22 Alano Chernshov, and Sarah Schmidt.
2:05:26 (no audio)
2:05:32 - All right, for the record,
2:05:35 here’s what was said about the policy in 2016.
2:05:39 - All we are is changing some verbiage and to clarify,
2:05:44 this is not a bathroom policy.
2:05:46 - I would not be supporting this policy.
2:05:50 And if I thought my vote in any way
2:05:53 would allow boys and girls in the same restroom.
2:05:57 - Our communication here at the local level
2:05:59 has been regardless of policy change,
2:06:01 we don’t intend to make changes
2:06:04 when it comes to those procedures.
2:06:08 - If this wasn’t your intention, then you should fix it now.
2:06:11 All children needs and concerns should be taken
2:06:15 into consideration when making policies.
2:06:17 I at least ask you to vote on these issues yourselves
2:06:21 so your constituents know where you stand.
2:06:23 Thank you.
2:06:24 - Thank you.
2:06:26 (audience applauding)
2:06:34 - Good evening.
2:06:35 So I would like to touch the–
2:06:37 - Move a little closer, Alex.
2:06:39 - Touching the subject, taboo subject
2:06:41 of overall mask effectiveness and hypoxia.
2:06:45 First, I want to say that hypoxia or oxygen deprivation
2:06:49 is a real thing.
2:06:51 I experienced it.
2:06:53 Mask do suffocate us.
2:06:56 Me and my family have headaches from wearing a mask.
2:07:01 And I ask everybody, ask your kids
2:07:04 if they experience headaches or dizziness,
2:07:07 stop ignoring them.
2:07:08 Ask doctor for medical exemption.
2:07:11 Doctors have to answer.
2:07:13 And here the hypocrisy comes.
2:07:18 When you wear a mask on one side,
2:07:21 you need to have sidehose to breathe,
2:07:24 not to suffocate yourself.
2:07:26 But at the same time, you expect the mask
2:07:29 to stop the virus somehow.
2:07:31 And according to science,
2:07:33 and I can provide a lot of evidence,
2:07:35 overall airflow efficiency of the face-to-face mask system
2:07:39 is only 20% for comfortable breathing.
2:07:43 Imagine one sick person which produces
2:07:45 two gallons per minute of 100% COVID-contaminated air.
2:07:50 20% goes through the mask itself.
2:07:52 Only 80% goes through the sidehose, 100% contaminated.
2:08:00 Moreover, in a stale environment with limited airflow,
2:08:04 like this, when you have aerosol particles of COVID,
2:08:08 they can stay in the air for hours,
2:08:10 from minutes to hours, depending on the size.
2:08:16 And now, once you have one or two person with COVID,
2:08:20 and they have the toxic cloud in the area,
2:08:24 the healthy person with the mask,
2:08:26 it has 80% efficiency collecting those particles.
2:08:30 So overall, the whole system of mask is highly ineffective.
2:08:37 And at the same time, the long-term effect
2:08:40 of the suffocation on the kids, it’s well known.
2:08:44 There are multiple studies where people do have headaches.
2:08:48 And moreover, you also affect
2:08:51 the hormone development in kids,
2:08:53 because when you don’t have enough oxygen,
2:08:55 it suppresses the hormones’ production.
2:09:00 So one of the topics, and so one of the solutions
2:09:06 which we can come is, first of all solution is,
2:09:09 let’s make mask effective.
2:09:11 So we ignore the suffocation part of the mask.
2:09:14 Let’s enforce N95 respirators,
2:09:17 and let’s tape the side holes.
2:09:19 And we recommend the board start the lead by example.
2:09:23 Let’s enforce it, let’s make it effective, or don’t do it.
2:09:28 And the other solution is, let’s make mask,
2:09:33 wear mask voluntarily.
2:09:35 If people need mask for their comfort, let’s do it.
2:09:40 So as my 11-year-old son put it, he’s good in science.
2:09:45 He says, “Masks sweep COVID under the rug,
2:09:48 “while improved ventilation throws it right into the trash.”
2:09:53 Let’s improve ventilation.
2:09:54 - Thank you, Alexander. - Let’s work
2:09:55 with the facilities of ventilation.
2:09:56 - We appreciate you joining us this evening,
2:09:58 but I would ask that you make sure
2:09:59 that you’re wearing a mask
2:10:00 when you’re moving throughout the room, please.
2:10:10 - Thank you.
2:10:16 - My dear fellow Americans, we are tired of this masquerade.
2:10:21 - I’m gonna interrupt you for just a moment,
2:10:23 and please ask that you speak to the board.
2:10:25 - Okay. - Thank you.
2:10:26 - The ineffectiveness of wearing a mask
2:10:28 was proven again and again by multiple reputable source.
2:10:33 75 to 80% of all particles
2:10:36 escapes through the side holes anyway.
2:10:39 So have you been lied to?
2:10:42 Have you at the point in history George Orwell predicted
2:10:46 when he said, “In a time of universal deceit,
2:10:49 “telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
2:10:53 “Our body is not designed to consume
2:10:56 “what it is trying to eliminate.”
2:11:00 The opposite is true.
2:11:01 All sorts of diseases thrive in an oxygen-deprived blood.
2:11:06 Our politicians contradict themselves.
2:11:09 To overcome COVID, don’t we need more oxygen,
2:11:13 better ventilation?
2:11:15 Remember ventilators?
2:11:18 By depriving our kids access to oxygen,
2:11:21 we decrease the chances of their immune system
2:11:25 to fight the virus.
2:11:26 Hypoxemia or below normal levels of oxygen in the blood
2:11:31 affects the brain and the heart
2:11:33 if persists over a long period of time.
2:11:37 So we demand effective solution.
2:11:40 If a school board insists on wearing a mask,
2:11:43 we insist you tape the holes on all sides
2:11:47 to make masks effective.
2:11:50 Try and then try to breathe.
2:11:53 We insist you start from yourself.
2:11:56 And if you succeed, which you don’t,
2:12:00 then you can impose it on our kids.
2:12:05 There are very effective alternatives
2:12:09 to build a strong immune system
2:12:11 and minimize the chances of any disease.
2:12:14 Let me remind you, anti-inflammatory diets.
2:12:19 Go to nutritionfacts.org
2:12:22 and find out what the latest science is saying.
2:12:25 Teach it in school to our kids.
2:12:28 I recommend the book “How Not to Die” by Dr. Greger,
2:12:32 for example, his daily dozen checklists.
2:12:35 Also, plenty of vitamins and minerals,
2:12:39 plenty of sun, plenty of water,
2:12:41 plenty of movement, plenty of fresh air, by the way,
2:12:47 which was known for millions of years to all the people.
2:12:52 We demand that interests of both groups of people
2:12:55 are represented.
2:12:57 We are here to remind everyone
2:12:59 that school board are public servants
2:13:03 funded by and elected by the people and for the people,
2:13:10 and not for your creepy agenda.
2:13:14 Also, we are not here to negotiate.
2:13:18 Our movement is here to replace corrupt political institution
2:13:23 and return power to the people.
2:13:24 - Thank you for joining us this evening.
2:13:26 Your three minutes are up.
2:13:27 Please, please stop speaking now.
2:13:30 Thank you, and if you would please put a mask on
2:13:32 when you move through the room.
2:13:39 All right, Sarah Schmidt, followed by Louis Shafer,
2:13:42 then Teresa Clayton.
2:13:45 - We might wanna wipe down the mic.
2:13:47 - Yeah.
2:13:54 There are wipes there,
2:13:55 if you would like to wipe that down before you.
2:13:58 - I’m good.
2:13:59 - Okay.
2:14:01 Thank you for being able to speak.
2:14:04 Some of you have known or gone through this,
2:14:07 some may not have.
2:14:09 When you’re a kid, nothing else matters,
2:14:10 but other than being a kid, right?
2:14:13 It’s supposed to be fun, carefree, adventurous
2:14:16 with parents and friends,
2:14:18 may maybe cause some mischief along the way,
2:14:21 and maybe just maybe meet someone special.
2:14:24 Now imagine that kid, now imagine all that
2:14:28 with the feeling, thoughts, and not fitting in,
2:14:31 and I don’t mean being outcast.
2:14:39 What I mean is not fitting in,
2:14:41 not fitting in that box that says male or female.
2:14:45 Now what was going through my head was,
2:14:50 not only wanting to be that beautiful woman,
2:14:52 but being that beautiful woman.
2:14:54 My point is this, that people like me
2:14:56 have been around a very long time and playing sports,
2:15:00 and joining the military right alongside the rest of you
2:15:03 for over a hundred years.
2:15:06 The reason you have objections to it now
2:15:08 is that we are visible and in from the shadows,
2:15:11 and we are here to stay.
2:15:13 One bit of tech is this, from the Associated Press
2:15:17 of the 20 plus laws, provisions proposed
2:15:21 across the country asked if there were any situations
2:15:25 when it created problems, they found none.
2:15:28 Thank you, and have a good day.
2:15:30 - Thank you, Sarah.
2:15:31 (audience applauding)
2:15:34 Louis?
2:15:39 Louis Schaefer?
2:15:43 Going once, going twice.
2:15:48 Does anyone know Louis?
2:15:50 Know if Louis might be here?
2:15:54 Okay.
2:15:55 Pam, I’m gonna move on to the next one.
2:15:57 If Louis is out, would you just provide us for it?
2:16:00 Thank you.
2:16:02 Theresa Clayton?
2:16:12 - Hi, thanks for the opportunity to speak
2:16:14 to a couple issues that I have.
2:16:17 I first wanna say I have a 14-year-old grandchild
2:16:19 in the Brevard County School System.
2:16:22 I wanna begin by saying our country cannot govern
2:16:25 or operate or pass laws based on feelings.
2:16:29 Feelings are irrational.
2:16:31 This country has to serve the whole country.
2:16:34 It’s not the government’s job.
2:16:37 We have drag queens reading storybooks in public libraries
2:16:41 to our innocent, impressionable children
2:16:43 like this is normal.
2:16:45 I thought the left were for girls and women,
2:16:47 but when boys and young men up to 18 in girls’ bathrooms,
2:16:51 locker rooms, what’s next, showers?
2:16:54 So a boy on Monday can say I feel like a girl on Wednesday,
2:16:58 get to go watch our girls undress?
2:17:01 The left says, believe in science.
2:17:03 Well, there are only two genders, male and female.
2:17:06 The left are allowing boys in girls’ sports.
2:17:09 Males are biologically stronger, bigger lungs, muscle mass,
2:17:15 and girls will never win awards, scholarships,
2:17:18 or the chance to go into the Olympics.
2:17:21 Biden’s health secretary pick, Rachel Levin,
2:17:24 who is transgender, at her Senate confirmation hearing
2:17:28 would not answer the questions about allowing children
2:17:31 hormonal injections that will alter them for life
2:17:34 and pushing to not allow parents to even know about it.
2:17:40 On the subject of mask mandates, coronavirus is airborne.
2:17:44 It can be transmitted through the eyes.
2:17:47 It goes through the tear ducts,
2:17:49 into the nasal cavity, into your lungs.
2:17:52 It’s false security.
2:17:53 And also, if masks work, how come Democrats are releasing
2:17:58 tens of thousands of prisoners in prison because of COVID?
2:18:02 Give them all a mask.
2:18:04 Why is Biden leaving our borders wide open,
2:18:07 tens of thousands of illegals coming in,
2:18:09 hundreds tested positive, released onto buses,
2:18:13 headed all over our country, coming to a city near you?
2:18:17 Close the border.
2:18:19 The left and the Democrats want God out of our country
2:18:23 any way possible.
2:18:25 Pushing abortions, L-G-P-D-T-Q, excuse me,
2:18:31 want to do away with Christianity, Judeo-Christian values,
2:18:35 beliefs, that is what this great country was founded on.
2:18:38 That’s why people are trying to come to our great country,
2:18:42 because we are the greatest country in the world.
2:18:44 But if these policies get implemented,
2:18:46 we will not have an America like we know it
2:18:49 anymore.
2:18:50 Any of you who vote for these harmful,
2:18:53 crazy policies will be voted out.
2:18:56 We will work tirelessly to fill your seats
2:18:59 with people who believe in our children’s mental,
2:19:01 physical, health, and future.
2:19:04 God, freedom, and liberty,
2:19:06 everything that has made America great.
2:19:09 Thank you.
2:19:09 - Thank you, Theresa.
2:19:10 Have a good night.
2:19:11 (audience applauding)
2:19:15 - All right, Louise Rigdon-Smith,
2:19:19 followed by Kelly Miracle, and then Ashley Hall.
2:19:24 Oh, okay, sorry, go ahead.
2:19:31 - Good evening, I’m Louise Rigdon-Smith.
2:19:32 I wanted to, first of all, thank you all for your time
2:19:35 and your willingness to hear many, many opinions.
2:19:40 I also wanted to commend the students that are here tonight
2:19:42 to speak out on their experience.
2:19:44 I come to you as a BPS employee and a school counselor
2:19:47 at a middle school in Merritt Island.
2:19:49 I’ve also worked in Volusia County,
2:19:50 where I was the Gay-Straight Alliance coordinator.
2:19:53 And I have to tell you how much I appreciate these policies
2:19:58 and these guidelines, not only as an employee,
2:20:00 but someone who supports students in every facet.
2:20:03 I wish that I could have bottled the expression
2:20:06 of one of my students when I said,
2:20:07 “Hey, I’m going to school board tonight.
2:20:08 “We’re gonna talk about trans rights.”
2:20:10 Their face lit up in such a way.
2:20:12 And they said, “Really?
2:20:14 “I get to be a person now?”
2:20:16 And that moment is invaluable.
2:20:20 So thank you for giving that moment to a student
2:20:22 to be dignified and respected.
2:20:25 And as a BPS employee, I am quite concerned
2:20:28 about some of our employees not being able or willing
2:20:32 to embrace these guidelines and adhere to them.
2:20:35 And my question to you as this rolls out and continues
2:20:38 is how are we going to make sure that faculty and staff
2:20:42 are using those pronouns,
2:20:44 are respecting that student’s dignity?
