Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL
0:00 Thank you.
1:00 All attendees must wear a face mask covering the nose and mouth
1:05 at all times when not more than six feet from the nearest person
1:08 or when moving about. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
1:15 We will now hold a moment of silent reflection and invite the
1:18 viewing audience to join us.
1:34 Thank you.
1:35 Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
1:38 Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
1:47 and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God,
1:52 indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
1:56 At this time, I would like to offer my fellow board members and
2:01 Dr. Mullins the opportunity to recognize students, staff, or
2:06 members of the community.
2:08 Who would like to start us off?
2:11 I can start.
2:11 Thanks, Ms. Jenkins.
2:12 I’m going to keep it short and sweet tonight.
2:14 I’m just going to kind of stick to one topic, but I just want to
2:17 do a shout out to Dr. Thetty, Chris Moore, and Robin Novelli for,
2:22 and I know there’s other people involved, but for their
2:25 tremendous effort on behalf of our staff and getting distributed
2:30 vaccines to them.
2:32 So, Parish Medical Center, I believe, I might be a little bit
2:35 off of these numbers, but I am, so please correct me, but I
2:38 believe they gave 200 vaccines to our staff members.
2:41 Rockledge Regional gave us access to 400 vaccines, and this
2:46 coming weekend, the Department of Health has agreed to have
2:50 almost 4,000 vaccines for our staff.
2:53 Currently, the plan was for the guideline that was about a week
2:58 ago for 50 and up employees.
3:02 So, we’ll see what happens in the future, but I know we have a
3:04 really good partnership with them, and I thank them so much for
3:06 thinking ahead, thinking forward, so our staff doesn’t have to
3:09 fight in line, and they don’t have to take off of work, knowing
3:12 that we have a significant shortage of substitutes.
3:14 So, thank you so much to our team who works tirelessly to make
3:17 that happen.
3:18 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.
3:32 At the River Amphitheater there in Cocoa Village.
3:34 And I want to give a shout out to the students in the chorus,
3:40 the dancers, and also the orchestra.
3:44 And I just want to let everyone know that everyone wore a mask.
3:48 The dancers wore a mask.
3:49 The singers wore a mask.
3:50 And the 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.
3:57 The orchestra was underneath the direction of Ms. Sylvia Cernosis.
4:01 Chorus and gospel choir was in the direction of Dr. Misty
4:05 Martinez.
4:05 And the dance troupe was Tamara and Tamerita Cooper.
4:11 So, shout out to that.
4:13 It was a wonderful performance.
4:14 And it was outside.
4:15 And it was just fantastic.
4:18 So, shout out to Cocoa High School.
4:20 The last thing I have is from, from, wrong side.
4:27 Here we go.
4:27 From Edgewood.
4:28 Edgewood Junior Senior High School.
4:30 Two of the students were selected to be part of the National
4:34 Association for Music Education.
4:37 And it’s across the country and only certain students are
4:40 selected.
4:41 And two from Edgewood were selected.
4:43 One was the senior Trevor Meyer who plays contrabass, bass, bass,
4:48 rather, clarinet.
4:50 And a sophomore, Ian Woodridge, who plays viola.
4:53 And very few people are selected.
4:56 They were selected.
4:56 And I want to give a shout out to the band director, Brian Fenzel,
5:00 and chorus and orchestra teacher, Joseph Frankel.
5:03 So, congratulations to all of those students and staff for the
5:06 hard work and the honors that they’re receiving.
5:09 Thank you, Ms. McDougal.
5:12 Ms. Campbell, would you like to offer some recognitions?
5:15 Absolutely.
5:17 First of all, I want to thank the Harriet T. and Harriet V.
5:22 Moore Cultural Complex and all of the group that hosted us for
5:26 our reading or ceremony honoring them.
5:30 And I believe that was February 24th.
5:34 It was just a great night.
5:35 And I really appreciate their hosting.
5:37 Thank you to BFP and our district staff for courting that as
5:41 well.
5:42 It was a beautiful night.
5:44 And I was happy to be a part of it.
5:45 We had several months ago now, I think in December, we had our
5:51 Prisoner of War Missing in Action flag ceremony at ESF outside
5:57 of the building.
5:59 And it was such a great ceremony.
6:01 I know that they’ve been doing those, rolling them out to each
6:04 of our schools and delivering the POW MIA flag to each school.
6:08 But I was able to be a part of a very special ceremony at Bayside
6:13 High School a week ago, Monday.
6:16 And, of course, Rolling Thunder was there.
6:17 And they also had a widow of a former POW, and she was able to
6:23 speak.
6:25 And it was such a great day.
6:26 And I just want to really give kudos to our JROTC there at Bayside
6:31 because they just – having the whole battalion there and the
6:35 leadership there, they did such a fantastic job and represented
6:40 their school and our district so well in that ceremony.
6:43 And so we’re still excited to be a part of that.
6:44 My last two would just be – let me do a real quick plug for
6:50 the week of April 4th.
6:53 There’s going to be, for all of our employees, a virtual health
6:56 fair.
6:57 And I hope that everybody will jump on and take advantage of
7:00 everything that you can that week.
7:03 They’ll be exploring lots of different benefits that you may not
7:06 be aware of.
7:07 And that whether you’re part of our insurance program or not,
7:10 there’s some of the benefits that are for all of our employees.
7:14 And then I just want to do one final shout-out to Suhan and the
7:18 whole facilities team, the ICOC, as I have continued to look
7:22 through our surtax and capital budget projects.
7:26 I’m always amazed at how well they manage those projects and
7:30 manage those funds so that we really can meet the needs of all
7:35 of our schools.
7:36 It’s always nice to see at the end of the agenda items, you know,
7:40 that this money was left over and saved and what they’re doing
7:43 to re – you know, to appropriate to different needs.
7:48 But they do such a fantastic job, and I’m so proud of the work
7:52 that they do, the whole team, and so just wanted to give that
7:55 shout-out to Suhan and all of her crew.
7:58 Awesome. Thank you, Ms. Campbell. Mr. Susan?
8:01 First off, I wanted to welcome everybody to Brevard Public
8:04 Schools.
8:05 Appreciate everybody who took the time out of their busy
8:08 schedules to come in and visit us.
8:10 This is what I love about the job that I have is that seeing
8:13 every one of you and the process that we have in governing.
8:17 I am also specifically happy because the individuals that are
8:20 sitting up here have pushed Anthony Colucci to the back of the
8:23 building,
8:24 and I just wanted to say thank you for doing that.
8:27 Also, next one up – sorry, Anthony.
8:30 Next one up is yesterday was National Woman’s Day, and I wanted
8:34 to take a minute to say thank you to the leadership that this
8:38 board,
8:39 the women that make up this board, thank you for your leadership,
8:44 and for all of the women that work in leadership positions and
8:47 work inside of our district.
8:48 What you see today governing in front of you was not a reality
8:52 20, 30, 40 years ago.
8:54 As we seek right now, over 75% of your school board members
8:59 throughout the entire state are female.
9:01 I am becoming a – they call me a unicorn because males on
9:04 school boards are no longer.
9:07 So I wanted to say thank you.
9:08 It’s been an honor serving with you, and it was a nice day
9:10 yesterday.
9:11 I have four daughters and a very strong wife that I am so proud
9:17 to be a part of,
9:18 and National Woman’s Day is a big day.
9:20 So thank you.
9:22 All right, I wanted to take a second.
9:25 I am – I wanted to say thank you to the following people who
9:28 are going to collaborate with me on a COVID review return task
9:33 force.
9:33 I’ve got Dr. Marani, Medical Director of Critical Care and Pulmonology
9:37 of Steward Health,
9:38 Dr. Williams, Owner and Medical Director of Parish,
9:42 Mary Ann Sterling, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard,
9:46 Eric Hoppenbauer, Director of Business Voice,
9:48 Ashley Hall, Moms for Liberty,
9:50 Scott Rook, Moms Demand Action,
9:53 Samantha Nazario, Hispanic Third Street Bridge,
9:55 Gary Schifrin, BASA, that is the president of the Brevard
10:00 Administrators Association,
10:01 Jonathan Hilliard, Brevard Federation of Teachers,
10:04 and parents Sherry Lynn Durskin, Jennifer Nagy and Luke Carter,
10:09 Vieira High SGA.
10:11 We’re going to meet, and I wanted to say thank you.
10:12 They’re going to sit down and we’re going to go through and
10:14 unpackage all of the things that we’ve seen
10:17 and how we can possibly bring new and innovative ideas to the
10:20 return for next year with me.
10:21 That’s District 4.
10:23 Those are just people inside my district.
10:24 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?
10:28 Can you raise your hand?
10:29 Peter has agreed to help me out and chair a District 4 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,
10:39 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.
10:50 And one of the things that I got the opportunity, Jenna’s Pizza
10:55 donated pizza to the entire staff.
10:56 And so each one of the staff members came through, and I sat
11:00 inside of the teacher’s workroom as they came through,
11:04 got a free piece of pizza, and they talked to me about all the
11:06 things that they’re dealing with,
11:08 with the hybrid model, with not having substitutes, with having
11:11 to cover classes,
11:12 and just various things that they’re dealing with in general.
11:15 And I will tell you, the main reason that I did it, and the
11:19 reason that I’m talking about it now,
11:20 is to request all of you who are in here and so passionate about
11:25 this topic, please register to substitute.
11:29 We are in a point where we don’t have subs that are covering
11:33 classes.
11:34 And what’s happening is, is our teachers are having to give up
11:36 their planning,
11:37 which is taking away from the educational value of our children’s
11:41 future.
11:42 So I am here to say, and I put it on as an agenda item later on
11:45 to discuss some ideas that I have that came up,
11:47 but I’m here to also say, please, if your passion comes here,
11:51 and you have this one issue,
11:53 we would love to see your activity on more issues.
11:56 And you can do that by registering at each one of the local
11:59 schools to become a substitute and help out.
12:01 Even if it’s for the last couple of months of this COVID
12:03 response,
12:04 many of you have been vaccinated, please come out.
12:06 And with that, I think that that’s it.
12:08 Thank you.
12:09 Thanks, Mr. Susan.
12:11 Dr. Mullins.
12:11 Thank you, Ms. Belford.
12:14 I’d just like to echo Mrs. Jenkins’ sentiments to our staff.
12:19 And just my appreciation for a team that always rises and steps
12:24 up and takes care of our employees.
12:26 Several of staff have given up their first weekend of spring
12:30 break,
12:31 and will be at the vaccination distribution for two full days on
12:34 Saturday and Sunday.
12:36 And that’s because we put our employees first.
12:38 So thank you to my team for that.
12:40 Ms. McDougall, I’m echoing a lot of the sentiments already,
12:45 because there’s just so much, such great events over the last
12:48 couple of weeks
12:49 from the Moore Center, but also the Black History Month
12:52 celebration with Cocoa High School.
12:54 One of our students recited a poet laureate Amanda Gorman’s poem,
13:00 The Hill We Climb, completely by memory.
13:03 And with a demonstration of such passion, there were goosebumps
13:12 on the crowd.
13:13 And it was amazing.
13:14 Mr. Ross, a longtime community member, recited Dr. Martin Luther
13:19 King’s
13:19 I Have a Dream speech from memory.
13:21 It was like we were standing there on the lawn of our Capitol.
13:28 It was amazing.
13:29 The student performances, like you said, Ms. McDougall,
13:32 were just absolutely enchanting and so reflective and
13:38 appropriate
13:39 for the reason we are there together.
13:41 So thank you for recognizing them.
13:42 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.
13:51 She was recently recognized as the Central Florida Chapter for
13:57 the Institute of Public Procurement
13:59 as the 2021 Manager of the Year.
14:03 That’s a big deal.
14:05 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
14:24 say about a year ago,
14:26 and was instrumental in helping us stay ahead of supply chain
14:32 during the height of getting materials through COVID.
14:35 But she has also continually pushed this organization to renegotiate
14:41 contracts to the benefit of our district,
14:45 saving, last I heard, which is several weeks old now,
14:48 approximately $300,000 in renegotiated contracts for the
14:53 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 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 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 or so ago.
15:18 In addition to serving on this board, I also serve on the board
15:22 of the Burrard Homeless Coalition.
15:24 And one of the things that we talk about constantly is the lack
15:27 of affordable housing in Brevard County.
15:30 And there’s an organization called St. Stephen’s Way in
15:34 Melbourne that has partnered with a church donated about eight
15:40 acres, I think.
15:42 And they are building affordable housing for families who have
15:45 children attending school in Brevard County.
15:48 So, we have approximately 3,000 homeless students in Brevard
15:51 County.
15:51 That number fluctuates all the time, probably higher now because
15:53 of COVID.
15:54 And certainly, this project isn’t going to solve the issue, but
15:59 I just think it’s a huge undertaking and such a great thing for
16:02 them to focus on.
16:04 And so, they are actually, on that property, going to be
16:06 building 43-bedroom apartments for homeless families who have
16:09 children in Brevard Public Schools.
16:11 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.
16:18 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 issues.
16:24 Excuse me.
16:27 And then, I have to give a shout-out to Florida School Board
16:30 Association.
16:31 We had our annual day in the legislature on Friday, I believe it
16:35 was.
16:35 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
16:45 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.
17:05 And I don’t know if you all get them, but they are routinely
17:09 doing webinars with doctors in different areas at Nemours.
17:13 The one that they did last week was on the cardiac issues in
17:18 youth athletes.
17:19 And just constantly making sure that they’re sharing information
17:23 that’s valuable to us as decision-makers in the schools.
17:26 So, thanks to them as well.
17:28 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.
17:36 Dr. Mullins.
17:37 Ms. Belford and members of the board, on tonight’s agenda, we
17:44 have one presentation, 27 consent items, and one action item.
17:49 There are two board discussion items.
17:51 Changes made to the agenda since it was first released to the
17:55 public on March 2, 2021, are as follows.
17:59 The item on non-excuse me, the item on termination of an
18:02 instructional employee was deleted.
18:04 Items F-18 on bonus for eligible non-bargaining personnel, F-19
18:10 on substitute pay, and F-20 on salary adjustment for eligible
18:14 non-bargaining personnel are additions.
18:17 Discussion items on substitutes and LGBTQ guidelines were also
18:21 added after the agenda was published.
18:26 What are the wishes of the board?
18:27 No to approve.
18:27 Second.
18:28 Moved by Mr. Susan, seconded by Ms. McDougal.
18:31 Is there any discussion?
18:32 Please vote.
18:34 It’s not coming now.
18:45 Is it coming up for anybody else?
18:46 I don’t have a vote option.
18:49 Oh, now I do.
18:51 It’s telling me I’m not here.
18:52 Oh, yeah.
18:55 It says not present for all of us.
18:57 Do you want me to take a voice vote, Pam?
19:02 All in favor?
19:04 Aye.
19:06 All opposed?
19:07 Aye.
19:07 Any opposed?
19:09 The motion passes 5-0.
19:12 All right.
19:14 This evening’s presentation is an opportunity for board member
19:16 discussion on mask mandates as requested by Ms. Jenkins.
19:20 We have moved the discussion to the presentation portion of the
19:23 meeting in order to have representatives from Florida Department
19:25 of Health on hand for questions.
19:27 We appreciate Helen Medlin, Program Manager, Epidemiology, Barry
19:31 Inman, Epidemiologist, and Anita Stremel, Assistant Director,
19:34 for being here this evening with us.
19:36 Ms. Jenkins, I will turn the discussion over to you.
19:38 Sure.
19:38 So we received a request to have one-on-one meetings with an
19:45 individual to discuss the request of metrics to remove masks.
19:51 And so I went ahead and asked it to be a discussion item because
19:57 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 as a whole, as a district as a whole, and
20:10 or have the opportunity for us to ask those questions that we’re
20:14 saying back to our Department of Health.
20:17 So that way it’s not our opinions.
20:18 It’s coming from the people that we’re receiving that scientific
20:21 information from.
20:22 So I appreciate you all coming here tonight.
20:25 So should I just go ahead and start and ask him some questions?
20:29 Sure.
20:31 If you’d like, and then we can see if other board members have
20:33 questions.
20:33 Sure.
20:34 So one of the questions that I think is really important for us
20:37 to address is, what is the current positivity rate of Brevard
20:42 County?
20:42 And do we typically look at that one isolated day?
20:47 What is going on communities around us?
20:50 Are we looking at a 14-day rolling average?
20:52 What does that look like for Brevard?
20:54 Sure.
20:55 Today we had…
21:03 I’m going to ask a question.
21:29 I wasn’t on the board when this information was brought up.
21:33 And I don’t know who was the one who gave the answer.
21:36 So I apologize if it wasn’t one of you two or four.
21:39 But I believe there was a moment when we were having a
21:43 conversation about the reopening plan where someone made a
21:48 statement that we should be concerned about the safety in our
21:52 schools when we have a positivity rate over 5%.
21:55 Can somebody speak for that?
22:00 Well, we know once you get over 5% of the community that has
22:06 COVID, and I’ll let the strain on the community, the number of
22:12 people getting infected, what have you, is at more risk or
22:16 whatever.
22:18 If you get below 5%, then there’s less COVID in the community
22:24 and therefore less risk.
22:28 But let me just say one thing about all of this is that we’ve
22:31 got to keep our public health measures involved, including the
22:36 masks.
22:36 And, of course, the handwashing, the social distancing,
22:40 everything that we need to do, the contact tracing and all of
22:43 that needs to be done until we get the vaccine.
22:46 And we’ve got to get a high percentage of people vaccinated for
22:49 that and all of that.
22:50 This virus is very unique in its ability that all of us are
22:54 vulnerable to it.
22:55 Now, the flu, you may or may not be.
22:57 You’ve had the vaccine.
22:58 You’ve had the flu in the past or whatever.
23:00 COVID can attack anybody at any particular time.
23:03 So, percentages, you know, they’re important.
23:06 And the more they go up, the more we’re concerned with it.
23:08 But we have to keep these efforts up until the day, you know,
23:12 that we have enough people vaccinated in the community.
23:15 So, I want to say something that’s been brought up a couple of
23:20 times and have you agree or disagree with it.
23:23 But what is the evidence saying now about our pediatric
23:28 population and their ability to possibly carry COVID home to
23:32 family members or in the community?
23:35 Where are we now?
23:36 I’ll talk to that.
23:41 So, the studies do show that pediatrics typically do not
23:48 transmit as much as adults do.
23:53 There’s a lot of reasons for that.
23:54 Part of it is their lung capacity.
23:57 Part of it is their immune system.
23:59 However, you have to be aware that a school is a community of
24:03 all ages.
24:04 So, we’re not just concerned about pediatrics.