2:20:46 Is there teeth to this essentially?
2:20:49 How are we going to make sure
2:20:51 that we are promoting correct understanding
2:20:55 of what it means to be a transgendered person
2:20:57 and not misinformation that is so widely circulated
2:21:00 about the community?
2:21:02 It’s important to me that my students and staff
2:21:04 are on the same page about what it means to be transgendered
2:21:07 because when I hear people say,
2:21:09 “I don’t want a boy going into the girl’s bathroom.”
2:21:13 That’s incorrect.
2:21:14 A transgendered girl is going into the bathroom.
2:21:19 And we need to respect that and have a common understanding
2:21:23 that is based in science and psychology
2:21:26 that helps us all understand how to support
2:21:28 these very vulnerable and precious students.
2:21:31 Thank you so much.
2:21:32 (audience applauding)
2:21:33 - Thank you, Louise.
2:21:38 Did we find Louis Schaffer?
2:21:40 Do we know?
2:21:41 Not yet?
2:21:42 Okay.
2:21:43 So Kelly.
2:21:51 - First, I would like to say that I am very disappointed
2:21:55 with the school board here.
2:21:57 My problem is with you guys.
2:21:58 You guys have exercised a tremendous overreach
2:22:03 of your authority.
2:22:04 You were elected by this community to represent us,
2:22:09 but instead you’ve decided to push your own agenda
2:22:12 on my kids.
2:22:14 A little more than four years ago,
2:22:17 an elected board of five members of which actually,
2:22:19 by the way, only one of you were reelected, Mrs. Belford,
2:22:24 decided to enact a policy to protect our LGBTQ youth.
2:22:28 The heart of this policy was preached to us
2:22:31 as a protective anti-bullying and harassment initiative,
2:22:36 which was backed by the Title IX law.
2:22:40 The Title IX law says that public schools cannot single out
2:22:43 LGBTQ students for negative treatment.
2:22:46 This law is and was meant as an anti-bullying,
2:22:50 anti-harassment law.
2:22:52 However, what the board has failed to recognize
2:22:55 is that the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause
2:22:58 applies to all of our kids.
2:23:01 No state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction
2:23:05 the equal protection of the laws.
2:23:07 The Equal Access Act allows the formation of LGBTQ clubs.
2:23:12 It does not allow males to join female sports
2:23:16 or provide them uninterrupted access
2:23:18 to my daughter’s locker room.
2:23:22 It’s a gross overreach to say that if my child
2:23:26 comes to a staff member at her school
2:23:28 and tells them that she believes that she might be gay
2:23:31 or male, that they don’t have to notify me.
2:23:34 The LGBTQ nation states nearly 40% of LGBTQ youth
2:23:38 have contemplated suicide in the last year.
2:23:41 48% reported in engaging in self-harm.
2:23:45 On what planet is it in my child’s best interest
2:23:49 for you not to notify me
2:23:51 if they are going through something that huge?
2:23:55 And you had better believe that if my child comes out
2:23:58 to a staff member and they do not notify me
2:24:01 and later they commit suicide,
2:24:03 I will slap a lawsuit on this school board
2:24:05 so fast your head will spin.
2:24:08 When the initiative was passed in 2016, Ms. Belford,
2:24:11 you assured us, and I’m actually quoting your own words,
2:24:14 this has little to do with practices
2:24:16 and nothing to do with bathrooms.
2:24:19 It seems that was not true,
2:24:21 and perhaps that quote was the only reason
2:24:23 you’re the last remaining board member from that vote.
2:24:26 Let me make it perfectly clear,
2:24:27 if this initiative moves forward,
2:24:29 I will do everything in my power, my personal mission,
2:24:32 to make sure that none of you are reelected in this town.
2:24:37 It’s untrue and narrow-minded to say that
2:24:40 just because I object this, I’m anti-LGBTQ youth.
2:24:44 I care about all kids.
2:24:45 I want everyone to be safe.
2:24:48 However, the solution is not this.
2:24:51 We can come together and discuss the solution,
2:24:54 but you will not decide for me.
2:24:57 - Thank you.
2:24:59 (audience applauding)
2:25:05 Ashley Hall, followed by Rowan Craig,
2:25:08 and then Corey Carmichael.
2:25:18 I’m sorry?
2:25:21 Ashley Hall, followed by Rowan Craig,
2:25:23 and then Corey Carmichael.
2:25:28 No problem.
2:25:30 - Hey, my name is Ashley Hall.
2:25:32 I’m the Brevard Chair for Moms for Liberty.
2:25:36 First wanted to say thank you for inviting
2:25:39 what sounded like an echo chamber in this room today
2:25:42 to talk about an end goal with no advice
2:25:46 to get to an end goal, so thank you for that.
2:25:51 Hopefully, the task force that I was invited to be on
2:25:55 will have a little bit better of a solution
2:25:57 than what they came up with today.
2:25:59 The rest of the time, I am going to talk
2:26:01 a little bit about the guidelines
2:26:03 as a spokesperson for Moms for Liberty.
2:26:08 Seems like there’s a little bit of misinformation
2:26:10 about our organization and how we feel about this,
2:26:14 so I’m gonna just kind of speak off the cuff.
2:26:16 I’m not gonna even read off of my notes really here
2:26:19 because 100%, we want no bullying for any child.
2:26:25 We want all children to feel safe in their schools.
2:26:30 So that misconception is absolutely false.
2:26:35 The idea that we want the guidelines to just be gone either
2:26:41 is not correct.
2:26:43 We would actually like for you guys
2:26:44 to take these guidelines back, take our parent concerns
2:26:48 or the parental notifications
2:26:50 or the actions you’re going to take to prevent abuse.
2:26:55 So abuse, we’re not so much worried for a trans student
2:27:01 that would abuse a person
2:27:04 going into their identified restroom.
2:27:08 It’s those that may take advantage of this now guideline
2:27:13 that could lead to further abuse.
2:27:17 So as a parent of a seven-year-old little boy
2:27:20 and a three-year-old little boy,
2:27:21 and I know there are parents with boys and girls,
2:27:26 boys and girls need to be considered for this guideline.
2:27:31 So have we considered everyone?
2:27:34 I would like to see everyone considered in the guidelines
2:27:37 because there could be unintended consequences
2:27:40 that come from written guidelines.
2:27:42 So I would like to see the guidelines further written out
2:27:45 to include those that may be at risk.
2:27:48 If there are students that are uncomfortable with this,
2:27:51 how will you handle those students that are uncomfortable?
2:27:55 And for those trans students that came and spoke,
2:27:59 it was very inspiring to hear their stories.
2:28:02 And we don’t want to have a divide between us.
2:28:08 What you saw out there today when we walked
2:28:11 into this building is not representative
2:28:13 of our organization, even I was yelled at by my side.
2:28:20 I wouldn’t call it my side.
2:28:22 So we want to make sure that we’re inclusive of all
2:28:26 and that our students are considered
2:28:28 that may be concerned with this.
2:28:31 - Thanks, Ashley.
2:28:33 (audience applauding)
2:28:37 Rowan.
2:28:43 - Good evening.
2:28:54 My name is Rowan Craig.
2:28:56 I’ve been attending school in Brevard for about 13 years.
2:28:59 I first spoke in front of the board at the age of 12
2:29:03 when the LGBT non-discrimination policy
2:29:05 was first being passed.
2:29:07 And five years later, I’ve seen firsthand
2:29:09 the positive impact that it’s had on my peers.
2:29:12 Over the years, I founded a gay-straight alliance
2:29:15 at Johnson Middle School.
2:29:17 I was the leader of a local LGBT youth group
2:29:19 called Rainbow Youth of Brevard.
2:29:22 I worked as our local PFLAG chapter’s youth advisor.
2:29:25 I was awarded the title of Youth Grand Marshall
2:29:28 at last year’s Space Coast Pride Parade.
2:29:31 And I’m the current vice president
2:29:33 of O’Gally High School’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance,
2:29:36 also known as Safe Space.
2:29:39 So I hope you’ll consider me qualified
2:29:41 to give an opinion on these protections.
2:29:44 Throughout all of these experiences I’ve had,
2:29:46 the opportunity to hear many different stories
2:29:49 of all kinds of students affected by this policy,
2:29:53 and I can tell you there is never a good reason
2:29:55 to forcibly out students to their parents.
2:29:59 I have never met a single trans student
2:30:02 who would feel comfortable or safe
2:30:04 with the proposed changes local
2:30:07 and state officials have put forward.
2:30:12 And that’s how I know they’re not listening.
2:30:14 If a child does not want their parent
2:30:17 to know that they are transgender, it is for good reason.
2:30:20 Whether it’s because they face the threat
2:30:22 of disownment or violence,
2:30:23 or because they’re simply not ready,
2:30:26 forcibly outing a child will always be
2:30:29 a violation of their autonomy.
2:30:32 While the supposed parent bill of rights
2:30:35 would fulfill a self-serving sense of entitlement
2:30:38 in some parents, it does not serve students,
2:30:42 which as you are so often reminded, is your mission.
2:30:47 The reason this issue is so close to my heart
2:30:49 is because I have many trans friends
2:30:51 who have confided in me about the dangers they may face
2:30:55 if forcibly outed to their parents.
2:30:57 Frankly, I’m tired of the discussion
2:31:00 being about parental control,
2:31:02 and not the perspectives of these potential victims.
2:31:06 I hope that moving forward, the Board will continue
2:31:09 to support these protections,
2:31:11 and that each member takes time to listen
2:31:13 to the voices of the students that need it most.
2:31:17 Thank you.
2:31:19 - Thanks, Ron. (audience applauding)
2:31:25 Corey Carmichael, followed by Willow Noah,
2:31:28 and then Lydia Presel.
2:31:32 Corey?
2:31:36 Okay, Willow?
2:31:39 Willow Noah?
2:31:42 She’s coming?
2:31:44 Okay.
2:31:59 - My name is Willow Noah.
2:32:00 I’m a resident of Brevard County Public School,
2:32:02 or Brevard County, Florida.
2:32:03 I’m a non-binary bisexual person,
2:32:05 and my pronouns are she, they.
2:32:06 Until 2018, I was a student
2:32:08 of Brevard County Public Schools,
2:32:10 and this is my experience in academics
2:32:11 and community spaces thereof.
2:32:13 For detractors of clinical gender theory,
2:32:15 I’d like to refer dissenters to the collected works
2:32:17 of emeritus professor, Dr. Elia Lips,
2:32:19 at the Research Center of Psychology at Radford University,
2:32:22 who recognizes the spectrum of gender identities,
2:32:24 and is a personal friend of my family’s.
2:32:27 The last time that I came to the school board
2:32:29 was in 2016 with Rainbow Youth of Brevard and PFLAG
2:32:32 to get the very ordinance passed that we are discussing,
2:32:34 a hate group was there.
2:32:36 I remember vividly being called slurs and being threatened.
2:32:39 The ordinance passed.
2:32:40 With several of our elderly members
2:32:41 being threatened with bodily harm,
2:32:43 we were followed home by people with firearms.
2:32:45 This incident gave me intense fear when leaving my home.
2:32:48 I didn’t go to school for a week,
2:32:49 and I developed clinical PTSD.
2:32:51 The year before the nondiscrimination ordinance was passed,
2:32:54 I was in middle school.
2:32:55 It wasn’t required to recognize names and pronouns
2:32:57 or to stand up for LGBT students.
2:32:59 I had a few friends in my gym class
2:33:00 who were also bullied relentlessly for being bisexual,
2:33:03 and teachers turned a blind eye
2:33:05 because they dismissed it as garden variety bullying.
2:33:08 These students could not find acceptance at home
2:33:11 or at school and turned to self-harm and suicide attempts.
2:33:13 I recall a gym period I spent bandaging my friend’s
2:33:16 bleeding arms, holding her hair back
2:33:17 as she vomited up the pills she had taken.
2:33:20 She was religious, and her church had told her
2:33:22 she deserved to burn in hell.
2:33:23 A fellow student agreed and mocked her
2:33:24 for the crime of loving other women.
2:33:26 I was 12 years old.
2:33:28 This is the reality oftentimes for students
2:33:30 from Brevard County.
2:33:30 When I was 14, I ran the Gay Straight Alliance
2:33:32 in Melbourne High School.
2:33:33 Kids were frequently suicidal and had issues
2:33:35 with substance abuse and self-harm.
2:33:38 I had a friend who was violently suicidal,
2:33:39 and because people had told me it was safe,
2:33:41 I reported it to school resource officers.
2:33:44 They were not properly trained
2:33:45 to deal with LGBT students at risk.
2:33:47 She was taken to inpatient at Circles of Care,
2:33:49 outed to her family, and violently beaten by her father.
2:33:52 Even with the ordinance in place,
2:33:53 I had issues using my preferred name in class.
2:33:55 I had a teacher tell me he didn’t use nicknames
2:33:57 because they were dumb and diminutive, and I accepted it,
2:33:59 ‘cause otherwise I would have to out myself
2:34:01 to fellow students.
2:34:02 The anti-discrimination policy in place is only a start,
2:34:05 a bare cold protection for our most vulnerable students.
2:34:07 LGBT youth who come from highly rejecting families
2:34:09 are 8.4 times as likely to have attempted suicide
2:34:12 as their peers who reported no or low levels
2:34:14 of family production.
2:34:15 These ordinances in place are life-saving
2:34:17 for our trans students.
2:34:19 On a personal note, as a Jewish person,
2:34:21 from generations of strong Jews,
2:34:22 I’m uncomfortable with a group reporting liberty,
2:34:25 restricting my religious freedom.
2:34:27 In Judaism, we have six genders,
2:34:29 zachar, nakiva, tumsum, ayaonis, androgynous, andsaris.
2:34:34 All six genders are made bezalmo elokim,
2:34:37 in the image of God, barring faculty
2:34:39 from recognizing children as their gender
2:34:41 is transgressing on Jewish religious freedom.