24:07 We’re concerned about adults as well.
24:09 So, it only takes one person to transmit.
24:13 And we do see transmission within pediatrics.
24:17 We see it particularly in our population of daycares in Provide
24:23 County where the children are not masked.
24:27 We see a lot more transmission in those settings than what we
24:32 see in our school system where our children are wearing masks.
24:38 Have you seen a prevalence of adverse effects of mask wearing on
24:41 children and the pediatric population?
24:44 No.
24:50 We, here in Brevard County and Brevard Public Schools, we have
24:54 had about 3,000 positive cases that we’re aware of.
24:57 And I say aware of because we know sometimes we have asymptomatic
25:01 adults and mostly in the pediatric area.
25:04 So, we know that they haven’t all been tested.
25:06 Do you believe, what your expert opinion, would that number have
25:15 been marginally higher if we weren’t doing safety mitigation
25:19 like mask wearing, hand washing, social distancing?
25:21 Oh, absolutely.
25:22 I’ll speak to that.
25:24 It would not be marginally higher.
25:25 It would be significantly higher.
25:27 Thank you.
25:28 Um.
25:34 We see that, uh, percentage of our population in Brevard County
25:41 is starting to receive vaccinations.
25:46 And I think, I don’t know the percentage we’re at now.
25:49 I think we’re at 15% in Brevard.
25:50 Um, do you believe, again, with your expert opinion, I know you
25:56 can’t foresee, but do you think, believe there is a percentage,
25:59 uh, in the scientific community that agrees where we can start.
26:04 Um, do you think there is a percentage of those restrictions in
26:06 Brevard County, which is a number of people who have been
26:08 vaccinated?
26:09 Well, the, the standard is 70, 70, 70 to 75%.
26:14 Um, one of the things you do have to take into context, though,
26:17 is a number of people that’s been infected because they have
26:21 some, uh, you know, immunity to the virus also.
26:24 So you have to take that into a consequence with it.
26:27 But, uh, I mean, I would think that if we got half the community
26:31 vaccinated, we would see a sharp, sharp decline, uh, in COVID,
26:35 in our community and elsewhere.
26:38 What is the data showing now?
26:41 If somebody is infected with COVID-19, how long they have
26:44 immunity for?
26:46 The, we, we know it’s at least three months, but because of the,
26:50 uh, the way the immune system works and because there’s memory T
26:54 cells that you have that, you know, either by the vaccine or by
26:58 the disease itself, uh, it may very well be longer than that.
27:02 But, you know, in, in, uh, medical science, things move slowly.
27:07 So we want to be able to prove that.
27:09 So no one’s willing to come out right now and say, oh yeah, it
27:12 will be a, it will be a year, it will be two years and what have
27:15 you.
27:15 And the other caveat we have to throw into that is the variance,
27:19 uh, that I know everyone has heard about.
27:21 You know, we’re not exactly sure what impact they’re going to
27:24 have, uh, on, on, on, on the, on the immunity that we may have.
27:29 So when you talk about, about 77% of the population, uh, needing
27:34 to have the vaccine in order for us to start kind of lifting
27:37 those restrictions, are you, uh, including pediatrics in that
27:42 percentage of our population?
27:44 Yes.
27:45 And we currently do not have a vaccine approved for pediatrics,
27:49 correct?
27:49 No.
27:50 Right.
27:51 So, um, am I safe to assume that we are not able to get there as
27:54 a community until that exists for our pediatric population?
27:59 Yeah, well, we’re going to need the pediatric population, you
28:02 know, immunized.
28:03 Now, as Helen says, they don’t transmit it, you know, as well
28:06 that needs to be taken into consideration, but I don’t see the
28:10 vaccine being available to them.
28:11 So clinical trials have just begun until maybe the fall or maybe
28:15 even this, this time next year, we’ll just have to wait and see,
28:19 uh, on, on that.
28:21 So in your expert opinions, would you be comfortable suggesting
28:25 a point at which us as an organization can start lifting
28:29 restrictions such as a mask mandate?
28:35 Well, um, uh, that, that, that’s, you know, uh, information we’ll
28:40 have to run by the Department of Health, you know, in Tallahassee.
28:44 Of course, we’d probably get some guidance from CDC along those
28:47 lines about, you know, when they think that, uh, you know, we
28:51 can start to, uh, pull back on some of these, some of these, uh,
28:56 precautions and things that we’re taking to get back to a more
28:59 normalcy.
28:59 Um, just, so just for some people in the audience that their
29:03 specific, their specific question is about metrics and they want
29:07 an answer on that.
29:08 So, um, who, who, and what organizations do you confer with to
29:12 kind of make that ultimate decision?
29:15 Well, that’s going to be the Department of Health, the epidemiology
29:19 section in Tallahassee.
29:20 And of course, the, the, the CDC, that’s who, who we take our
29:24 lead from.
29:24 Oh, nearly always.
29:26 Thank you.
29:29 Does anyone else have additional questions for the Department of
29:32 Health representatives?
29:34 Nope.
29:36 Mr. Suda.
29:37 Yeah, I’ll ask real quick.
29:38 Um, so the total number of cases, I think we’re registered at
29:42 roughly 34,000.
29:43 Is that what I heard somebody say in the county so far?
29:46 Right.
29:46 34,944.
29:48 Do we have a total number of vaccines that have been distributed
29:52 in the last, as of now for local people?
29:55 I mean, I know we got some numbers, but I don’t know if
29:57 everybody’s local.
29:58 You know what I mean?
29:59 Well, in Brevard County, we have 98,545 vaccines have been
30:05 administered.
30:06 And that comes to, there’s 52,047 individuals who’ve had their
30:10 two-dose series.
30:11 Okay.
30:12 So they’re completed.
30:12 The balance, 46 and change have had their first dose.
30:16 We are at 50% vaccination rate so far for our 65 and older
30:20 population.
30:22 Got it.
30:22 Which is the targeted.
30:23 Okay.
30:24 And what is the, they keep, I keep hearing you say, sir, 50% is
30:28 kind of the, that number.
30:30 And I keep hearing things called herd mentality, 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 um, you know, definition of those things.
30:46 I’m saying like 50% of the community being vaccinated, but like
30:50 I said, we’ve got people unfortunately getting infected and they’re
30:53 going to have some immunity too.
30:54 So I would think if we got half the community vaccinated, we
30:58 should start to see a, a, a very, uh, dramatic decrease, uh, you
31:02 know, in our cases.
31:04 Now that’s more theory, you know, than, than anything at this
31:08 point.
31:09 And the herd immunity, uh, when you get to about the, now each
31:12 disease is different.
31:14 Measles needs 95% herd immunity because it’s so contagious.
31:19 Uh, and one of the reasons is there is a reproductive ratio and
31:23 the reproductive ratio for measles is that if I have measles, I
31:26 can, I can infect 12 to 15 people.
31:29 Now COVID it’s more like possibly one to three, uh, people, uh,
31:34 with that.
31:35 So that’s where they’re coming up with the 70, 75%.
31:39 And what we mean by herd immunity, if you’ve got that many
31:42 people that are, are, are, are protected by vaccine or disease
31:46 with the virus comes in, where is it going to go?
31:49 It’s going to bump into a wall.
31:51 It’s going to bump into somebody who’s, you know, his an immunological
31:55 response to it.
31:57 So it just dies out.
31:58 That’s the reason we don’t have much of a problem with measles
32:01 or mumps or rubella or whatever, because a high percentage in
32:05 particular of our kids are well vaccinated for that.
32:08 And measles is incredibly infectious.
32:11 It’s completely airborne.
32:12 It can go from room to room.
32:14 It’s that infectious.
32:15 And so as I look, sorry, as I look at it now, we have about 98,000
32:20 people that have received the first dose, 52 at the second dose,
32:25 34,000.
32:27 We’re creeping up to about 132,000 people that have either
32:31 received the first dose, the second dose, or have, have gotten
32:36 COVID itself.
32:37 And I’m hearing you say that right around 50%, which would be
32:39 300,000 would be the number where it starts to decline.
32:42 You guys think that by the middle of the summer, we may be have
32:46 vaccinated into that number of half of the people, or do you
32:50 think that that’s still far off and we wouldn’t be able to tell?
32:55 I would certainly hope so.
32:59 So, and I think that’s reasonable, but let me tell you what’s
33:03 concerning me is that we’re starting to see people and their
33:07 behaviors go back to more normalcy.
33:10 Okay.
33:11 And I know there’s been a bit of good news because the number of
33:14 cases have declined, but they’ve only declined because of this,
33:18 of this, of the surge that we had at the holidays.
33:21 And that was incredible.
33:23 You know, one week we had 2,300 cases, 2,300 cases around, I
33:27 forget the exact date, but it was, it was January 1st, 2nd,
33:31 something like that, you know, and cases are declining to some
33:35 extent, but they’re also starting to plateau and the plateau,
33:40 they can go right back up.
33:41 In the nation, yesterday, they had 125,000 cases where we were
33:46 having 50,000 cases or so.
33:49 That’s one day and you can’t look at one, you know, one point in
33:52 time.
33:52 You can’t do that.
33:53 But that concerns me if people’s behaviors and we start going
33:58 back to those before, before COVID, things could all change with
34:03 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.
34:10 And I think the target of those 125,000 were more on the younger
34:14 side than we’ve seen in the past because of the vaccinations.
34:17 So thank you.