2:34:45 The anti-discrimination policies were already in place,
2:34:47 anti-discrimination.
2:34:48 I ask the school board to uphold this ordinance
2:34:50 for the safety of our LGBT youth,
2:34:52 and I thank them for their continued support.
2:34:54 Devarti, I yield my time.
2:34:56 - Thanks, Hilo.
2:34:57 (audience applauds)
2:35:04 Lydia Pressl, followed by Megan Wright,
2:35:08 and then Jeremy Saglenberry, maybe?
2:35:15 - Hello, good evening.
2:35:17 Hi, I just wanted to, first of all,
2:35:20 I wanted to say I love everybody.
2:35:22 I love gays, lesbians, transgender.
2:35:25 This isn’t about that.
2:35:28 In fact, my daughter, ever since elementary school,
2:35:32 two of her closest friends are gay,
2:35:35 and one is, dresses as female, but identifies as a boy.
2:35:41 So, I mean, in fact, she’s with them tonight.
2:35:45 So, I mean, and they’re close friends.
2:35:47 So it’s nothing to do with being gay or any transgender.
2:35:51 What I’m concerned about is the women’s sports.
2:35:56 I’m concerned about the genetics.
2:36:00 I mean, I can tell you, growing up,
2:36:02 or my son growing up, we used to play kickboxing,
2:36:06 and we had a good time until about 13 years old,
2:36:09 and all of a sudden, we’re doing pretend kickboxing,
2:36:12 and all of a sudden, he comes in,
2:36:14 and I end up breaking a couple ribs,
2:36:16 because I realize, oh my gosh,
2:36:18 my little boy, his testosterone’s kicking in,
2:36:22 and now he’s a man,
2:36:24 and I had to pull away from doing sports with him.
2:36:28 So, basically, realizing that genetics,
2:36:32 it is impossible for, I mean, just the other night,
2:36:36 I was at a little pub, and I was,
2:36:38 I know this sounds crazy, I’m gonna go off topic here,
2:36:40 but playing arm wrestling with a bunch of girls,
2:36:44 just happened to be doing that,
2:36:45 and then all of a sudden, my brother comes in,
2:36:47 and he says, oh, come on, let’s arm wrestle.
2:36:49 So, we started arm wrestling,
2:36:50 and of course, he took me down in two seconds.
2:36:53 So, what I’m really concerned about is,
2:36:55 what is this gonna do to women’s sports?
2:36:58 I know I feel bad for everybody,
2:37:00 I feel bad that they’re in this situation,
2:37:02 but genetically, it’s DNA, it comes down to that,
2:37:07 and like I said, I do feel bad
2:37:10 that they’re in that situation,
2:37:12 but I don’t want it to be against,
2:37:15 and come against the opposite,
2:37:17 where it’s like everybody’s hurting.
2:37:19 So, where the women can’t get their scholarship,
2:37:20 women can’t, so, I mean, yesterday was Women’s Day,
2:37:25 and basically, it was, how are we gonna keep women?
2:37:29 I mean, back in the day, it was,
2:37:31 how are we gonna excel as women,
2:37:32 when that’s gonna be an issue?
2:37:36 But anyway, like I said, I just,
2:37:40 I feel bad that we live in a world where this is an issue.
2:37:44 I wish and I pray that, ‘cause I do feel bad for them,
2:37:49 I really do, I feel bad that they’re going through that,
2:37:51 my heart goes out to them, I really,
2:37:54 but keep in mind, I think everybody,
2:37:57 we need to think about everybody and how they feel,
2:37:59 and how their little girls feel,
2:38:01 going into a room where possibly there’s men in.
2:38:05 That’s where my concern is,
2:38:06 is that it has to be fair and balanced for everybody,
2:38:09 for the majority, and as far as,
2:38:12 and I pray to God that they,
2:38:14 I understand that they have a problem.
2:38:16 - Thanks, Lydia, we appreciate you being here.
2:38:20 All right, Megan Wright, followed by Jeremy,
2:38:23 and then Kelly Williams.
2:38:36 - Good evening, my name is Megan Wright.
2:38:38 I am a local Brevard County resident.
2:38:40 I am born here, raised here, went to school here.
2:38:43 I currently have two daughters that are both enrolled
2:38:46 in the Brevard County Public Schools.
2:38:49 My husband and I both run two businesses
2:38:50 that we operate out of Brevard County
2:38:52 and employ quite a few people here.
2:38:54 I come to you as a mother that’s extremely concerned
2:38:57 about this LGBTQ+ policy.
2:39:01 I’m sure the board has had its fair share of emails,
2:39:03 phone calls, we can see there’s quite a split room here,
2:39:06 but the board has a mission,
2:39:07 and the mission’s right on the wall behind you,
2:39:09 and that’s to serve every student
2:39:11 with excellence as a standard.
2:39:13 Every student means every student,
2:39:15 so it’s clear that there’s work to be done here.
2:39:18 There is not really a clean solution to this,
2:39:21 it sounds like, but we need to keep continuing
2:39:23 to look at this policy.
2:39:25 As a mother who has daughters that are in school,
2:39:29 I’m gonna tell you, I don’t want a male in there
2:39:31 changing in a locker room in front of my daughter,
2:39:34 and I think that that’s a fair expectation
2:39:36 for me to have as a parent.
2:39:38 I don’t think that that’s asking for anything unfair.
2:39:42 In February of 2019, two trans athletes
2:39:45 who were born male and identify as female
2:39:47 took the first place at the Connecticut State
2:39:49 High School Track Championship.
2:39:52 I am concerned about what this will do
2:39:54 for our females in the school system
2:39:57 if we are now allowing transgender
2:39:59 to participate in a female sport.
2:40:02 There are many other instances where you can look
2:40:04 where transgender athletes have competed
2:40:07 in a female sport and excelled,
2:40:09 and that is hurting our female population.
2:40:12 That hurts those kids’ potential
2:40:14 to get scholarships in different arenas.
2:40:18 There’s been a lot of talk about science,
2:40:19 that’s the thing everyone likes to talk about now,
2:40:21 the science, and so the science is real clear on this.
2:40:24 There are chromosomes that differentiate
2:40:26 which gender we are, and there are only
2:40:28 two different variations of that.
2:40:31 I’m pleading with you guys just to look at this policy,
2:40:34 to consider making something that’s a little safer
2:40:36 than what this broad policy is now,
2:40:39 and work together to come up with a solution
2:40:41 that helps protect every one of the students,
2:40:44 not just the very few students that we’re focusing in on.
2:40:48 Thank you.
2:40:49 - Thanks, Megan.
2:40:54 Jeremy?
2:41:00 - Hi, my name is Jeremy Sagglin-Benny,
2:41:02 and I’ve been in Brevard County since 1996.
2:41:04 I’m a father of four, and I have a local business
2:41:07 here in the county as well.
2:41:10 I don’t hate anyone, I’ve been accused of hate
2:41:12 and screamed at that I hate people
2:41:13 because I’m not pro-LGBT, but it’s not the case.
2:41:16 I think it’s many of the case that just because
2:41:18 we’re not for something, it doesn’t mean that we hate that.
2:41:21 I honestly don’t hate people, that’s not me.
2:41:26 Biological gender is unchangeable,
2:41:28 so bathroom and locker room assignments
2:41:29 should be based on biological gender.
2:41:31 This is not a crippling on religious freedom.
2:41:34 I’m a born-again Christian, that’s not the case,
2:41:38 that’s not the reasons.
2:41:39 There are different reasons.
2:41:43 Switching subjects, sports.
2:41:45 Most boys are stronger than most girls.
2:41:47 Not 100%, but most boys are stronger than most girls.
2:41:49 My son ran cross-country, and the boys and the girls
2:41:52 are separate for different reasons, for obvious reasons.
2:41:56 The boys’ track times are way lower
2:41:58 than the girls’ track times.
2:41:58 If a boy ran on the track of the girls’ track team,
2:42:03 even not one of the top boys, they would clean house.
2:42:06 It would make it instantly unfair,
2:42:08 and all those girls would be cheated, badly.
2:42:15 There’s been a history of people posing as transgenders
2:42:18 and doing bad things to people,
2:42:22 and because they have the easy access to them.
2:42:25 I’m not saying all transgenders are bad,
2:42:26 I’m not saying that, I’m saying there’s people
2:42:28 who have posed as transgender to gain access to children
2:42:32 or people of the opposite sex,
2:42:34 and bad things have happened.
2:42:36 Consequences are not gonna go there.
2:42:42 We need a different solution for that.
2:42:44 So I’m not here to condemn the LGBT,
2:42:46 to speak against giving a small minority
2:42:48 a full change to policy.
2:42:50 Not telling parents is absolutely unthinkable.
2:42:53 Kids can’t even watch certain movies
2:42:54 without their parents’ consent,
2:42:55 and something this serious
2:42:56 needs to be addressed to their parents.
2:42:58 One of my children is going through this.
2:43:01 I, as a parent, need to know.
2:43:02 I know there’s different forms of abuse,
2:43:04 but the parents need to know.
2:43:06 We need to come up with a different solution for that,
2:43:08 and parents who abuse their children
2:43:10 need to be fully charged to the extent of the law.
2:43:16 I don’t know why, I was here in 2016,
2:43:21 and I don’t know why the course has changed,
2:43:24 ‘cause I was told in 2016, I spoke then,
2:43:26 and I was told that this is not going to happen.
2:43:29 For sure it’s not going to happen.
2:43:31 This is not the case.
2:43:33 But I’m standing here again, because it did happen.
2:43:35 So I don’t know why that changed.
2:43:37 I don’t know what the motives were.
2:43:39 I don’t know what the outside influence was.
2:43:41 But whatever that is, I would ask you to reconsider that.
2:43:44 Reconsider the lives that you’re affecting
2:43:46 and the lives that you’re changing.
2:43:47 There’s no bullying.
2:43:48 There’s no, I mean, LGBTQ has all the rights
2:43:52 that straight people do, and there’s often more, honestly.
2:43:56 So, food for thought.
2:43:58 - Thanks, Jeremy.
2:43:59 (audience applauding)
2:44:04 All right, Kelly Williams, followed by Eric Craig,
2:44:07 and then Brandy Julen.
2:44:19 - As a mother with children in preschool,
2:44:21 elementary and high school,
2:44:22 I couldn’t feel stronger about standing up
2:44:24 for my parental rights, the safety of my children,
2:44:27 and for all of my fellow Brevard County parents.
2:44:30 I’m here to speak against the policies of the LGBTQ guidance
2:44:33 and its clear agenda to strip away parental roles
2:44:36 and instead give them solely to our underage,
2:44:39 underdeveloped, and extremely vulnerable children.
2:44:42 This guidance, as it’s been so controversial named,
2:44:45 is designed to appease a small, select group of people
2:44:48 at the expense of the rest,
2:44:50 allowing children as young as four years old
2:44:52 to be forcibly subjected to an environment
2:44:56 that will affect them for the rest of their lives.
2:44:58 Allowing a child who will inherently try
2:45:01 on many different personas as they grow up
2:45:03 and develop into individuals to decide,
2:45:06 with the approval of a non-related adult,
2:45:08 i.e. teacher or school official,
2:45:10 to change their God-given gender identity
2:45:12 in any way without the consent of the child’s parent
2:45:15 or regardless of their opposition to such
2:45:17 is a complete overstep of boundaries
2:45:20 from educational bureaucrats.
2:45:22 It is a direct violation of the rights and desires
2:45:25 of parents who already struggle to maintain stability
2:45:27 for their children in an extremely unstable world.
2:45:30 Why is it that we have to sign a form of consent
2:45:33 to educate our children about sexuality
2:45:35 but have no right to be involved
2:45:37 in their interpretation or implications of it?
2:45:40 It is not Brevard Public School’s place
2:45:42 to raise our children or push their personal beliefs
2:45:45 or opinions on them.
2:45:47 Their role is simply to educate them academically
2:45:49 and that’s it.
2:45:51 Allowing legally underage people
2:45:53 to make life-altering decisions is not only irresponsible
2:45:56 but abusive and neglectful.
2:45:58 Our children are just that, ours.
2:46:01 And how dare anyone try to take that right away from us?
2:46:05 Furthermore, this guidance doesn’t promote
2:46:06 a safe, non-discriminatory environment
2:46:09 but instead creates just the opposite.
2:46:11 What about the heterosexual children
2:46:13 who will be affected by the infringement of their privacy
2:46:15 in a place with the vulnerability of a bathroom,
2:46:18 the fear of exposure or creating a situation
2:46:21 with the concerns of rape in mind?
2:46:23 I’m in favor of equality for all people,
2:46:25 no matter of race, gender, religion or anything else
2:46:28 but this is not the way.
2:46:30 How about a family-style bathroom
2:46:32 that anyone can feel safe to use in our schools?
2:46:35 How about creating co-ed sports teams
2:46:37 so anyone can be involved?
2:46:39 Why are we labeling people at all?
2:46:41 Isn’t that the exact definition of segregation?
2:46:45 The bottom line is these are our children, not yours,
2:46:48 and our rights as parents will not be revoked.
2:46:51 Thank you.
2:46:52 - Thanks, Kelly.
2:46:53 (audience applauding)
2:46:57 Eric Craig, followed by Brandy Doolin
2:47:02 and then Pamela Castellano.
2:47:14 Hello. - Good evening.
2:47:15 Eric Craig from Cocoa Beach.
2:47:18 I received an email that was very inflammatory
2:47:24 of what was gonna happen tonight
2:47:25 and I have to say that I’m very impressed
2:47:28 with what is going on.
2:47:32 I’m a taxpayer, I have no children.
2:47:36 I’m also a pastor and I have a whole new group
2:47:40 of people to pray for and I want them to know
2:47:44 and I want you to know that God loves you.
2:47:47 It doesn’t matter.
2:47:49 If you doubt that God loves you, read the Bible.
2:47:53 There’s a whole lot of bad people in there.
2:47:55 There’s a whole lot of sick people,
2:47:57 a whole lot of people that were dying,
2:47:59 a whole lot of people that were doing all sorts of things,
2:48:02 but I’m not here to preach,
2:48:04 but I’m here to talk about discrimination and bullying
2:48:12 and I wanna talk about the flip of those things.
2:48:15 I’ve been out of school for over 40 years
2:48:18 and bullying and discriminating was being worked on then
2:48:22 and I’m just amazed that we’re still dealing
2:48:24 with the same things now.
2:48:28 Nobody should be discriminated against.
2:48:32 It was a lot simpler back in the ’70s
2:48:35 for what you were discriminated against
2:48:37 or what you were bullied on.
2:48:40 We have much more complications today
2:48:41 and I don’t envy you all for having to do this
2:48:44 and I didn’t know we had a policy,
2:48:47 but I will be looking into it and checking it out
2:48:50 and I appreciate that.
2:48:52 The opposite effects, like many people talked about,
2:48:56 locker rooms, males, females, teenagers.
2:49:01 I know that back in my day guys were shy,
2:49:04 but I don’t think young men are as shy as they used to be
2:49:07 and I’m not talking about transgenders,
2:49:09 boys going to the locker room.
2:49:10 I’m talking about straight heterosexual males
2:49:13 being tempted to go into the locker room.
2:49:17 All they have to say is I feel like a lady.
2:49:21 I’m sure you’re gonna take care of that.
2:49:23 That’s what you need to tighten up on.
2:49:25 Now bullying, I think some of the things
2:49:28 that the LGBT group do is reverse bullying in a sense
2:49:36 by the pronouns and prefixes and all this sort of stuff
2:49:41 that people 40, 50, 60 years old have no idea
2:49:46 what you’re talking about.
2:49:48 There has to be some understanding.
2:49:50 There has to be some give because we lived
2:49:54 in a different world than these young people
2:49:56 are living in today.
2:49:57 So in your policy, things like that too
2:50:01 so that it doesn’t turn around.
2:50:04 And like boys wrestling with girls,
2:50:07 that story where you’re breaking bones of young girls
2:50:10 that are on a wrestling team, that’s nonsense.
2:50:13 I know that could be hype,
2:50:14 but thank you all for what you do.
2:50:16 - Thanks, Eric.
2:50:17 (audience applauds)
2:50:21 Brandy?
2:50:34 - Evening.
2:50:37 I have heard a lot tonight, it’s my first ever meeting.
2:50:42 I am a mother.
2:50:44 I have two children, one still in public school.
2:50:50 And I’m a crier, sorry.
2:50:52 So I’m just so sad to think that any of our children
2:50:58 go to school and feel less than.
2:51:03 It just saddens me a lot.
2:51:05 It also saddens me to think that other boys and girls
2:51:11 can have their privacy or their rights to compete
2:51:18 taken from them as well.
2:51:20 I am a born again Christian and God doesn’t believe that way.
2:51:26 He doesn’t think that way.
2:51:28 He loves everybody.
2:51:30 So just keep that in mind when you’re making your decision.
2:51:33 Thank you.
2:51:35 - Thank you.
2:51:39 (audience applauds)
2:51:42 Pamela, as you’re approaching,
2:51:44 let me just go ahead and call out our next couple, okay?
2:51:47 Amber Chaney, Cal Reagan, and then Severn Shelley.
2:51:54 - Thank you, city, school board members.
2:51:57 And thank you, Missy, for pronouncing my name correctly.
2:51:59 I know it looks like a complicated one,
2:52:00 but it’s pretty simple.
2:52:02 I came here to deliver one sentence.
2:52:04 And I have to elaborate a little bit more on that.
2:52:08 Anybody who walked the gauntlet
2:52:10 to come in here this evening,
2:52:12 facing what those students faced
2:52:14 standing in the outside waiting to come in
2:52:16 knows that our students are not safe.
2:52:19 And I applaud you all for the decisions
2:52:22 that you have put in place over the last four years
2:52:25 to make sure that they are.
2:52:27 I know that you have a hard job of fulfilling state law,
2:52:31 and it’s embarrassing that you’re now being asked
2:52:33 to violate state law.
2:52:37 I appreciate that you’ve taken the fact
2:52:39 that 40% of transgender home,
2:52:42 40% of our homeless are LGBTQ youth
2:52:46 who have run away from home
2:52:47 because of the responses they’ve been getting
2:52:48 from their parents, or they’ve been kicked out.
2:52:51 And I know that that was part of your consideration
2:52:53 in how to handle that issue.
2:52:57 Now, people, I understand the concern
2:53:00 of a cis student risking being threatened
2:53:05 by somebody pretending to be a trans student,
2:53:07 assaulting them in a bathroom.
2:53:10 That’s already against the law.
2:53:14 There is no need to create another policy
2:53:18 when assault is already against the law.
2:53:22 Doing so would only violate the rules,
2:53:24 the rights of those LGBTQ students.
2:53:27 Thank you for your time.
2:53:29 (audience applauding)
2:53:35 - Amber.
2:53:47 - Hi, thank you for letting me come and speak tonight.
2:53:51 I really don’t have so much comments about the policy
2:53:54 as I do some questions.
2:53:57 Our family has, I guess, some special,
2:54:01 we have a special needs child.
2:54:03 She’s seven years old.
2:54:05 She’s been diagnosed with autism and she’s nonverbal.
2:54:09 So when she goes to school during the day,
2:54:11 she has what we call an RBT assist her
2:54:14 throughout the whole day.
2:54:17 I believe BPS calls them maybe aides,
2:54:20 but it’s basically like a personal assistant.
2:54:22 She needs help.
2:54:23 That person is there just for her.
2:54:27 She needs help in the restroom area.
2:54:31 That RBT helps her do that.
2:54:34 It’s a very intimate situation.
2:54:37 Probably most people’s students
2:54:39 never have to deal with at that age.
2:54:42 If she needs a change of clothes,
2:54:44 that RBT changes her clothes.
2:54:46 Right now, I am guaranteed
2:54:49 that she has a biological female.
2:54:53 RBT assist her with those things.
2:54:57 One of the board members, I can’t remember,
2:54:58 was so kind to actually put the policy
2:55:02 for the students and the guidelines,
2:55:05 and then also highlighted the employee policy,
2:55:07 which I was having a hard time finding
2:55:09 about non-discrimination.
2:55:11 Can BPS guarantee that to me?
2:55:15 Maybe now you can,
2:55:18 but I feel like this is an unintended consequence
2:55:21 that we’re not talking about,
2:55:23 where four years from now,
2:55:25 you may be sitting there saying,
2:55:28 we didn’t intend for that.
2:55:30 And I heard that from one of the board members
2:55:34 from your 2016 video.
2:55:37 So I would really like you to think about that.
2:55:41 Our transgender students,
2:55:44 I was very sad to see
2:55:48 the way they were treated coming in.
2:55:51 I want them all to know I want you safe.
2:55:54 I care about you.
2:55:56 Education is the most important thing any child can have,
2:55:59 and no one should ever feel uncomfortable.
2:56:01 But I think that there are some things
2:56:03 that we need to talk about.
2:56:05 There are some situations
2:56:07 that I think are just not getting the attention they need.
2:56:11 And when you call people hateful right away,
2:56:16 you don’t get to listen to these experiences.
2:56:19 So that’s all.
2:56:20 I just, that’s all I had.
2:56:22 Thank you. - Thanks, Amber.
2:56:24 (audience applauding)
2:56:29 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
2:56:34 We have about seven speakers left.
2:56:35 Board members okay for hanging in for the remainder?
2:56:38 Okay.
2:56:39 Cal, Reagan, followed by Severn Shelley,
2:56:44 and then Roger Alley.
2:56:53 - Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
2:56:56 My name is Cal Reagan.
2:56:57 My pronouns are they, them,
2:56:59 and I am presenting the queer kids of satellite high school.
2:57:02 We want you to know that it is tough
2:57:04 being quote unquote different from the other kids.
2:57:07 Not only do we get hate from the students,
2:57:09 but there’s heat from the teachers alike.
2:57:12 We come to the school board for help
2:57:14 and to make our seemingly small voices heard.
2:57:17 So here’s my story.
2:57:19 I was a student born the way I am,
2:57:21 who was kicked out of school for being who I’m meant to be.
2:57:25 That’s right, I was escorted off campus by police
2:57:28 last time I went to my high school,
2:57:30 all for using a single-stall gender-neutral bathroom
2:57:33 with a pass from my high school English teacher.
2:57:36 But I won’t let this injustice crush my spirit,
2:57:39 because if there’s one thing I learned
2:57:40 from my inclusive accepting college,
2:57:43 it’s that the United Nations Human Rights Branch
2:57:45 classifies intersex people
2:57:47 as common an occurrence as red-haired people.
2:57:50 And surely you wouldn’t exclude gingers from school clubs.
2:57:55 Another thing that college has taught me
2:57:56 is about coed sports team.
2:57:59 We should all be on one team,
2:58:00 teaching everyone in the school
2:58:01 that no matter what gender they are,
2:58:03 we are all on one side.
2:58:05 Intramural sports exist and work well.
2:58:08 This gives everyone a chance to work together
2:58:11 and put aside our differences of gender.
2:58:13 These imaginary differences that bring so many queer kids
2:58:17 to the brink of suicide,
2:58:19 when all they want to do is live
2:58:21 a normal experience playing sports.
2:58:23 I beg you not to continue the discriminatory chain
2:58:26 that we’ve been beaten down with all of our lives,
2:58:29 our short-lived lives.
2:58:31 Make the right decision and let us play.
2:58:34 Thank you.
2:58:35 (audience applauding)
2:58:44 - Seven.
2:58:50 - Good evening.
2:58:53 I have three children in Brevard School District.
2:58:57 I’m deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict
2:58:59 between religious liberty and gender identity rights.
2:59:02 It is poisoning our civil discourse,
2:59:04 eroding our free exercise of religion,
2:59:07 and preventing diverse Americans of goodwill
2:59:10 from living together in respect and peace.
2:59:12 Lawmakers across the nation, including members of Congress,
2:59:17 are working to enact and strengthen laws
2:59:19 that ensure gender identity persons
2:59:22 fair access to important rights.
2:59:24 At the same time, we urgently need protections
2:59:27 for the rights of children of faith
2:59:29 to freely gather and assemble, speak out publicly,
2:59:33 serve faithfully, and live openly,
2:59:35 according to the religious beliefs they identify with,
2:59:38 even when those beliefs may be unpopular.
2:59:41 It is important to protect the rights of all
2:59:43 and to encourage mutually respectful dialogue
2:59:46 and outcomes in this highly polarized national debate.
2:59:51 Conflicts between rights are common and nothing new.
2:59:54 When there are conflicts between religious freedom rights
2:59:57 and gender identity belief rights,
3:00:01 I advocate for a balanced fairness for all approach
3:00:06 that protect the most important rights for everyone
3:00:08 while seeking reasonable, respectful compromises
3:00:12 in areas of conflict.
3:00:14 This is the best way to overcome sharp divisions
3:00:18 over these issues.
3:00:20 Unfortunately, Revard School District’s
3:00:23 gender identity guidance is not balanced
3:00:26 and does not meet the standard of fairness for all.
3:00:29 While providing extremely broad protections
3:00:32 for gender identity rights,
3:00:34 the guidance provides no protections for religious freedom.
3:00:39 Action two, names and pronouns,
3:00:42 denies my children’s freedom of speech
3:00:44 by compelling them to use the district’s guidance.
3:00:48 It is important to recognize and be fair
3:00:51 to the freedoms of children
3:00:53 who wish to follow traditional pronoun usage.
3:00:56 Action five, interscholastic athletics
3:00:59 denies fair play to children.
3:01:02 Many religious children who wish
3:01:04 to participate in athletics find intermingling
3:01:08 of genetic males and females to be rife with impropriety.
3:01:14 So much so that a religious male wrestler
3:01:17 would rather forfeit a match
3:01:19 than take on a female opponent.
3:01:22 In conclusion, the end result of the district’s guidance
3:01:26 bullies, harasses and robs many religious children
3:01:30 of the rights that are promised to them by the constitution
3:01:34 while seeking to protect gender identity rights.
3:01:38 This is unbalanced, not fair, and not constitutional.
3:01:42 Thank you.
3:01:42 - Thanks, Seven.
3:01:43 (audience applauds)
3:01:49 All right, Roger Alley, Darcy Quinn,
3:01:52 and then Kimberly Atkinson.
3:01:56 Roger?
3:02:00 Okay, Darcy?
3:02:02 Darcy Quinn?
3:02:07 Thank you.
3:02:18 - Hi there.
3:02:20 My name is Darcy, and I’m here as a concerned mother.
3:02:23 I don’t really have anything prepared.
3:02:26 When I heard about this and that the guidelines
3:02:28 that are currently in place are being questioned,
3:02:32 as a mother of two trans children
3:02:34 that are in the school system,
3:02:36 I was kind of concerned because the guidelines
3:02:39 we have in place, they’re great, and thank you for that.
3:02:42 But I think the real question is
3:02:44 how are we enforcing these current guidelines?
3:02:47 I know last year my trans male,
3:02:49 when he went to use the men’s restroom,
3:02:51 was then bullied every day after school
3:02:53 by one of the boys that saw him there,
3:02:55 calling him names, following him home from school.
3:02:58 And then when he goes to use the women’s restroom,
3:03:01 the girls in there, because he looks very male,
3:03:04 say, “Oh, you’re in the wrong restroom.
3:03:06 “This is the girls’ room.”
3:03:07 So now he doesn’t feel comfortable
3:03:09 going in either restroom with fear of being bullied
3:03:13 or possibly being physically harmed,
3:03:16 being chased after school.
3:03:18 So as a concerned mom, I get that these other parents
3:03:22 are concerned about their children’s, the cis males,
3:03:29 or males going into the girls’ bathrooms,
3:03:30 but these are not males.
3:03:32 These are trans girls going into girls’ bathrooms.
3:03:35 These are trans men going into boys’ bathrooms.