34:18 I really appreciate that.
34:20 I, I just wanted to ask those questions, those, you know, and I
34:22 appreciate you taking the time to answer them.
34:25 Thank you.
34:25 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, but can I just piggyback to ask
34:34 questions about what they just said?
34:36 Yeah.
34:36 Okay.
34:37 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?
34:46 What, what kind of behaviors are you seeing that you’re
34:49 concerned about?
34:50 I couldn’t hear.
34:50 I’m sorry.
34:50 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, we’re starting to see, you know, more people in
35:01 restaurants, bars are opening, spring break is coming, uh, uh,
35:05 are already here to some extent.
35:08 Uh, people are, there are more opportunities for people to
35:11 gather.
35:12 We just had a fair across the way here.
35:15 Uh, we have more situations like that.
35:17 Uh, more and more people are throwing parties and situations
35:21 like that and not taking precautions in that.
35:23 And so that’s what concerns me because, you know, I know
35:26 everybody wants to get back to the normalcy, but we’ve got to be
35:29 patient.
35:30 Uh, the virus doesn’t care whether we’re patient or not, you
35:34 know, but if we, if we lack, uh, black patients, you know, right
35:38 now, we, we could go back.
35:40 We could go back.
35:41 So we’re not done with this.
35:42 As the saying does, 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.
35:47 So do you think it’s in the best interest of our public health
35:50 for Brevard County to continue a mask mandate in our public
35:53 schools?
35:53 Absolutely.
35:54 Yes.
35:55 Definitely.
35:57 Again, you guys are the medical experts of our community.
35:59 Um, would you, I, I know I kind of asked this, but I want to ask
36:02 it again, just because I want to give that opportunity to get an
36:05 answer to that question.
36:08 As medical experts, are you able to advise us on a metric as to
36:12 when we can start rolling back the mask mandate?
36:15 I think as Mary said, we need to take the lead from the CDC and
36:19 the Department of Health, um, the state health office.
36:23 Okay.
36:23 Thank you.
36:24 Anybody else before I, all right.
36:29 Um, so one, one question that I had when we’re looking at, um,
36:34 heart immunity, Mr. Susan did some math there,
36:37 but I just want to make sure that, that we’re looking at it
36:40 correctly.
36:41 Right.
36:41 Because a lot of people will take that and be working on the
36:43 math and be looking at those numbers.
36:44 So, um, is anyone tracking the number of people who have tested
36:51 positive for COVID who are also vaccinated?
36:55 Or are we just looking at those numbers separately?
36:59 Because I would think that there would be some overlap there.
37:01 Right.
37:01 So if there are, I don’t know, say 10% of the people who have
37:07 already been vaccinated also
37:09 had COVID, we can’t just add the two numbers together.
37:12 Right.
37:12 Would that be, would that be accurate as far as determining herd
37:15 immunity?
37:16 And, and the data I have doesn’t indicate if someone previously
37:20 had COVID at all.
37:21 So we’re not tracking that at the local level.
37:23 Correct.
37:25 Okay.
37:26 Not that I’m aware unless it’s, um, no, we’re not tracking, um,
37:30 that at all.
37:31 We’re specifically looking at just who’s been vaccinated.
37:35 Although I could certainly pull someone’s record up and say they’ve
37:39 had the disease plus the vaccines.
37:43 I think it’s important when we’re looking at herd immunity, um,
37:47 to understand that with the disease
37:50 itself at the moment, we’re not fully aware how much, um, or
37:55 sorry, for how long we receive immunity.
37:59 We know with other COVID diseases, because there are other COVIDs
38:03 that we’ve lived with for a long time,
38:05 that with those, we get anything from about three months to two
38:09 years.
38:10 So it’s not lifelong immunity that one gets with this disease.
38:15 It never will be.
38:16 And what, um, we see at the moment, what the CDC saying is that
38:21 three months, but some people,
38:23 I’m sure they get more and some people may well get less.
38:26 And we do see that we’ve seen people who have been infected
38:29 already twice by this disease.
38:31 So, um, you know, when we’re looking at herd immunity, we really
38:36 want to look at, um,
38:38 how many people are vaccinated is really what we’re looking for
38:43 at this point in time.
38:44 When Barry talks about looking at both the disease and the
38:47 vaccination rate,
38:49 that will give us some idea in general, but we really want good
38:54 vaccine rates throughout our
38:56 community to be able to protect everyone decently.
39:00 So when you see, we’re say, when you say we’re seeing about
39:04 three months of immunity,
39:05 is that after people have been infected with the virus?
39:09 They’re seeing about three months of immunity?
39:10 Yeah, natural immunity from the disease, as opposed to you’re
39:16 talking about immunity from the vaccination.
39:18 Okay.
39:18 Yeah.
39:19 No.
39:19 So I’m talking about natural immunity.
39:21 So the, the immunity from the disease.
39:24 Okay.
39:25 Um, and then, um, you all mentioned,
39:28 I think it was Barry that mentioned that the R number on COVID
39:32 is like one to three.
39:34 Is that consistent with the R number that we’re seeing on the
39:36 variants or are we seeing differences there?
39:39 Well, the variant, uh, the, the difference there is the variant,
39:43 um,
39:44 you’re able to transmit the virus longer.
39:47 If you have the B.1.7, uh, B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom,
39:53 you can transmit it for five more days, uh, with that.
39:57 So, uh, so far as the reproductive ratio you’re talking about or
40:00 what have you,
40:02 I don’t know that that’s really been, uh, analyzed just yet.
40:05 You know, that, uh, with, with that, but we know they can
40:07 transmit it for a longer period of time.
40:10 So do we then, sorry, do we then anticipate, um, as we, correct
40:16 me if I’m wrong,
40:16 but what I’ve been reading is we anticipate to see a significant
40:19 amount of the variant
40:21 coming into our community.
40:22 Um, everything I’ve read is indicated we anticipate spikes in
40:26 March and April.
40:27 Um, do, have you had any discussion on changing quarantine
40:33 recommendations
40:35 based on current situation or based on the longer transmission
40:40 time of those variants?
40:41 Well, it all, it all depends on, 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 at,
40:50 you know, uh, uh, uh, uh, protecting pretty effective, they may
40:54 be somewhat less effective,
40:56 uh, than the, than the original variants that we’ve had, uh,
40:59 with that.
41:00 So you have to take a look at that, but you, you know, you
41:02 mainly want to look at
41:04 what happens in the community.
41:05 If the variant starts going up and our cases start going up,
41:08 well, then, then we may have
41:10 to intensify, uh, things, you know, with, with that.
41:12 So it, it all depends, you know, that’s where surveillance is
41:16 very, very, very important.
41:17 We got to keep surveillance, uh, in our sites and making sure,
41:22 uh, that 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. Um, the other thing that we have had some discussion
41:37 around is
41:37 the current quarantine protocols.
41:41 And I know that you all work very closely with our team on, on,
41:44 um, determining who needs to
41:46 quarantine and for how long and what is the day zero and what is
41:50 day seven.
41:51 And, um, there are some in our community that are somewhat
41:56 frustrated with the fact that we are
41:57 quarantining healthy kids. Can you all speak to why that
42:01 recommendation is there and, um,
42:05 um, why, why you believe it’s important?
42:08 I’ll speak to that. Um, so in quarantining, um, other children,
42:16 basically the school’s very good
42:18 at looking at the children who have been in close contact. So we
42:22 are following the CDC guidelines with
42:25 that. Um, when we quarantine those children, um, we do see then
42:30 some of those children being sick and
42:34 positive. So that means that, um, they’re already out of school.
42:38 Um, they’re not, those, they’re not
42:41 transmitting it anymore in school. If we had not taken them out
42:45 of school, then you’re just going to see
42:48 this balloon occur. Um, and that’s, to be honest, that’s what we
42:54 want to see. We want, if we’re going
42:56 to see disease in the school, we want to see it in the children
42:59 that we have quarantined because that
43:00 means we did it correctly. Okay. So if we’ve got one sick case
43:04 and we quarantine 10 children and out of
43:07 those children, we see two cases, that means we’re not then
43:10 having to quarantine more children. We just,
43:14 that’s the 10 children we quarantined. Um, if we hadn’t quarantined
43:18 those 10 children and those two
43:21 children were still in school, then we’d be seeing four children
43:24 sick. And if we don’t quarantine around
43:26 them, we’d be seeing 16 children sick. So we have to quarantine
43:32 healthy people because we don’t know
43:35 when they’re not going to be healthy anymore. And you are
43:38 considered infectious two days before your
43:41 onset of symptoms. And if the disease does spread unknowingly.
43:46 So if we don’t quarantine these children,
43:49 you would have a whole lot more disease in that community. And I
43:52 think that it speaks a lot to how
43:54 well the school is quarantining the children, because we do see
43:59 in those cases that are quarantined,
44:01 that they do become, some of them do become sick. Um, so that
44:05 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 of that.
44:13 Super. Thank you for that explanation. Um, and, and one more
44:20 thing that I just happened to think of
44:21 as you were talking, uh, with regard to, um, I guess what the
44:25 future holds, right? What it looks like
44:27 going forward. Um, there was new guidance that came out, I
44:30 believe yesterday from the CDC with regard to,
44:34 um, what people who have been vaccinated should be doing as far
44:37 as mitigation strategies.