3:03:39 These kids are not trying to see
3:03:42 the privates of the other children.
3:03:43 That’s not what they’re doing
3:03:45 when they’re going into these bathrooms.
3:03:47 And as far as the sports, if we’re gonna start saying,
3:03:50 well, it has to be equal,
3:03:51 what about stronger girls on girls’ teams?
3:03:54 What about less strong boys on boys’ teams?
3:03:57 Are we gonna start making it so,
3:03:59 oh, you have to have a certain strength
3:04:01 to be on these teams?
3:04:02 So I just want you to consider that.
3:04:06 And when we talk about all students, it’s all students.
3:04:09 It may be a smaller percent,
3:04:11 but that’s part of the student body,
3:04:12 that it is your job to protect and find a safe place
3:04:14 for them to get their education.
3:04:16 So when you’re thinking about these guidelines,
3:04:19 please, regardless of your personal views,
3:04:21 think about the protection of all students
3:04:23 and what they have to deal with.
3:04:25 That’s all I have to say.
3:04:26 - Thanks, Darcy. - Thank you.
3:04:28 (audience applauding)
3:04:32 - All right, Kimberly Atkinson,
3:04:34 Howie Seldersnatches, and Samantha Mason.
3:04:45 - Good evening, everyone.
3:04:46 Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight.
3:04:49 I was here a month ago, and ask you all a question.
3:04:53 All of us here tonight are here
3:04:56 because we want you to hear us,
3:04:58 and we want you to act on our concerns.
3:05:02 I’m here tonight to find out what you did about mine.
3:05:06 So a month ago, I was here, and I asked you,
3:05:10 what about my son who needed lunch?
3:05:12 And you wouldn’t let me drop it off
3:05:13 because of our policy that says
3:05:16 parents may not drop off items for student pickup
3:05:19 that are not medically or academically required.
3:05:23 I’m here tonight to ask you, each of you,
3:05:26 what did you do about my concern?
3:05:29 All of us, whatever side we’re on,
3:05:32 we need to know what it is
3:05:34 you’re gonna do about our concerns.
3:05:37 I’ve been hearing a lot of parents say,
3:05:40 I emailed that question, I emailed that question.
3:05:44 I haven’t got a response.
3:05:46 I’m here a month later,
3:05:48 and I want to know from each one of you,
3:05:50 I hold you accountable.
3:05:52 What did you do about the fact
3:05:55 that it was harder than heck
3:05:56 for me to get my son lunch that day?
3:05:59 But I could have brought him his homework.
3:06:01 Thank you.
3:06:03 - Thank you, Kim.
3:06:06 (audience applauding)
3:06:10 Howie?
3:06:17 Samantha Mason?
3:06:28 - Hello.
3:06:28 So first of all, I would like to say
3:06:30 there are a lot of parents here tonight
3:06:32 who are very concerned with their child’s safety.
3:06:35 And a lot of those same parents
3:06:36 were the ones who screamed at me,
3:06:38 called me a bitch, a whore, a prostitute.
3:06:40 - Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
3:06:43 I can’t allow you to say those words in here, okay?
3:06:45 - Okay.
3:06:46 - I need you to make sure you keep it clean.
3:06:48 - Okay.
3:06:49 - Thank you.
3:06:50 - Well, that was what was said to me.
3:06:51 I was screamed at and yelled at,
3:06:53 and I did not feel safe outside of this building.
3:06:56 And as a student of Brevard County,
3:06:59 I would feel more uncomfortable
3:07:00 if someone who identified as a boy and presented as a boy
3:07:04 was forced to go into my restroom
3:07:06 rather than someone who identified and presented as a girl.
3:07:09 Surprisingly, students don’t talk
3:07:11 about their genitalia in the restroom.
3:07:15 In regards to the sports aspect of this policy,
3:07:17 I understand where the frustration comes from,
3:07:20 but we’re only discussing a small amount
3:07:22 of the student population anyway.
3:07:24 According to the UCLA School of Law,
3:07:27 only 0.7% of youth ages 13 to 17 identify as trans,
3:07:32 less than 1%.
3:07:34 And how many of these people
3:07:35 are interested in participating in sports?
3:07:38 This isn’t the Olympics, it’s high school.
3:07:41 I believe that it is more important
3:07:42 that students feel welcome and accepted at school
3:07:45 rather than it is to win.
3:07:47 I applaud the school board on this policy.
3:07:50 It is a critical part of the school environment
3:07:53 that all students feel accepted and welcome at school.
3:07:57 All students.
3:07:58 I believe this policy is a step
3:08:00 in the right direction for Brevard County.
3:08:03 Please do not give in to the pressures
3:08:04 of some people here tonight.
3:08:06 Please keep school a welcome place for all.
3:08:09 Thank you.
3:08:10 - Thanks, Samantha.
3:08:12 (audience applauding)
3:08:20 All right, so I’m just gonna quickly run through the list
3:08:22 and make sure that none of the people
3:08:24 that were not available when I called on them
3:08:26 or were not overlooked some way
3:08:28 ‘cause I know there was some shuffling outside to end, okay?
3:08:35 Louis Shaffer.
3:08:39 Any Louis?
3:08:41 Okay.
3:08:42 Corey Carmichael.
3:08:45 Corey, would you like your three minutes?
3:08:57 (chuckling)
3:09:02 - Hello, I’m Corey Carmichael
3:09:03 and I have a daughter in third grade
3:09:06 in Brevard County Public School.
3:09:09 And I am here today not just for women’s rights
3:09:12 but also for transgender rights.
3:09:14 One issue at hand with allowing access
3:09:17 to bathrooms and locker rooms
3:09:19 is with allowing males to dress
3:09:22 and take showers with females,
3:09:25 this violates the privacy and dignity of girls
3:09:27 and is especially disrespectful and harmful
3:09:30 to girls that have experienced sexual abuse.
3:09:33 As we know sexual assault is very serious issue
3:09:35 and many of us are or personally know one or more people
3:09:40 have been victims of sexual assault.
3:09:43 Also biological females being in locker rooms
3:09:45 with 20, 30 boys is also not safe.
3:09:49 I am not saying that transgender people
3:09:50 are more likely to be sexual predators
3:09:53 but normalizing unisex bathrooms or locker rooms
3:09:56 with undressing girls and boys
3:09:57 will create dangerous opportunities
3:09:59 for those with bad intentions.
3:10:01 One of my good friends from high school is gay
3:10:04 and I asked him one day,
3:10:05 “Why do you dress out in the bathroom?”
3:10:08 He told me that he was being respectful
3:10:11 ‘cause he’s attracted to guys
3:10:12 and doesn’t wanna make anyone feel uncomfortable.
3:10:15 I know many people in the LGBTQ community
3:10:18 have a hard time just living their lives
3:10:20 because of how people treat them.
3:10:22 We must protect all children no matter who they are.
3:10:25 I understand both sides we should have a place
3:10:27 where any child can get dressed or go to the bathroom
3:10:31 in a place they feel comfortable.
3:10:33 I think it would be reasonable
3:10:35 to have a smaller gender neutral bathroom and a locker room.
3:10:38 For anyone that feels uncomfortable
3:10:39 with getting dressed in front of others,
3:10:42 there’s still easy accessible for teacher to access
3:10:46 to protect the children.
3:10:47 We cannot leave any child behind
3:10:49 and the issue with sports and biological males
3:10:52 have a biological advantage over females
3:10:57 ‘cause of testosterone levels is seven to eight times higher
3:11:01 which is the reason why you’re not allowed
3:11:02 to shoot up anabolic steroids in any sports.
3:11:07 And also with females transitioning into males,
3:11:11 they are on testosterone.
3:11:12 Well, if they are on testosterone,
3:11:14 that gives them an advantage over biological females.
3:11:18 And so equality is not taking rights and protections
3:11:24 from one group and giving it to another.
3:11:25 We have to protect all of our children.
3:11:27 We can’t pick one group over the other.
3:11:30 Good we are going down is dangerous.
3:11:33 Women have been fighting for equality across the world
3:11:35 for hundreds of years.
3:11:37 America is no means free of sin.
3:11:39 But as for Americans, it is our responsibility
3:11:42 to teach our kids that what is so great about our country
3:11:45 is that we have a melting pot of all the people
3:11:47 across the world that come together
3:11:50 for a common goal of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
3:11:55 The diversity and differences we have
3:11:57 is what makes America so beautiful and unique.
3:12:00 Our children are the future of this nation.
3:12:00 - Thank you, Corey.
3:12:01 We appreciate you joining us this evening.
3:12:04 (audience applauding)
3:12:10 All right, Roger Alley.
3:12:14 Roger with us?
3:12:17 Howie is not here.
3:12:22 Is there an Ashley Phillips?
3:12:28 Okay, then I think that concludes our speakers
3:12:30 for this evening.
3:12:33 I’m gonna take a moment of chair privilege
3:12:38 before we go into our board discussion items.
3:12:41 First, I would like to thank all of our students
3:12:43 that joined us this evening to speak.
3:12:46 You guys were phenomenal,
3:12:47 and we appreciate you taking the time to come out.
3:12:50 (audience applauding)
3:12:58 We always love it when our students join us,
3:13:00 so please don’t ever hesitate to come
3:13:02 and hang out with us for the board meetings.
3:13:04 We absolutely love to hear from you guys.
3:13:07 The other thing I want to say is I am mortified
3:13:11 with what all of you had to go through
3:13:15 to get into our building today.
3:13:17 We were working as much as we could
3:13:20 to ensure a safe and respectful environment,
3:13:27 but unfortunately, we were not able to keep them
3:13:31 from doing the things that they were doing.
3:13:32 Our law enforcement representatives
3:13:35 who are here this evening were reaching out
3:13:37 to legal from sheriff’s department,
3:13:40 from our legal department,
3:13:43 trying to see what we could do about it.
3:13:45 And unfortunately, there was nothing that we could do
3:13:47 to stop them from being out there.
3:13:48 And so I apologize.
3:13:53 As I said, I was mortified,
3:13:55 especially mortified that our children were exposed to it.
3:13:59 Not that I think anyone should be exposed to it,
3:14:01 but especially our children being exposed to it
3:14:05 just is horrific.
3:14:07 So we will continue to have conversations
3:14:10 and see if there’s anything that we can do.
3:14:12 And if you all have feedback as to how short of considering
3:14:17 our inability to force them to leave the property
3:14:20 or to do things differently,
3:14:21 if there are things that we could have done
3:14:24 that you think would have been beneficial,
3:14:25 please feel free to reach out to us.
3:14:26 And we will be more than happy to take that feedback
3:14:29 because that certainly is not the environment
3:14:31 that we want here at the school board building.
3:14:36 With that being said,
3:14:37 because we are now in an official public meeting,
3:14:40 I do have a little more control.
3:14:41 And so I, several of you,
3:14:44 I had to interrupt as you were speaking,
3:14:46 please know it had absolutely nothing
3:14:48 to do with you personally.
3:14:49 I was just trying to make sure that we were all
3:14:51 on the same page as far as expectations
3:14:53 and focused on delivering that message.
3:14:56 And with that, I also have to say to each
3:14:58 and every one of you,
3:14:59 thank you for being incredibly respectful this evening.
3:15:03 Obviously some emotional issues
3:15:05 and we had some very diverse perspectives,
3:15:08 but I couldn’t be more proud.
3:15:11 That we didn’t have issues.
3:15:13 Everybody managed to work together
3:15:15 for the most part this evening.
3:15:17 And so we appreciate that.
3:15:20 So at this point, we are actually going to move
3:15:22 into our board discussion topics.
3:15:25 And we have a couple of, well,
3:15:31 Mr. Susan just left and his discussion topic
3:15:33 was the first one on substitute.
3:15:35 So Ms. Campbell, you have,
3:15:39 you requested as a discussion item as well.
3:15:42 Do you want to get started with your discussion item or?
3:15:48 - Certainly.
3:15:50 - Or would you like for me?
3:15:51 I mean, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot there.
3:15:53 If you want me to speak to it, I can as well.
3:15:57 - No, that’s okay.
3:15:57 I’m ready to go.
3:15:58 - Okay.
3:16:00 - So first of all, again, I just like to say,
3:16:02 I really absolutely hate that I can’t be
3:16:04 in the room this evening.
3:16:05 So thank you guys for being understanding.
3:16:07 We are trying to honor my commitment to Ms. Moore
3:16:12 and that I would be an exemplary quarantine person.
3:16:17 The document that so many have referred to this evening
3:16:21 is something that was sent out to our administrators
3:16:24 about a month ago, I believe,
3:16:25 in order for STEM to have updated guidelines
3:16:28 based upon the most current interpretation
3:16:31 by the courts of federal law.
3:16:33 And although the first page has been highly circulated
3:16:35 across social media, the second and third pages,
3:16:38 which include the federal and state laws
3:16:41 and the court cases that shape these guidelines, has not.
3:16:45 To be clear, the guidelines are not something
3:16:47 that the board voted on.
3:16:49 Back in the summer of 2016, the board at the time
3:16:52 did adopt a non-discrimination policy
3:16:55 that included the language of sexual orientation,
3:16:58 transgender status, and gender identity.
3:17:00 And for several years now, our schools have been working
3:17:02 with families on a case-by-case basis to protect
3:17:05 their privacy as well as the privacy of other students.
3:17:09 Similar to school districts across the country,
3:17:11 transgender students were offered the use
3:17:13 of single-user restrooms on their campus
3:17:15 or private locations where they could change clothes
3:17:18 for PE, as has been referenced a few times this evening.
3:17:21 A few years ago, a transgender student
3:17:24 in a school district here in Florida,
3:17:26 to the north of St. Johns County,
3:17:28 sued their school district, stating that their similar policy
3:17:31 of having known transgender students use separate bathrooms
3:17:34 violated his rights under Title IX,
3:17:37 which protects against sex discrimination.
3:17:40 He won that case, and the school district appealed
3:17:42 to the US Court of Appeals, the 11th Circuit.
3:17:46 The 11th Circuit, I’m just trying to give you guys
3:17:48 some history because several people have asked this evening,
3:17:51 why now or what is the reason behind some of these guidelines?
3:17:56 The 11th Circuit, which I believe governs Florida,
3:17:59 Georgia, and Alabama, or rules in that area.
3:18:05 Knowing that the Supreme Court was scheduled
3:18:07 to hear a related case delayed its decision-making.
3:18:10 In June of last year, 2020, the US Supreme Court ruled
3:18:14 in a case labeled Bostock versus Clayton County,
3:18:19 that, and I’m gonna quote here,
3:18:21 “Discrimination based on homosexuality
3:18:23 “or transgender status necessarily entails
3:18:26 “discrimination based on sex,” end quote.
3:18:29 Subsequently, the 11th Circuit ruled in August of last year
3:18:33 in Adams versus the School Board of St. Johns County,
3:18:36 that, and again, I quote,
3:18:37 “A public school may not punish its students
3:18:40 “for gender non-conformity.
3:18:41 “Neither may a public school harm transgender students
3:18:45 “by establishing arbitrary separate rules
3:18:47 “for their restroom use,” end quote.
3:18:50 I do realize that many parents and community members
3:18:54 aren’t aware of the Supreme Court case
3:18:56 and Federal Circuit Court case
3:18:57 and how they have impacted how we treat these issues.
3:19:00 Most are also not aware that the Florida High School
3:19:03 Athletic Association, which is the governing body
3:19:05 for our athletics in the state, has allowed students,
3:19:09 and again, I’m quoting, directly from their documents,
3:19:12 “To participate in interscholastic activities
3:19:14 “in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity
3:19:17 “and expression, irrespective of the gender listed
3:19:19 “on a student’s birth certificate and/or records,” end quote.
3:19:22 And that’s been happening since 2013.
3:19:26 I would direct you to the SHSAA website
3:19:29 where you can find that policy,
3:19:32 which is pretty extensive, and it spells out
3:19:36 all the things that they have to go through
3:19:38 to jump through to be able to participate,
3:19:42 and it’s not something that they’re able
3:19:43 to go back and forth.
3:19:45 For many emails and phone conversations
3:19:46 that I’ve had in the last week,
3:19:49 I know that there’s been a lot of confusion
3:19:51 on what the school board can and cannot do,
3:19:53 or what we might or might not have been voting on
3:19:55 this evening or in the coming months.
3:19:57 We obviously were not taking a vote
3:19:58 on any of these issues tonight,
3:20:00 but I think it is so important to make the public aware
3:20:03 of some of the why behind these,
3:20:05 since it can be such a contentious issue
3:20:08 and a deeply personal one.
3:20:11 Moving forward, I wanna challenge this board
3:20:14 and all our BPS staff in three things.
3:20:17 We’ve been challenged by many things,
3:20:20 but I wanna add these three,
3:20:21 some of which have already been mentioned.
3:20:22 Number one, that we need to continue
3:20:26 to ensure the safety of every student
3:20:28 and protect their rights of privacy.
3:20:31 We’ve already been hearing this evening
3:20:33 about some of the difficulties
3:20:35 that our LGBTQ students have faced throughout the years,
3:20:38 but I also want to emphasize
3:20:40 that we will have students who are not comfortable
3:20:43 changing clothes in front of someone
3:20:44 who is biologically the opposite sex,
3:20:46 and we must continue to make accommodations
3:20:48 for these students like we have for our LGBTQ students.
3:20:53 Secondly, I urge the board and our BPS staff
3:20:57 to be vigilant to protect the rights of parents
3:20:59 to make decisions regarding the education
3:21:01 and upbringing of their children.
3:21:03 I reject the guidance of the Advocacy Group Equality Florida
3:21:08 that specifically states a student’s right
3:21:10 to be out at school does not give teachers or staff
3:21:12 the right to disclose the student’s gender identity
3:21:14 or sexual orientation to the student’s family.
3:21:18 Now, I was able to have a long conversation
3:21:19 with Chris Moore,
3:21:20 the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services,
3:21:23 about how staff are handling these situations
3:21:25 at the school level,
3:21:27 and staff has shared with us
3:21:28 that when a student approaches staff
3:21:31 about LGBTQ questions or requests,
3:21:33 the parents are brought into the conversation.
3:21:36 That is the starting point of conversations
3:21:38 about creating the best plan for that student.
3:21:40 This also ensures that a boy who wants to identify
3:21:43 as a girl on Monday
3:21:44 will not go back to being a boy on Thursday.
3:21:48 There is a lengthy discussion and planning
3:21:50 to make sure that the child is sincere in their request
3:21:52 and that the proper accommodations
3:21:54 are offered to that student.
3:21:56 If a student shares that the parents
3:21:57 are unaware of their decision,
3:22:00 staff work with that student to get them to a place
3:22:02 where they can have that conversation with the parents.
3:22:05 As Chris told me, there are constant conversations
3:22:07 and I believe these open communication practices
3:22:10 need to continue.
3:22:13 Thirdly, we must strive to protect the religious freedoms
3:22:16 of our students and staff.
3:22:17 It is not out of the realm of possibility
3:22:19 that students or employees or student organizations
3:22:22 that hold for traditional or biblical values
3:22:24 will eventually face discrimination.
3:22:26 It is already happening around the nation in various forms.
3:22:29 And again, we have the responsibility
3:22:31 to meet the needs of every student,
3:22:33 whether they are in the majority or the minority of,
3:22:35 and I’ll borrow this from our non-discrimination statement,
3:22:38 of race, color, national origin, sex, disability,
3:22:42 pregnancy, age, religion, industry, or genetic information,
3:22:46 or any other factor protected
3:22:47 under applicable federal, state, or local law.
3:22:51 I’m gonna borrow a statement
3:22:52 from the Child and Parental Rights Campaign.
3:22:56 It says, “School communities include families
3:22:59 who have competing worldviews.
3:23:01 Out of respect for that diversity,
3:23:02 educators must consult with parents
3:23:04 and review policies frequently
3:23:06 to ensure that the policies are values-neutral
3:23:09 and provide reasonable accommodation for all points of view.
3:23:14 For decades, families, including mine,
3:23:17 who work from the worldview that in the beginning,
3:23:19 God created the heavens and the earth
3:23:21 have had to guide their children
3:23:22 in how to reconcile their religious beliefs
3:23:24 with the teachings that they hear in school.
3:23:27 Scientific guesses that the earth is billions of years old
3:23:29 and that life developed from the simplicity
3:23:31 of a primordial soup to the super complex,
3:23:34 nervous, reproductive, and cardiovascular systems
3:23:36 of the human body.
3:23:38 How to be respectful listeners and engage in the curriculum
3:23:41 without having to surrender their deeply held beliefs.
3:23:44 In these topics, we’re talking about the world around us.
3:23:47 When we cross over to who we are
3:23:49 at the very core of our being,
3:23:51 it is extremely important that the school district
3:23:55 and any of its representatives
3:23:56 recognize the right of our students and employees
3:23:59 and families to hold to foundational beliefs
3:24:01 that God created man in his own image.
3:24:05 Male and female, he created them.
3:24:06 And other verses that say,
3:24:08 “We are fearfully and wonderfully made.”
3:24:10 It is not the place of an educator outside of the home
3:24:13 to cause children to question those foundational beliefs,
3:24:16 especially without the consent or knowledge
3:24:18 of a parent or guardian.
3:24:20 Some may say that it’s unnecessary for me to bring this up,
3:24:22 but I would remind you,
3:24:24 as has been mentioned already tonight,
3:24:26 that a former board told this community
3:24:28 that the non-discrimination policy would not have an impact
3:24:31 on the use of restrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams.
3:24:33 They threw the proverbial line in the sand.
3:24:36 And the truth is that the guidelines
3:24:38 which are causing so much controversy today
3:24:40 would be our reality whether they have passed that policy
3:24:43 or not, school districts without an official policy
3:24:46 still have to abide by the decisions of the federal court.
3:24:51 The problem with drawing the line into sand
3:24:54 is that sand has a tendency to shift.
3:24:57 We need to be vigilant to protect
3:24:58 these fundamental constitutional human rights.
3:25:02 Since I’ve taken the liberty to share some words
3:25:04 from the Bible, I’d like to share one more,
3:25:06 and that is love your neighbor as yourself.
3:25:09 Although this issue is so heated, so divisive,
3:25:13 I believe that we can have these conversations
3:25:16 without treating one another with contempt.
3:25:19 We can recognize that we have different world views
3:25:21 and values and still work together to protect students
3:25:25 who might be vulnerable
3:25:26 because they’re following a different path.
3:25:28 All of our students need to be safe on our campuses.
3:25:31 Bullying is wrong for any reason,
3:25:34 and students should treat others with respect
3:25:36 in the same way they want to be treated.
3:25:39 I haven’t received a single email or phone call
3:25:41 from a person that would disagree
3:25:42 with those last statements,
3:25:43 and we need to start there with the things
3:25:45 that we can come to agreement on.
3:25:48 I’m just gonna wrap this up by saying
3:25:49 that some of these issues, just so we’re all aware,
3:25:52 are not completely settled.
3:25:53 For example, it is possible that the Florida legislature
3:25:56 could pass legislation that would change the policies
3:25:59 of the FHSAA.
3:26:00 It is also expected that in the near future,
3:26:02 the Supreme Court is going to take up
3:26:04 one of the many cases involving transgender athletes.
3:26:07 Even a case similar to the St. John’s County case
3:26:10 could end up going to the Supreme Court.
3:26:13 In the Bostock opinion that I mentioned earlier,
3:26:15 Justice Gorsuch said, and I’ll quote him,
3:26:17 “None of these other laws are before us.
3:26:19 “We have not had the benefit of adversarial testing
3:26:22 “about the meaning of their terms,
3:26:23 “and we do not prejudge any such question today.
3:26:26 “Under Title 7-2, we do not support to address bathrooms,
3:26:30 “locker rooms, or anything else of the kind.
3:26:32 “The only question before us is whether an employer
3:26:35 “who fires someone simply for being homosexual,
3:26:37 “transgender, has discharged, or otherwise discriminated
3:26:40 “against that individual because of such individual sex.”
3:26:44 I know that I have shared a lot,
3:26:45 and I am certainly willing to share any of the resources
3:26:48 I have drawn from with anyone who would request them.
3:26:50 So with that, I thank you, Madam Chair,
3:26:52 for allowing me some time to walk through these issues.
3:26:55 - Thank you, Ms. Campbell.
3:26:56 And we are sorry that you couldn’t be with us
3:26:59 here in person tonight as well.
3:27:02 Any other board members wish to address
3:27:05 that particular discussion item?
3:27:08 - If not, I have some–
3:27:10 - I do. - Ms. Jenkins.
3:27:11 - Yep, I have a lot to say.
3:27:19 First and foremost, I just wanna make it clear,
3:27:22 I too am a taxpayer, so is my husband.
3:27:24 I essentially pay your salary as well.
3:27:27 I pay all of our salaries.
3:27:29 I love that point when people make that.
3:27:35 You know, I find it interesting,
3:27:37 you know, there weren’t any students here
3:27:40 to speak out against this guideline,
3:27:43 which gives me hope that the students who were here
3:27:48 self-advocating are going to grow up in a world
3:27:51 where they are more accepted by their peers.
3:27:59 For the adults that are concerned
3:28:02 so much for our female and our girls,
3:28:07 you know, we don’t currently have a force field
3:28:09 on the thresholds of our bathrooms that stop
3:28:12 straight students from going into the other bathroom
3:28:15 to stop them from sexually assaulting
3:28:17 or harassing our students.
3:28:21 And if we’re so concerned about our straight boys
3:28:25 sexually assaulting our female students,
3:28:29 maybe we should be teaching them
3:28:30 not to sexually assault our females.
3:28:33 (audience applauding)
3:28:37 (clears throat)
3:28:52 I really don’t want to give this group any more attention,
3:28:55 but I have to say this.
3:28:58 We heard a lot of people say this isn’t about that.
3:29:04 That is not representative of who we are
3:29:06 and what we believe.
3:29:08 When you have a public Facebook page
3:29:11 that people can see what you believe
3:29:14 and you choose to put what you want on it,
3:29:17 you cannot claim that.
3:29:18 When you have a private Facebook page
3:29:20 that people have access to
3:29:22 and share that information with other people,
3:29:25 you cannot claim that that is not representative
3:29:28 of what you believe.
3:29:29 And if it’s truly not what you believe,
3:29:33 please take a look at what you’ve posted
3:29:36 and take it down.
3:29:40 I’m not gonna just sit here
3:29:41 and let people present themselves
3:29:43 as something that they are not.
3:29:54 Ms. Campbell, I really appreciate you
3:29:56 supporting everything with law,
3:29:57 but I also think it’s really important
3:29:59 to just say I don’t even care about that at this point.
3:30:04 This is about morality and decency of our children
3:30:06 and the people that we live with in our community.
3:30:09 And even if these laws didn’t exist,
3:30:11 this shouldn’t be something that we should be so against.
3:30:17 I spent a majority of the time outside
3:30:19 when there was, I guess, protesters.
3:30:24 And I was disgusted by what I saw.
3:30:28 Shouting hate at children,
3:30:30 using such small children the age of my own daughter
3:30:35 to spew that hate.
3:30:36 It is disgusting.
3:30:42 (audience applauding)
3:30:48 The fact that our children and our students
3:30:50 had to stand there silently,
3:30:53 peacefully standing up for their own rights
3:30:55 and listen to that is disgusting.
3:30:58 And I will not stand here and stay quiet about it.
3:31:03 I went outside and I was asked to speak to our students
3:31:06 who came here to stand up for themselves
3:31:08 and their own rights because they were frightened
3:31:11 and they were triggered and they felt insecure.
3:31:16 And what I said to them was I just want you to know
3:31:18 and I want the public to know
3:31:21 that every negative email I got,
3:31:23 I got 10, 15 positive emails in favor of this guideline.