44:39 Um, and it seemed to indicate that it, it shouldn’t be a free
44:43 for all, right? Like even someone who has
44:46 been fully vaccinated still needs to wear a mask, still needs to
44:48 socially distance unless they’re,
44:50 I think it was like around a single family where there was no
44:54 significant risk or something along
44:56 those lines. So do we, do we reasonably anticipate that
45:02 mitigation strategies are going to have to
45:03 continue even after the majority of the population is vaccinated?
45:08 I think that what we’ll see is,
45:11 um, so there’s, there’s two things. Um, when a vaccine is
45:17 studied to go onto the market,
45:20 what they’re looking for is, uh, antibody production. Um, they’re
45:24 looking to see if those people,
45:26 you know, show that they have immunity to a disease, but the
45:32 studies are not done in real life.
45:34 Like it’s not done in a community. And so now when the vaccine
45:38 is now used in the community,
45:41 then they’re going to look at, um, you know, how much protection
45:46 does it give within a community?
45:48 Um, so as more and more people are vaccinated, um, they’re
45:52 looking at specific, um, measurements,
45:57 um, to see how down the line they can, um, see how well the
46:03 vaccine is actually doing in a community,
46:06 as opposed to a lab or, or, um, an isolated situation. Right now,
46:11 probably our best community
46:13 studies are coming out of Israel. I think a lot of information
46:16 will come from there because they’ve
46:18 been able to vaccinate so well. Um, and so as time goes by, you
46:22 will see, I think that they, um, the
46:25 studies will show certain amounts of protection and that they
46:29 can, um, decrease some of the mitigation
46:32 that we’re doing at this point in time. I would like to say, um,
46:37 it’s a tad bit early, but you know,
46:40 in the, uh, long-term care facilities, they’ve aggressively
46:43 vaccinated the residents
46:45 and the incidents there has dropped dramatically, dramatically.
46:49 Uh, so that’s, that’s, that’s,
46:52 that’s something to be thankful for. Absolutely. Thank you. Mr.
46:57 Susan. And I think it goes to say
46:59 also that the percentages in the age bands of getting vaccinated
47:03 is getting better as we go down. And
47:05 those are the targeted, um, bands where we, we, where we see the
47:09 most deaths and we see the most complications
47:11 and everything else. As we’re vaccinating down and getting more
47:14 and more of those people,
47:15 people, the significant risk as to what happens outside of our
47:19 schools and stuff like that starts
47:21 to diminish also. I think there’s another piece to the pie that
47:24 we need to keep our eyes on.
47:25 And that is, is that the dark web has increased significantly.
47:30 The mental health of our students
47:32 on the different platforms that we have and being isolated on e-learning
47:37 is significant. There’s all a
47:39 lot of other figures and facts that we need to take a look at
47:42 when deciding these pieces. Um, and I
47:45 really appreciate the DOH for coming tonight. Thank you for
47:48 taking the time, um, and being here. That’s all.
47:50 Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Susan. Ms. Campbell, are you good?
47:54 I am. I just, I would just add in, um, first of all, just thank
48:00 you guys for being here whenever we
48:03 have had questions to ask and I appreciate your, your time. Um,
48:06 the Campbell family is getting to experience
48:09 first-hand, um, the wonderful work that our, our school system
48:13 and our Department of Health are doing
48:15 in the quarantine process right now. So I really hate to not be
48:17 there with you guys tonight. But,
48:19 um, I just, just when we talk about this discussion, or this,
48:24 this, we have this discussion on, on math and
48:26 the metrics and, and things. There’s, you know, there’s one
48:29 piece of information that we have now,
48:31 and it’s already been mentioned tonight, that we have now that
48:34 we didn’t have when we were
48:35 formulating our reopening plan. And that is how successful we
48:39 have been into the school year.
48:42 And so we had, we, we are not having the, uh, the drastic
48:47 measures, you know, drastic, uh, data that
48:50 people thought we were going to have thousands and thousands of
48:53 cases and, and hundreds and hundreds
48:54 of people, um, that in our schools. And, you know, I mean, I
48:57 mean, we were getting emails and people
48:58 were predicting those kinds of numbers. We haven’t had that.
49:01 What we, with the things that we have in
49:03 place, we have seen relative to what’s going on in the outer
49:08 community, relatively low numbers. And I am
49:12 consistently hearing from our principals, from our, um, district
49:16 staff as, as they’re hearing, you know,
49:18 as they’re tracking these numbers, it’s really very rarely
49:21 happening that we have spread within our
49:24 schools. It is still mostly from the community, you know,
49:28 students seeing it from our staffing,
49:30 from their families or activities that they’re, they’re
49:32 participating in. So we have that data
49:35 and we can see something that we’re doing or all of the things
49:38 that we’re doing are working. And so it’s not a perfect
49:41 situation by any means, but I just feel like, you know, at this
49:45 point, we don’t only have
49:46 our productivity rates and our case for a hundred thousand. We
49:49 can look at our, our BPS specific data
49:51 and say, you know, and, and, you know, you can actually go out
49:54 and encourage anybody in the public
49:55 who haven’t checked it out yet. The Department of Health, the
49:58 Florida Department of Health has the
49:59 COVID website. And in addition to all this data we’ve talked
50:02 about, um, it does have how many
50:05 vaccinations we’ve had, but it has a school list. You can go and
50:08 see every single school in the state of Florida,
50:11 including all the public schools, charters, private, um, I think
50:15 daycare centers, colleges
50:16 even. And you can see how many cases have been reported at each
50:22 school. And, um, you know, you
50:24 can, you can see how it’s working. It would be interesting if
50:27 someone wanted to track it, which
50:28 counties had a mask mandate in their schools, which ones didn’t,
50:31 and, and how the cases compare. I
50:32 haven’t gotten that deep because it’s a lot of data. But I just
50:35 think it’s really important to look at, um,
50:37 our success here in Brevard. And I, I’m ready to get there as
50:42 well. I am an optimist and I
50:44 appreciate the, um, the thought that was shared that, you know,
50:48 as we see the vaccinations go up,
50:51 we should see a sharp decline. And the truth is when we talk
50:54 about metrics, we just don’t know. We’re
50:56 still in a state of, I don’t know, which nobody likes to be
50:59 there, but, you know, as the numbers
51:01 come down, I think then we’ll be able to get a better picture of
51:04 when we can start rolling back
51:07 more and more, um, as we, as we see how it’s looking here in Brevard
51:11 County, as well as CDC
51:13 guidelines. But we always have to keep our eyes on what’s
51:14 happening here in Brevard, because this is,
51:17 you know, where, where this is where we live and this is, this
51:20 is, uh, you know, the greatest impact.
51:22 We don’t necessarily compare with some of the other areas in the
51:24 states that have been harder hit.
51:26 That’s all. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Campbell. Anyone else have
51:32 anything for our partners at the
51:33 Department of Health? All right. I will just say an enormous
51:37 thank you to you all as you have been, uh,
51:40 closely partnered with us and our team throughout all of this.
51:43 And we appreciate you immensely and, uh,
51:45 certainly appreciate you dragging yourself out tonight. I’m sure
51:47 you’ve had a long day and are
51:48 ready to be home, but we do appreciate you being here. Thank you.
51:52 You’re welcome. Thank you. So,
51:54 can I just add, excuse me, for the purpose of this discussion, I
51:59 think it’s really important at some
52:02 point for us as an organization to be really clear about how we’re
52:06 going to interpret that data and what
52:08 that means for us, um, and to put that out there. Um, because I
52:12 think we can all agree that, um,
52:15 certain members or a member of this board, uh, is bearing the brunt
52:19 of these questions. Um,
52:21 and this is a decision that we’re making as an organization and
52:25 we’re all interpreting the
52:26 data that was presented tonight. So I think it’s important and I
52:28 think it’s, uh, necessary for our
52:31 community, for us to make a clear stand on how we’re going to
52:34 interpret what we heard here tonight.
52:38 Not as individuals, as a, as an organization, because my opinion
52:41 doesn’t matter. Our individual opinions
52:44 don’t matter. We’re here to serve the county as a whole. So, so
52:49 what exactly are you asking for from
52:50 the board, Ms. Jenkins? Um, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s a
52:54 statement, a clarification, something, but, um,
52:58 I think it’s necessary. I think it’s necessary to, to tame the,
53:01 the community flames and dialogue. Uh,
53:05 again, as an organization, we have a duty to interpret the data
53:09 that was presented to us
53:10 and to put it back out there how, how we think best fit.
53:17 I see Ms. Morris standing up. Ms. Belford, if I, if I may. Yes,
53:20 Ms. Campbell. Ms. Campbell, go ahead.
53:24 Yes, thank you. I, you know, I, again, one of us doesn’t speak
53:27 for the whole board, but I think
53:29 what we’ve heard tonight is that we need to continue to watch
53:33 and see. And that, you know, it’s too early
53:36 to make decisions right now when we’re, when our, you know,
53:39 local health experts are saying, you know,
53:42 taking their very best guests, um, which is what anybody can do.
53:46 So I, I, what I’m hearing is that
53:47 we need to continue just keep our eyes on the numbers. Thank you,
53:50 Ms. Campbell. Um, so we have this
53:55 as a discussion item toward the end of the meeting as well. Um,
53:59 so maybe think about what it is that you
54:02 would like going forward. I mean, I, I feel like we have said
54:04 consistently that we will follow the
54:06 direction of the CDC and the local health department. Um, so, um,
54:12 but I, you know, if, if you would like to contemplate that as we
54:14 move through the remainder of the
54:16 meeting, we can circle back and during our discussion portion
54:19 this evening and see if we can nail down
54:21 what exactly it is that you would like from your peers. Yeah, no,
54:23 I, I know it’s been said. I just
54:25 think it is never necessarily been said and addressed
54:27 immediately after those questions were asked. And I
54:29 think it’s really important after this conversation to be very
54:32 clear about where we stand and what we see
54:34 happen here. That’s all. So is the statement that we’re going to
54:39 follow CDC recommendations
54:41 sufficient or, I mean, if that’s how the organization feels, I
54:44 just think it needs to get away from
54:46 individual opinions and as a collective organizational statement
54:51 of where we stand on this issue. Okay.
54:53 Super. Everybody good? Yeah, I’ll wait. Okay. So we will circle
55:01 back on that at the end of discussion.
55:03 Um, if I can just, um, remind everyone that as we are up and
55:07 moving around the room that we need to be
55:10 masked please to ensure everyone’s safety. We would appreciate
55:12 it. All right. We are now at public
55:17 comments. I’m guessing we have more than 10 Ms. Escobar.
55:23 And these two are the only ones who .
55:27 Okay. Perfect. Thank you.
55:31 I’m sorry. Um, that’s what I was just looking at. So we have 49
55:41 speakers scheduled to speak this evening.
55:43 Um, and typically we would have a recommendation, excuse me, to
55:52 take, um, to either stick with our, our process of taking 30
55:59 minutes of public comments, um, or to extend that time. Um, we
56:06 currently have only two speakers scheduled to
56:08 speak directly to agenda items. Um, so it would be my
56:11 recommendation that we take those two speakers and
56:15 then whoever else we can fit in the first 30 minutes and then
56:19 postpone the remainder.
56:20 We don’t have a long agenda. So she, we should be able to knock
56:24 out the rest of the agenda and get
56:25 to the rest of the public speakers. Um, that’s my recommendation.
56:29 I would entertain a motion in that
56:30 direction or any other motion you’d like to offer up.
56:33 I can make a motion to go ahead and let’s take the, the two that
56:41 are different, definitely appointed
56:43 to the agenda. Do 30 minutes worth next in line, and then go
56:48 ahead and do our meeting and then have
56:50 other people speak. Absolutely.
56:52 So I have a, uh, I have a motion and a second. Mr. Gibbs, are
56:58 you good with that motion?
56:58 All right. Then we will move forward as motion. Oh, we need a
57:04 vote on the motion. Sorry. Just moving us
57:06 right along. All right. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye.
57:10 Aye. All opposed. Hearing none.
57:14 All in favor, we will move forward with public comment. Okay.
57:17 Each speaker. Sorry. Speakers
57:26 are required to wear a face mask covering the nose and mouth
57:28 while walking to the microphones and when
57:30 traveling back to his or her seat. As long as you maintain six
57:33 feet from the nearest person,
57:35 you may remove your mask while speaking, but please remember to
57:37 wear your masks as you return to your
57:39 seat. Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes are provided at the
57:43 microphones.
57:44 Each speaker is limited to three minutes. We have a clock in
57:55 front of me to help you keep track of your
57:56 time. When your time is over, you will be asked to stop and
58:00 allow the next speaker his or her turn.
58:03 Please listen carefully to the rules of decorum as they will be
58:07 heavily enforced this evening.
58:08 Always keep in mind that reasonable decorum is expected at all
58:12 times. Your statement should be
58:14 directed to the board chairman. As chairman, I may interrupt,
58:18 warn, or terminate a participant’s
58:20 statement when time is up. It is personally directed, abusive,
58:25 obscene, or irrelevant.
58:29 Should an individual not observe proper etiquette, I may request
58:32 the individual leave the meeting.
58:34 Let’s all encourage an environment appropriate for our children
58:39 who may be present or watching from home.
58:41 Please note that in order to proceed with the business portion
58:47 of the meeting,
58:48 board members will not have opportunity to respond to speakers
58:51 during or immediately following public
58:53 comments. I may, however, direct you to specific staff members
58:58 to assist or board members may request
59:00 that I add your topic as a discussion item at the end of the
59:03 meeting.
59:03 For those of you that are speaking this evening on the LGBTQ
59:08 issue, I do want to let you know before you
59:10 speak, there is no vote scheduled on this issue. We’re going to
59:13 have additional discussion at the end of
59:16 the meeting to clarify some of the questions that have arisen,
59:21 but there is no vote, just so you know that
59:23 going into your presentations. All right, we are going to start
59:30 with Mark Levine, followed by Dolores Varney.
59:35 Mark, if you would make your way. I know I saw you earlier.
59:37 Mr. Levine. Mr. Colucci.
59:46 Mr. Hilliard, do you know where Mr. Levine is? Okay. All right,
59:53 so I’m actually, I’m going to
59:54 go ahead and go to Dolores then, okay? Or is he that close?
59:57 Do you want me to? Okay, there he is.
1:00:03 Thank you, Mr. Levine.
1:00:14 Yep, take your pick, whichever one you prefer.
1:00:17 Madam Chair, Mr. Superintendent, members of the board, Mark Levine,
1:00:25 Levine and Stivers, Tallahassee, Florida.
1:00:28 You had an agenda item that you pulled, which related to the
1:00:32 determination of one of your educators,
1:00:34 Ms. Enright, and she doesn’t mind that I say that, it was on the
1:00:38 agenda. And we came to the district this
1:00:42 afternoon early and met with Dr. Thede and legal counsel, and we’ve
1:00:48 had a very, very productive
1:00:49 discussion. This is a major issue, not just for Brevard County
1:00:55 at this point, but also statewide.
1:00:58 I think, I guess I was brought into it because it’s the first
1:01:04 time we’ve really had the opportunity
1:01:06 to deal with this issue that may have some statewide
1:01:09 implications.
1:01:10 I will tell you as a lawyer, and I’ve done this a lot of times
1:01:15 before this board, it’s a tough issue.
1:01:18 It’s a tough issue when you have an educator who is well-liked,
1:01:23 who has exemplary evaluations,
1:01:26 whose principal wants her back, who had outstanding reading
1:01:30 scores, who got pushed down a set of stairs
1:01:35 by a child. She went to administration to report that. She did
1:01:40 not have the child arrested,
1:01:41 against my advice, actually, but she didn’t, didn’t think that
1:01:44 was right. And they said,
1:01:47 well, you got to go file a worker’s comp claim. She goes, I’m
1:01:50 not hurt. They said,
1:01:51 you got to file the claim. She files the claim, they take her,
1:01:54 they do the traditional test,
1:01:56 and it comes back positive from medical marijuana, which
1:01:59 apparently is in violation of the district’s
1:02:02 policy. Now, there is a policy that you have in place that deals
1:02:06 with students being permitted to
1:02:09 use medical marijuana. We would hope at some point you might
1:02:13 consider stepping up and stepping out and
1:02:16 putting a policy in place for faculty and staff. There will be
1:02:20 discussion amongst yourselves and your
1:02:22 administrative staff about the loss of federal funding. I do
1:02:26 believe that that is a red herring,
1:02:28 not in a sense that anybody’s trying to mislead you, but I can
1:02:34 promise you that the United States
1:02:36 Attorney in the Middle District of Florida is not going to come
1:02:39 over here and bust you guys because
1:02:41 you sanctioned medical marijuana for faculty and staff. I can
1:02:44 promise you that the present
1:02:45 administration in Washington is not going to remove your federal
1:02:49 funding. In fact, you don’t get
1:02:50 direct federal funding. It comes through the State Department of
1:02:52 Education, met with their counsel
1:02:55 yesterday. They are staying out of this argument. So what we
1:02:58 hope to do, and everybody, believe me,
1:03:01 is on the same page, they want to see this educator go back to
1:03:04 work. It’s important to your district to
1:03:07 have educators of this caliber. So what we’re going to try to do
1:03:11 is to fashion a remedy that we can bring to you.
1:03:13 If we can’t, I guess we’ll fight about it. But that’s all I have
1:03:16 to say, and I thank you very much.
1:03:18 - Thank you, Mr. Levine. Ms. Varney? Ms. Varney is approaching.
1:03:23 Our next three speakers
1:03:24 will be Lois LaCosta, Andrew Triolo, and Laura Cobb.
1:03:36 My name is Dolores Varney. Can you get just a little closer for
1:03:39 me, Dolores?
1:03:40 Can you hear me now? Better. You always have this problem on me,
1:03:43 don’t you?
1:03:43 Yes. My name is Dolores Varney, and I’m the business
1:03:46 representative for
1:03:48 Local 1010 Brevard Public Schools Support Staff Union. We
1:03:53 recently put our contract negotiations out to the
1:03:58 support staff to vote on, and they voted yes for the most. There
1:04:04 was 317 yes, 144 no, and unfortunately
1:04:10 only 16% of the support staff even voted. So they allowed, you
1:04:15 know, the majority allowed 16% to vote
1:04:18 yes or no for them. But it passed the support, so I’m hoping
1:04:23 that you guys will do the same.
1:04:25 Thank you very much. Hope you have a good evening.
1:04:28 Thanks, Dolores. You too. And thanks for working with us with
1:04:32 the confusion when you got here. We appreciate it.
1:04:34 All right, Lois?
1:04:37 I’d first like to ask, well, I don’t need to now because it didn’t
1:04:52 sound in the room like this microphone was even on.