3:31:29 And I said–
3:31:31 (audience applauding)
3:31:37 I pointed out the fact that a certain side
3:31:39 had to use a bullhorn because they are small.
3:31:45 Remember that.
3:31:49 So I wrote down a lot of things that people had said
3:31:52 and I didn’t come here with anything prepared at all.
3:31:55 I literally was just drafting down some of the quotes
3:31:58 that meant something to me.
3:32:03 You have not been pushed out of the conversation
3:32:05 and I want you to remember that.
3:32:09 I wanna just highlight the names of students
3:32:13 and adults that came here to share their story
3:32:15 and their experiences.
3:32:17 Andrew, Regina, Krishna, Jacob, Shelley,
3:32:21 Gina, Gustavo, Catherine, Sarah,
3:32:27 Rowan, Willow, Cowl, Samantha.
3:32:31 And if I forgot anyone, I’m sorry,
3:32:33 I was trying to keep up with it all.
3:32:36 But I support you and I will fight for you.
3:32:38 You are brave, you’re strong, you’re powerful,
3:32:41 your voices are powerful.
3:32:43 And I am honored to be a member of a board
3:32:45 that protects your right to thrive.
3:32:50 (audience clapping)
3:33:01 - And there was a speaker, Randy.
3:33:03 I’m sorry, I didn’t write everyone’s last names down.
3:33:07 But you said a quote that was really important
3:33:10 and I feel like it’s important to say again.
3:33:12 And I wanna say it to our LGBTQ students and their allies.
3:33:18 Stand behind me because everything behind me is safe.
3:33:22 And I am here to stand up for you and to protect you.
3:33:28 And I am proud to be here to do that.
3:33:30 And thank you for giving me that honor.
3:33:34 There’s one thing.
3:33:36 (audience clapping)
3:33:42 I am like literally shaking ‘cause I’m frustrated.
3:33:48 I have two more things actually.
3:33:50 I think this is important to say as well.
3:33:53 Again, there’s a certain organization
3:33:55 and a person who founded it that made a big deal over this.
3:33:58 I just wanna make it really clear
3:33:59 that that person saw this document one year ago
3:34:02 and didn’t have any concern
3:34:04 about parental rights back then.
3:34:06 I find the timing very interesting.
3:34:09 This is not a new document.
3:34:14 Mr. Susan, I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt.
3:34:19 But somebody said something during a public comment
3:34:21 that bothered me as well as your expression
3:34:24 during one of the speaker’s comments.
3:34:29 Doesn’t mean it’s true.
3:34:30 So I would like you to respond to it if you would.
3:34:35 That your back was up against the wall.
3:34:38 And this was because of the Biden administration.
3:34:43 And it seemed as though you might have agreed
3:34:44 with something about emails in support.
3:34:48 And I’m sorry, I can’t let that slide.
3:34:52 And I hope it’s not true.
3:34:54 And I hope you can respond to that.
3:34:55 But if I’m gonna stand up here for my students,
3:34:59 I’m just gonna have to point that out.
3:35:01 Thank you.
3:35:05 - Thank you, Ms. Dinkins.
3:35:06 Ms. McDougall, would you like to?
3:35:08 - I will, but I think Mr. Susan would like to.
3:35:10 - Go ahead, I’ve got a lot to say.
3:35:12 - You always do.
3:35:15 - First, I wanna thank all the students who were brave
3:35:18 enough to come and share their stories
3:35:21 and share their concerns.
3:35:22 I’ve gotten many, many, many emails.
3:35:26 And as with Ms. Jenksen said, the predominantly,
3:35:31 95% of them are all in support of these guidelines.
3:35:34 And I wanna know that I support these guidelines.
3:35:37 And I reached out to a couple who had some stories
3:35:41 that concern me of what happened in school.
3:35:43 And please know, if you have any issues
3:35:46 that you don’t feel are being resolved,
3:35:48 please feel free to reach out to me.
3:35:50 And Ms. Jenksens also put that out there.
3:35:53 So we want you to feel safe.
3:35:55 We want everyone to feel safe.
3:35:58 And my speaker’s from Edgewood.
3:36:00 I’m so proud of you all.
3:36:01 Go to my school, so good job.
3:36:04 Good job.
3:36:05 (audience applauding)
3:36:09 But I’m proud of you all.
3:36:10 It took courage.
3:36:13 And I’m so sorry that we are at this juncture
3:36:16 at this time in our life.
3:36:18 I would have hoped that we had moved beyond, but we’re not.
3:36:22 So again, I am here to support you.
3:36:24 Let me know what I can do.
3:36:26 And I wanna thank our staff who helped us put these,
3:36:31 or really who did the hard work
3:36:32 of putting these guidelines together.
3:36:34 So thank you for all who came tonight in support.
3:36:39 - Thanks, Ms. McDougall.
3:36:41 Mr. Sousa.
3:36:42 (audience applauding)
3:36:44 Mr. Paul, can you, since Ms. Campbell’s not an attorney,
3:36:48 can you go through exactly what she said
3:36:51 so that everybody understands that there is no vote tonight
3:36:54 that we are under federal guidelines
3:36:58 through the Biden administration’s actions?
3:37:03 - Well, first I would just clarify,
3:37:04 it’s not necessarily the Biden administration.
3:37:07 It is a federal case law, including the 11th Circuit,
3:37:10 which governs Florida and Alabama and Georgia,
3:37:13 as Ms. Campbell stated.
3:37:14 She kind of stole most of the thunder on that one.
3:37:17 The Drew Adams case versus St. John’s is a bathroom case.
3:37:21 And it does state that there is only one dispute,
3:37:23 and this is a quote, about Mr. Adams’ Title IX claim,
3:37:26 whether excluding Mr. Adams from the boys’ bathroom
3:37:29 amounts to sex discrimination
3:37:30 in the violation of the statute.
3:37:33 We conclude that this policy of exclusion
3:37:35 constitutes discrimination.
3:37:37 First, Title IX protects students from discrimination
3:37:40 based on their transgender status.
3:37:42 And second, the school district treated Mr. Adams
3:37:44 differently because he was transgender,
3:37:47 and this different treatment caused him harm.
3:37:50 So Ms. Campbell was correct that the federal laws,
3:37:53 as we know it, and it’s binding,
3:37:55 the 11th Circuit is as high as it goes for Florida
3:37:58 until the Supreme Court takes one of these cases.
3:38:01 So this is the law in Florida
3:38:02 that if you prevent a transgender student
3:38:05 from using the bathroom of their gender identity,
3:38:08 you are engaging in discrimination,
3:38:10 subjecting you to lawsuit.
3:38:13 So I would agree with that.
3:38:14 The Boston case added discrimination.
3:38:17 - Let’s just say that.
3:38:17 - All right.
3:38:18 - If there’s an instance that that happens
3:38:20 in this school district decides not to go with it,
3:38:23 then we end up violating that federal-
3:38:26 - Title IX, yes.
3:38:27 - Title IX.
3:38:28 And then we are in the position to lose federal funding
3:38:31 to include grants that we may already have in place
3:38:34 and other things, correct?
3:38:35 - That’s potentially it.
3:38:36 They can withhold funding,
3:38:38 and it could be you would never know
3:38:40 if you get put on a list where the DOE says
3:38:43 they are anti-LGBTQ in violation of Title IX.
3:38:48 So whatever grants we apply,
3:38:50 if we’re down to the top two candidates
3:38:52 and there’s a state or a district
3:38:54 that is friendly to LGBTQ with their policies,
3:38:57 they might decide to go that way instead of Brevard.
3:39:00 So it could be you never even know.
3:39:02 - And you now are gonna refer to the next law case.
3:39:05 - Well, I was just gonna say the 11th Circuit relied on
3:39:08 Bostick’s interpretation of gender identity
3:39:10 and transgender status or LGBTQ status
3:39:14 with adding it into the Title VII.
3:39:16 Title VII is the workplace thing,
3:39:19 but it is all from the Civil Rights Act.
3:39:21 And the court said that Title IX and Title VII
3:39:25 rely on the same definition of sex.
3:39:27 The 11th Circuit refused, just like the Supreme Court,
3:39:30 to define how you determine sex.
3:39:32 So there is no guidance on how you determine sex
3:39:36 and what it means.
3:39:37 - And now you and I were both inside the legal office today
3:39:42 and you put two of Joe Biden’s executive orders
3:39:45 down on the desk to explain those pieces
3:39:48 if you can explain that to everybody.
3:39:49 - Right, Biden has directed the Department of Education
3:39:53 to review Title IX protections and take them under
3:39:57 and he has advised everybody that Title IX will be enforced
3:40:01 to include gender identity protections
3:40:04 of LGBTQ and transgender students,
3:40:07 as well as access to athletics.
3:40:10 So the DOE is looking into districts
3:40:13 or will begin doing what the Obama administration
3:40:16 was doing, taking up complaints alleging violations
3:40:19 of Title IX based on LGBTQ status.
3:40:23 - Thank you, Mr. Gibbs.
3:40:26 I just wanted that to be said because there seems to be
3:40:28 a lot of groups that thought that tonight was a vote,
3:40:31 tonight was all this and it wasn’t
3:40:33 because the bottom line is that no matter
3:40:36 what your beliefs are, no matter what you do,
3:40:39 these are the laws that govern us
3:40:41 and we don’t have that ability to make that change.
3:40:43 That change is higher up.
3:40:45 That’s the first piece that I wanted to do and thank you.
3:40:47 I told Mr. Gibbs if I could get that clarification form.
3:40:51 The second one I wanted to talk about is
3:40:53 everybody’s worked up about the FHSAA
3:40:58 and having transgender students actually
3:41:01 participating in sports.
3:41:03 A lot of the stuff that’s coming up inside of this policy
3:41:07 is that there’s no parental notification,
3:41:09 that there’s all this stuff.
3:41:10 If anybody actually went to 16.8 gender identification
3:41:15 participation in the FHSAA guidelines,
3:41:19 it has one of the most stringent policies
3:41:22 to actually participate that I’ve ever seen.
3:41:25 When you read through this, it talks about the trigger
3:41:28 that it talks about that you have to formally write
3:41:32 a process to the school.
3:41:34 You have to have your parents notified,
3:41:36 bring in notification.
3:41:39 You have to also have a medical professional play into it.
3:41:45 You also have to go back and then the FHSAA reviews it.
3:41:51 There is a stringent process for that to happen.
3:41:54 Now, where I come in and where I get worried about
3:41:58 is that this is a massive process
3:42:00 that we have to follow according to FHSAA,
3:42:04 but we don’t have any guidance to our coaches
3:42:08 to make sure that they’re following this exact process.
3:42:11 Because we don’t have a policy in place
3:42:13 to identify the beginning of a transgender making
3:42:18 an application to utilize bathrooms and those same rights.
3:42:22 But on the sports end, there’s a very stringent policy
3:42:25 that goes through.
3:42:27 So where my concern is, is when I made phone calls to all
3:42:31 my staff across the county and I said,
3:42:33 hey, have you wrestled with this yet?
3:42:36 Do you have any cases?
3:42:38 What’s going on?
3:42:39 A lot of them said that up to that point of identification
3:42:43 afterwards, they understand that what’s supposed to happen,
3:42:45 but they don’t understand how a person is to come in.
3:42:48 And I think that’s where the parent notification
3:42:51 piece comes from.
3:42:52 I think that there’s a lot of individuals
3:42:54 that are upset because they don’t feel like the parents are
3:42:57 to be notified.
3:42:58 In this process in the FHSAA, the guidelines,
3:43:02 states parental notification.
3:43:05 I would love, just like Katie Campbell had,
3:43:09 is to have parental notification if a transgender or a student
3:43:13 comes in and says that they are not of the same sex.
3:43:18 I don’t have a problem with that.
3:43:19 And in the event that you actually have somebody
3:43:23 that is going to cause harm, their parents are going
3:43:26 to cause harm, then that’s why we call DCF
3:43:28 and we work out how to make that happen.
3:43:31 I think we go blind into a situation
3:43:34 if we don’t have a formal process.
3:43:36 Now, that is a collaborative process among board members
3:43:39 that sit here today that have expressed
3:43:41 all of their concerns for the LGBTQ community.
3:43:45 That process is not a negative one.
3:43:48 It’s just a process of how we can notify parents,
3:43:51 how we can make sure that we do the right thing as far
3:43:54 as all of the participation inside of our schools.
3:43:57 We don’t have that.
3:43:58 It’s absent.
3:43:59 So I follow what Ms. Campbell was saying
3:44:02 in urging protect the rights of students
3:44:07 and actually have the parents notified in some way, shape,
3:44:10 or form.
3:44:11 I think that that would be fair, and that would be my ask,
3:44:14 is to put something like that, a procedure or something
3:44:16 in place.
3:44:17 You could even already mimic what the FHSA is doing.
3:44:22 That’s all.
3:44:24 I’m sorry, did anyone here tonight,
3:44:25 a parent of a trans student, ask to be notified?
3:44:30 Who were the parents asking for that notification?
3:44:33 It wasn’t the trans parents.
3:44:36 So that doesn’t benefit the people
3:44:38 who are asking for the parent notification.
3:44:40 They’re asking for notification of a trans student.
3:44:44 And so that is imprinting on the rights of our trans students.
3:44:48 And that is a fine line we are crossing.
3:44:51 And it’s only going to cause harm to our trans students.
3:44:54 It is not going to benefit them.
3:44:56 And it is only going to make the other parents feel
3:44:59 comfortable, which then outs our trans students.
3:45:03 It’s not OK.
3:45:04 Can I jump in too?
3:45:06 I want to jump in.
3:45:06 Ms. Jenkins.
3:45:08 My turn.
3:45:09 If I could, lots of emotion around this.
3:45:15 We need to keep it orderly, just like we kept
3:45:17 our public speakers orderly.
3:45:18 So Mr. Susan, you spoke.
3:45:22 Ms. McDougall, you have requested to speak.
3:45:24 Go right ahead if you would, please.
3:45:26 I understand where you’re coming from, Mr. Susan.
3:45:29 But I have a very big concern, because I’m hearing now
3:45:34 that we work with our students who haven’t come out
3:45:38 to their parents very diligently to help them come out.
3:45:43 But there are some parents–
3:45:45 and we look at our homeless population–
3:45:48 that the population of homeless, of our trans students,
3:45:54 is great.
3:45:55 Many of our homeless students are trans,
3:45:58 because they have come out to their parents.
3:46:01 I don’t want that to happen to our children.
3:46:05 Getting an education is hard enough,
3:46:06 and not to have a home, it’s detrimental.
3:46:10 So it’s a very difficult line to walk.
3:46:16 Mr. Susan.
3:46:18 I agree with you, and I can see the fear.
3:46:21 I’m not proposing this to create what you think.
3:46:26 I am simply falling in line with what
3:46:28 the FHSAA is already going to make our students do.
3:46:33 There is no getting around that to play sports.
3:46:36 When you have this situation over here,
3:46:39 you want to have consistency between the two.
3:46:42 That’s all.
3:46:43 And I hear you about homeless transgender–
3:46:46 I understand that.
3:46:48 I don’t think that’s where this is going.
3:46:50 I am concerned for our staff, who
3:46:52 has to make decisions and do things,
3:46:54 that they’re not going to know unless we have a policy in place
3:46:58 to provide that.
3:46:59 And there will be some that don’t follow a policy,
3:47:01 because they say that there’s not one.
3:47:03 And I understand that this document that gives guidance,
3:47:07 but I think we need to have consistency.
3:47:10 And I looked at this FHSAA, and it had in there
3:47:13 the parental piece.
3:47:14 That’s all.
3:47:14 So right now, in order for a kid to play sports in our school
3:47:17 district, they’ve got to tell the parents.
3:47:19 And I just wanted to make that consistent with what
3:47:21 we would do normally.
3:47:22 That’s all.
3:47:24 Thank you.
3:47:27 Anyone else?
3:47:28 Can I speak?
3:47:29 Yes.
3:47:32 You say that you want to make it fall in line,
3:47:34 but I feel like it’s falling in line with something else.
3:47:38 And so I gave you the opportunity
3:47:40 to address that statement that was made,
3:47:42 and you didn’t answer it.
3:47:43 So I’m going to say it again.
3:47:44 Did you say that your back was up against a wall
3:47:47 when it came to this guideline?
3:47:49 Ms. Jenkins, I am simply saying that we
3:47:52 have to fall in line with the FHSAA guidelines.
3:47:56 An email that was sent out, what talked about backs
3:47:59 against walls, Biden administration,
3:48:01 was exactly what I just walked through.
3:48:04 Did you say that?
3:48:05 You’re taking it into a different term.
3:48:07 The school district has to make decisions.
3:48:12 That’s my point.
3:48:14 Listen, I am so tired of people saying
3:48:16 one thing in the public and saying something–
3:48:18 I’m not saying anything different here.
3:48:19 All right, guys, I’m going to call a point of order,
3:48:21 because this back and forth is not productive for any of us.
3:48:25 And as chair, I have not even had an opportunity
3:48:28 to address because of the back and forth.
3:48:30 So I would like to take advantage of my opportunity
3:48:32 to discuss at this point in time.
3:48:35 So several things were mentioned tonight
3:48:38 that I think there needs to be some clarification on.
3:48:42 One, there were several people who indicated that in 2016,
3:48:48 we claimed that this would not change bathroom policy when we
3:48:51 passed the nondiscrimination policy.
3:48:54 And I would suggest that what we did in 2016
3:48:58 was done appropriately, done for all of the right reasons.
3:49:02 I stood behind it then, and I stand behind it now.
3:49:05 What I don’t think people realize
3:49:07 is that what we are talking about now with regard
3:49:10 to the guidelines has nothing to do with our nondiscrimination
3:49:15 policy.
3:49:16 Our nondiscrimination policy still stands.
3:49:18 It hasn’t changed.
3:49:20 It provided protections.
3:49:23 And I still say that our nondiscrimination policy
3:49:25 has nothing to do with bathroom use.
3:49:28 Our nondiscrimination policy says
3:49:30 that we will protect all of our students.
3:49:35 And that remains incredibly important to me,
3:49:39 regardless of any of the factors that are there.
3:49:44 What I will say is there is also an enormous amount
3:49:46 of misunderstanding around the document
3:49:50 that everyone has spun up about.
3:49:52 The document doesn’t reference parental rights.
3:49:57 It doesn’t reference registration for FHSAA.
3:50:01 It doesn’t reference many things because the document
3:50:03 that everyone got spun up about is simply a quick reference
3:50:09 card for our administrators who were provided
3:50:12 that information in context.
3:50:15 It is to ensure that our administrators are
3:50:17 on the same page with what the legal requirements are
3:50:21 as of today, or November 20.
3:50:25 And the truth of the matter is that we cannot, as a board,
3:50:28 make you promises for anything going forward
3:50:33 because we are going to be subject to state
3:50:36 and federal law.
3:50:38 And we can certainly do our best to make sure
3:50:41 that everyone is supported as safely as possible.
3:50:45 And in some of those instances, we
3:50:48 are personally going to agree with the changes that are made.
3:50:51 And in some of those instances, we
3:50:54 may not agree with some of the changes are made.
3:50:57 So for any one of us to sit here and tell you
3:51:00 that this absolutely will or absolutely will not happen,
3:51:04 we can’t promise that because we are federally funded,
3:51:09 because we do receive funding from the state.
3:51:11 And yes, some of our lawmakers may, unfortunately,
3:51:15 change some of the things that are currently on that document
3:51:19 as guidance for our principals.
3:51:22 So to the point, are we legally required
3:51:26 to do the things that are on that document?
3:51:28 We absolutely are, and we will.
3:51:33 Now, I have spoken with staff about the issue
3:51:36 of parental involvement simply because it’s something
3:51:40 that has come up repeatedly.
3:51:43 I would go back to the fact that that document is not intended
3:51:47 to provide guidance to parents.
3:51:50 It’s not intended to be all inclusive.
3:51:53 It’s simply a quick reference for our administrators
3:51:56 to ensure that everyone is on the same page
3:51:58 and doing the things that they need
3:51:59 to be doing from a legal perspective
3:52:02 and from direction from the district.
3:52:07 Yes, there are processes in place, Mr. Susan,
3:52:09 through FHSAA for students to register to compete
3:52:12 as transgender students.
3:52:16 And I would suggest that we have to be very, very
3:52:19 careful about setting up–
3:52:23 first of all, as the board, I think
3:52:26 we have to be careful of setting up administrative procedures
3:52:29 for dealing with the situation, as we’ve discussed before.
3:52:32 I think secondly, there are situations
3:52:42 where FHSAA has set up processes for application.
3:52:47 And I would suggest–
3:52:48 and Mr. Gibbs, you can feel free to weigh in if you’d like–
3:52:51 that requiring our transgender students to complete a process
3:52:57 that we are not requiring our other students to complete
3:53:00 is potentially problematic.
3:53:03 So when it comes to us with regard to pronoun, for example,
3:53:09 are we going to ask our heterosexual children
3:53:14 to fill out paperwork on what their pronoun choice is?
3:53:19 I mentioned that just to say we have to be really careful.
3:53:24 I agree some expectations in place
3:53:28 to ensure that everyone is doing things as they should,
3:53:31 because we certainly have heard and seen that that’s not
3:53:34 necessarily the case, which is why the document ironically
3:53:38 was put together to ensure there was some consistency.
3:53:44 But at the end of the day, regardless of laws,
3:53:49 as long as it is within the law, we
3:53:52 have a responsibility to ensure that all of our children
3:53:54 are safe.
3:53:56 And I think there is an enormous amount of misunderstanding.
3:54:02 Certainly, that quick reference card
3:54:03 isn’t all that’s taking place in our schools.
3:54:06 Our team members have done a phenomenal job for decades,
3:54:09 quite frankly, about working with our families
3:54:13 and working with our students.
3:54:15 And oftentimes, parents are involved in the discussion.
3:54:19 And oftentimes, our trans students
3:54:21 opt for different solutions other than utilization
3:54:26 of a particular bathroom.
3:54:28 And 99% of the time, we work through these issues
3:54:34 with parents, with students, with our team members
3:54:36 at the school.
3:54:38 So for all of the people who have said,
3:54:41 this is just going to put all of our students at risk,
3:54:44 it’s going to cause all of these issues,
3:54:46 I would have to suggest that it hasn’t in a very long time.
3:54:53 And I would suggest it’s because the collaborative approach
3:54:56 that we have taken to try to meet every student’s needs.
3:55:00 And we do, as a district, meet the needs of students
3:55:04 who are uncomfortable with trans students
3:55:06 using the same restroom or using the same locker room, right?
3:55:10 We don’t just have accommodations
3:55:11 for trans students.
3:55:12 We have accommodations for all students.
3:55:14 That’s what we do.
3:55:16 Because the truth of the matter is, at the end of the day,
3:55:18 our schools need to be a nurturing, safe environment
3:55:21 for everyone.
3:55:23 And that’s what we have done for decades for all of our students.
3:55:28 And that’s what we will continue to do in Brevard County,
3:55:31 because that is our mission.
3:55:33 That is the most critically important thing.
3:55:37 So for all of the confusion around this document
3:55:40 and where it came from, we’re not voting.
3:55:45 It’s an outline of the laws.
3:55:47 We’re going to continue to do what we have done.
3:55:52 And Mr. Susan, if you would like to have
3:55:53 discussion about some processes, some expectations,
3:55:58 some whatever, this board has always
3:56:00 been open to discussion.
3:56:04 But maybe we need to sit back and have some more
3:56:06 conversations and think about exactly what that looks like.
3:56:11 Because I don’t know that, at this point in our day,
3:56:14 it is productive.
3:56:15 Mm-hmm.
3:56:16 No, I agree with you.
3:56:18 That wasn’t the intent.
3:56:21 Is there any additional discussion
3:56:22 on this particular issue?
3:56:26 All right.
3:56:26 Mr. Susan, you had a request for discussion on substitutes.
3:56:30 Yes.
3:56:30 Thank you.
3:56:31 I have a situation where, when I substitute taught,
3:56:35 there was a bunch of teachers that actually came to me.
3:56:37 And they said, here’s some ideas that we
3:56:39 could use to try to help out.
3:56:41 And I wanted to place it in your guys’ camp
3:56:43 so that you could then turn around and think about it.
3:56:46 And then maybe in two weeks, we could come back and have
3:56:47 a good recommendation.
3:56:49 The bottom line is that, right now, we
3:56:52 could attract more substitutes to register and get back
3:56:56 into our schools if we showed an incentive-based piece.
3:57:00 Now, we talked about– and Dr. Mullins
3:57:02 had spoken earlier about that he wanted
3:57:04 to move the minimum wage up before and get our bottom up.
3:57:07 But what I would like to do is really
3:57:09 look at possibly waiving the fees for all of your–
3:57:14 waiving the fees for all of your applications,
3:57:17 the fingerprinting, the background checks,
3:57:21 and all of that.
3:57:22 And if we could pay for that to bring them back in,
3:57:26 we can get them registered, and we can get them going.
3:57:28 I think that’s part of the process is–
3:57:30 and I think when I went to Tallahassee
3:57:32 and when I made phone calls up there,
3:57:34 they said that it would probably qualify as under our COVID
3:57:37 stuff.
3:57:38 So we might be able to use COVID relief funds to bring them back
3:57:41 by waiving those fees.
3:57:42 So I thought it would be a good idea to look at that
3:57:45 as a possibility to come back.
3:57:46 That’s all.
3:57:47 And Dr. Mullins had said that he was working
3:57:49 on stuff at the same time.
3:57:51 So I wanted to be able to offer up a couple of those options
3:57:54 and then come back and try to see
3:57:55 if there’s a way to incentivize it to come back.
3:57:57 Does any board member have any opposition
3:57:59 to exploring some of those possibilities
3:58:02 and potentially revisiting in two weeks?
3:58:03 No, that makes sense.
3:58:04 OK.
3:58:05 Very good.
3:58:06 So any other business–
3:58:08 Two 10-second statements.
3:58:11 The first one is that there is a huge piece out there
3:58:15 that’s talking about block scheduling versus seven period.
3:58:19 And people are saying, no, we’re coming back
3:58:21 on seven periods.
3:58:22 We’re doing this and that.
3:58:23 And people are saying already that these are things.
3:58:25 I just wanted to make sure everybody
3:58:27 understands that those decisions have not been made yet.
3:58:30 What we go to has not been made at all.
3:58:32 And that needed– that was one of the things.
3:58:35 And then that will be discussed inside this boardroom
3:58:38 to make those decisions, right?
3:58:43 I mean, we’ve got to have the next year’s–
3:58:46 right, Dr. Mullins?
3:58:47 I would suggest that the superintendent and his team
3:58:50 would make recommendations.
3:58:52 And then we would discuss it before schools
3:58:55 are making decisions and coming back.
3:59:00 It’s correct.
3:59:02 We have not made any academic-oriented decisions
3:59:05 for next school year.
3:59:06 I haven’t brought forward any recommendation.
3:59:08 We’ve not been discussing what next year’s school year
3:59:13 format will look like with respect to this year
3:59:16 or past years pre-COVID.
3:59:19 And at which time we do, I’ll certainly
3:59:21 keep the board informed.
3:59:25 The next one is that we haven’t made any decisions
3:59:27 on foreign exchange students for next year either.
3:59:30 There seemed to be a big push in people contacting me saying,
3:59:33 hey, we’re being denied for foreign exchange.
3:59:35 The policies that we have and procedures have not
3:59:37 been discussed with that.
3:59:38 And Dr. Mullins said the same thing.
3:59:40 But I just wanted to say those two things publicly
3:59:42 because there seems to be this parental angst over it.
3:59:46 Awesome.
3:59:46 Thank you, Mr. Susan.
3:59:47 Is there any additional business to come before the board?
3:59:51 Hearing none, this meeting is adjourned.
3:59:52 Have a great night.
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