1:04:56 Okay. I am here regarding boys using girls’ restrooms and boys
1:05:00 competing in girls’ sports.
1:05:02 This is the most outlandish topics of discussion our school
1:05:06 board and parents should be having.
1:05:08 Boys do not belong in girls’ restrooms, and boys competing in
1:05:14 girls’ sports is just as appalling.
1:05:16 If you have students who do not know for sure if they are a boy
1:05:20 or a girl, please let me help you in knowing
1:05:24 that God created us with one or the other chromosome which makes
1:05:29 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 going to interrupt you. I’ve stopped your time,
1:05:39 so you’re not missing your time, okay?
1:05:41 But we’re not. I’ve stopped your time, so I’m not using your
1:05:44 time to address this.
1:05:45 But we’re not going to do name-calling, okay, from anyone who’s
1:05:48 speaking tonight. Please.
1:05:50 I’m not insulting anyone. I’m stating a fact.
1:05:52 You’re referring to liberal left. Let’s just talk issue and move
1:05:57 forward, please.
1:05:59 Anyway, they want proof of science, and it does not include
1:06:03 chromosomes.
1:06:04 Any identity crisis our children may be having should be a
1:06:08 concern to the parents of those children,
1:06:10 not school board members or teachers. That is not your job.
1:06:15 Your job is to make sure our children receive a good quality
1:06:19 education.
1:06:20 These guidelines are an atrocity. These guidelines pertain
1:06:24 primarily to transgender students.
1:06:27 What percentage of the Brevard County student body is
1:06:30 transgender or LGBTQ?
1:06:33 Well, if you don’t know, you better find out before you start
1:06:38 passing rules and regulations
1:06:40 on the majority of who are not LGBTQ. Why are we kowtowing to a
1:06:46 small percentage of students
1:06:48 only to harm the majority of the student body? Girls and boys
1:06:53 deserve privacy in their own
1:06:55 restroom without overlapping gender. If our K through 12
1:06:59 children are still so confused,
1:07:02 then provide a non-gender specific restroom for those children.
1:07:06 Boys competing in girls sports is just as outrageous. Boys
1:07:10 should compete with other boys,
1:07:13 and girls should compete with other girls. It is a great
1:07:16 disadvantage to the girls to have a boy
1:07:19 competing with them. In closing, more than half of my property
1:07:23 taxes go to Brevard County Public Schools,
1:07:26 so I do have a vested interest in the decisions you make. You
1:07:30 have been elected to support us,
1:07:32 your constituents. We elected you, and our taxes pay your salary.
1:07:38 Please do your job.
1:07:40 I know there isn’t much left anymore, but please use some common
1:07:46 sense because you have become so open-minded
1:07:49 on these issues that your brains have fallen out. And finally,
1:07:53 the issue is not about equity or equality.
1:07:57 It’s about the end of decency in America. The citizens of Brevard
1:08:01 County are watching you.
1:08:03 More importantly, God Almighty is watching you. How will each
1:08:08 one of you answer to him?
1:08:09 I remind each one of you, no man or woman can overrule the laws
1:08:14 of God.
1:08:14 Thank you for your time, Lois. Your three minutes are up, but
1:08:17 thank you for joining us this evening.
1:08:18 Andrew?
1:08:32 Good evening. Can you hear me? Yeah. Okay. My name is Andrew Triolo.
1:08:37 I live in Satellite Beach.
1:08:38 I’m here as a six- Andrew, can you speak up a little bit louder?
1:08:41 Oh, sorry. Is this-
1:08:42 Uh, Lewis, could we adjust that mic that Andrew’s at?
1:08:47 They’re- they’re getting it. Okay. I’ll re- yeah, I’ll restart
1:08:54 your time, Andrew. Don’t worry about it.
1:09:01 Okay. Give it a try, Andrew, and see if we’ve got a little more
1:09:03 volume.
1:09:04 Uh, is that good? Yeah. Perfect. That’s a lot better. Thank you.
1:09:06 Hello. My name is Andrew Triolo, and I live in Satellite Beach.
1:09:12 I am here as a 16-year-old
1:09:14 transgender male and a sophomore at Satellite High School. My
1:09:17 journey as an out-of-the-closet
1:09:20 transgender male started in the middle of eighth grade at Delora
1:09:22 Middle School. I came out to my
1:09:25 teachers through a formal email asking them to address me with
1:09:28 he/him pronouns and my chosen name.
1:09:32 It began with extremely inappropriate issues with my teachers.
1:09:34 They demanded me to tell them how I
1:09:36 knew I was trans, never used the correct pronouns, and started
1:09:40 treating me very unfairly in my class
1:09:42 after I came out. I was forced to be removed from my favorite
1:09:45 subjects because of this targeted
1:09:47 harassment from my own teachers. Instead, I started spending a
1:09:52 free time- a free period in the back of
1:09:54 my favorite teacher’s class. He, on the other hand, greeted me
1:09:57 at the door as sir and told me he was
1:09:59 proud of me. My algebra teacher also respected my identity and
1:10:02 used the correct pronouns when addressing
1:10:05 me. My other four teachers didn’t respond to the email or ever
1:10:08 confront me in class. They did not know
1:10:11 how to deal with a transgender student. I did part of my
1:10:14 freshman year at O’Galley High School,
1:10:18 but I was forced to leave and do virtual school due to
1:10:21 discrimination, extreme anxiety, and fear.
1:10:26 I have only just started going back to school at Satellite High.
1:10:29 Since I furthered my transition
1:10:31 journey, so I passed as a cisgender male and my mental health
1:10:34 has improved.
1:10:38 I was already facing discrimination from the administration of
1:10:41 High School at Satellite High
1:10:44 School. They told me that I am not allowed to use the men’s
1:10:47 restroom. I must go all the way to the
1:10:49 nurse’s bathroom if I wanted to use the restroom. So there I was,
1:10:53 about to go back to school for the
1:10:56 first time in over a year after being bullied out of the whole
1:11:00 system that caused me to leave in the
1:11:03 first place. I wonder how I will be targeted next in my own
1:11:07 classroom. LGBTQ inclusion guidelines must
1:11:11 stay implemented in our schools. Teachers should be equipped
1:11:14 with the knowledge to make queer students
1:11:16 feel safe, affirmed, and loved in their learning environment. My
1:11:20 LGBTQ peers and I are counting on the
1:11:23 school board to start cracking down on the discrimination within
1:11:26 all schools so that we can go to our classes
1:11:29 knowing we will be treated with the same dignity and respect our
1:11:32 straight and cisgender peers are.
1:11:34 We are just children going to school. We want to learn to make
1:11:38 friends to play sports,
1:11:40 nothing more. Queer students are no different from other
1:11:45 students in our school.
1:11:48 thank you for your time.
1:12:02 Thanks Andrew.
1:12:03 Laura, you’re going to be up next, followed by Regina Osgood,
1:12:10 Connie Walls, and Terry Gilman.
1:12:12 Laura Cobb: Hi there. Good afternoon. I’m Laura Cobb for
1:12:17 pronouns of Indian Harvard
1:12:18 people, or a native, also Brevard taxpayer. Proud mother of two
1:12:25 Brevard public school students,
1:12:28 one of whom is transgender. I am also serving as president of
1:12:33 the Melbourne Space Coast PFLAG chapter.
1:12:35 For those who don’t know, PFLAG is one of our country’s oldest
1:12:38 safe havens for the LGBTQ community and
1:12:41 their allies. We celebrate diversity and provide inclusive
1:12:45 spaces and support for the families and
1:12:47 friends of the LGBTQ youth that your guidance policy protects.
1:12:51 Today, I want to express my unwavering
1:12:55 support and immense gratitude for your teamwork efforts to
1:12:59 create these consistent LGBTQ guidelines for our
1:13:03 county. We appreciate their alignment with not just local, but
1:13:07 also state and federal laws. Like any mom,
1:13:10 Laura Cobb: I simply wish for school to be safe for all students,
1:13:13 regardless of gender identity and sexual
1:13:15 orientation. And that every student is served with excellence as
1:13:19 the standard, regardless of their
1:13:22 gender identity and sexual orientation. They are outgoing,
1:13:26 charismatic, accomplished, resourceful,
1:13:29 and adaptable. They are brave. They are children. Let them play
1:13:34 and let them learn. I’m asking you today to
1:13:36 continue to support and protect my trans son and the rest of my
1:13:41 LGBTQ family in Brevard County. Thank you for your time.
1:13:45 Laura Cobb: Thanks, Laura. Regina Osgood:
1:14:01 Hello, board president, superintendent, and all the peace staff.
1:14:05 Thank you. I’m Regina. I knew I was transgendered when I was six
1:14:05 years old. That was during the 60s and late 60s.
1:14:05 Laura Cobb: I put lipstick on when I was 6 years old. First
1:14:10 grade. I was so proud of myself. It was perfect.
1:14:14 Laura Cobb: I showed my parents. My butt was sore for an awful
1:14:22 long time.
1:14:22 Laura Cobb: We would call it child abuse now. That’s what
1:14:31 occurred back in the old times.
1:14:32 Laura Cobb: Back when everybody said you were either male or
1:14:36 female.
1:14:36 Laura Cobb: Move on until I got sick. I couldn’t do much of
1:14:53 anything. I spent a lot of time in the hospital. A lot of time
1:14:55 at home.
1:14:55 Laura Cobb: I ended up making Barbie doll clothes for my sister.
1:15:01 That was so nice because I got to play with Barbie dolls.
1:15:06 Laura Cobb: Move on. I had gynomastia, which is large breasts as
1:15:12 a male.
1:15:13 Laura Cobb: As I tried to play football and some of the other
1:15:16 things, the guys tried to grab me in the showers and constantly
1:15:21 made fun of my breasts.
1:15:23 Laura Cobb: I was told by my preacher. I was told by everybody
1:15:28 else. Oh, you can just be a male. Tough it up. Tough it up.
1:15:36 Laura Cobb: Doesn’t work. I went in the submarine force. I rode
1:15:40 motorcycle. I did as male of things as you could.
1:15:43 Laura Cobb: I got married. I had two children. About 30 years
1:15:48 ago, some things started going wrong with me.
1:15:51 Laura Cobb: I couldn’t deal with life too much. As a kid, I
1:15:57 thought about suicide often.
1:15:59 Laura Cobb: There was no help whatsoever at that time period.
1:16:02 The fact that you guys have an LBGT
1:16:06 Laura Cobb: Guide right now is amazing.
1:16:11 Laura Cobb: When I heard that when I first moved into Brevard
1:16:15 six years, it was just amazing. Thank you.
1:16:19 Laura Cobb: What I don’t understand is how people can sit down
1:16:23 and condemn you for that.
1:16:24 Laura Cobb: What’s amazing is that these kids still need help.
1:16:29 They exist.
1:16:30 Laura Cobb: No matter what we’re told, this isn’t the 50s. There’s
1:16:34 more than two sexes.
1:16:35 Laura Cobb: And no matter what they say, we still exist. I
1:16:40 appreciate you and please keep that
1:16:42 guide. I appreciate it. Thank you.
1:16:45 Laura Cobb: Thank you, Regina.
1:16:47 Laura Cobb: Honey Walls.
1:16:59 Honey Walls: Good evening. How is everybody this evening? It’s
1:17:05 nice to be here and to share
1:17:06 opinions and outlooks with you. Thank you for the opportunity.
1:17:12 Honey Smith Walls: My name is Honey Smith Walls. I am a small
1:17:16 business owner here in Melbourne.
1:17:19 And I had a child who went to Satellite High. I’m here to show
1:17:25 my support to the LGBTQ
1:17:27 children. And I’m so glad that you’re trying to do the same
1:17:33 thing. Because they are children.
1:17:37 Honey Smith Walls: And no matter how they feel inside, they are
1:17:40 children. And we’re just trying
1:17:43 to do our best to help them survive this planet in the best way
1:17:49 they can, inside themselves,
1:17:52 to feel good about themselves and do what they can to change our
1:17:56 world for the better.
1:17:59 Honey Smith Walls: So I applaud your efforts and listening. And
1:18:02 I applaud these children’s efforts
1:18:04 and coming to explain how they feel to you in the hopes that you
1:18:09 can make good regulation for all of
1:18:12 them. And then maybe finally, someday, all of our children will
1:18:17 have an equitable education. Thank
1:18:20 you so much for your time.
1:18:21 Amy Smith Walls:
1:18:23 Thank you, honey. Terry Gelman.
1:18:26 Honey Smith Walls:
1:18:31 She’s scheduled right after you. So are you…
1:18:37 Yes?
1:18:40 Female Speaker:
1:18:45 Uh, Ms. Belford, do you want to just clarify that everyone who
1:18:48 was on the list is going to get an
1:18:49 opportunity to speak tonight?
1:18:50 Amy Smith Walls: Correct. Yeah, we are just taking the first 10
1:18:53 speakers and then we’re going to wrap up our
1:18:54 board business. We have a fairly short agenda that we have to
1:18:57 get through and then we’re going to get
1:18:58 back to the rest of the speakers. So everybody will have an
1:19:01 opportunity, but um, Sonali is scheduled
1:19:04 right after you. And then we’re after Sonali, we’re going to go
1:19:07 to the board business and then come back.
1:19:08 Sure.
1:19:11 I just want to start by saying I learned a few years ago that
1:19:14 you guys already had this on in,
1:19:17 already in place. And as a mother, I thought that was wonderful.
1:19:21 I think it was wonderful that you just
1:19:23 went ahead and did it and you didn’t make a big deal about it.
1:19:27 So thank you. Hello. Thank you for taking the
1:19:31 time to listen and hopefully learn and absorb feelings of a
1:19:34 smaller population that has a limited voice in
1:19:38 this community. 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. Our son,
1:19:49 who is gay, who has attended Beirah High and
1:19:53 will be graduating this year. He has continually been told he
1:19:56 will go to hell and he is unacceptable in God’s eyes.
1:20:02 How little we have become when we think our thoughts are better
1:20:05 than God’s design.
1:20:06 It truly breaks my heart that I have a son who has been deeply
1:20:12 hurt from small-minded thinking.
1:20:15 God has created everyone and everything, not just straight
1:20:19 people, nor did God, pardon me, screw up.
1:20:23 It is not your job to judge. That is God’s job. It is your job
1:20:28 to protect our children and all our
1:20:30 children. Instead of worrying about taking protection away, we
1:20:34 need to start bringing all people together
1:20:37 and teach love and acceptance and working together. Not just who
1:20:41 you feel comfortable with. God loves us
1:20:44 all. If one child is harmed due to changing the rules, that is
1:20:49 on our whole community. I would like to add,
1:20:53 if you do not agree with me and have thrown out what I have said,
1:20:57 then think of this:
1:20:59 As soon as one child is negatively affected by removing rules of
1:21:04 protection, you will be putting our
1:21:06 community in the spotlight and a huge cost of a lawsuit, which
1:21:11 we will all lose. Thank you.
1:21:14 Thank you, Terry.
1:21:16 Sonali?
1:21:29 Thank you. May I start off by saying I do not envy your
1:21:35 positions here today. Whatever your differences in age,
1:21:39 gender, political affiliation, I can see you are all clearly
1:21:42 dedicated to our children,
1:21:44 our taxpayers, and the future of our nation. For that, I express
1:21:48 my sincere thanks.
1:21:50 Sonali? My name is Sonali Tawadia and I came here today to speak
1:21:54 as a clinical psychologist in training.
1:21:56 I had research on statistics, suicide, homicide, and other
1:22:03 issues the LGBTQ community deals with on a regular basis.
1:22:09 Sonali Tawadia: As my husband can attest, I rarely had a loss
1:22:18 for words. And here I am struggling to articulate how I feel.
1:22:19 When I first walked into the parking lot, most simply, I suppose,
1:22:25 I felt fear and shock.
1:22:27 Sonali Tawadia: I was afraid of people with loudspeakers, people
1:22:31 using language I would not deem appropriate, even without
1:22:34 children around.
1:22:35 And my biggest fear was that nothing I say about science
1:22:41 research family will change anyone’s mind.
1:22:44 My largest concern is if I, as an educated adult with 20/20
1:22:51 hindsight that comes with age, can feel so afraid.
1:22:56 Sonali Tawadia: How scary would it be for a child or student of
1:23:00 any age to feel that their very identity and the laws that
1:23:05 protected them were stripped away?
1:23:06 Sonali Tawadia: I am on a leave of absence from my PhD program
1:23:10 for one reason alone.
1:23:12 Sonali Tawadia: To help raise my children.
1:23:14 Sonali Tawadia: Whatever our difference is in this room,
1:23:17 Sonali Tawadia: we can all say that we are here for the students
1:23:23 and the well-being of the entire community.
1:23:25 Sonali Tawadia: For the sake of our children and future, let us
1:23:29 uphold the laws that exist already to protect the students of
1:23:33 Brevard County.
1:23:33 Sonali Tawadia: Let us lead them into this.
1:23:35 Sonali Tawadia: Let us, let them lead us into the future.
1:23:37 Sonali Tawadia: Thank you.
1:23:38 Sonali Tawadia: Thank you Sonali.
1:23:39 Sonali Tawadia: All right.
1:23:43 Sonali Tawadia: We are going to push through our business
1:23:50 meeting and then we will get back to our remaining speakers for
1:23:55 this evening, okay?
1:23:55 Sonali Tawadia: That is going to move us into the consent agenda,
1:23:59 Dr. Mullins.
1:23:59 Sonali Tawadia: Madam Chair and members of the board, there are
1:24:03 27 agenda items under the consent agenda.
1:24:05 Sonali Tawadia: Does any board member wish to pull any item from
1:24:08 the consent agenda?
1:24:09 Sonali Tawadia: Hearing none, I will entertain a motion to
1:24:13 approve the consent agenda as presented.
1:24:15 Sonali Tawadia: Move to approve.
1:24:16 Sonali Tawadia: Second.
1:24:17 Sonali Tawadia: Moved by Mr. Susan.
1:24:18 Sonali Tawadia: Seconded by Ms. McDougall.
1:24:19 Sonali Tawadia: Is there any discussion?
1:24:20 Sonali Tawadia: Please vote.
1:24:22 Sonali Tawadia: It still doesn’t like you Mr. Susan.
1:24:30 Sonali Tawadia: Present.
1:24:32 Sonali Tawadia: And log out.
1:24:33 Sonali Tawadia: Yeah.
1:24:34 Sonali Tawadia: Log out.
1:24:35 Sonali Tawadia: Yeah.
1:24:36 Sonali Tawadia: Log out.
1:24:37 Sonali Tawadia: Yeah.
2:00:12 normally don’t look like this I came in my scrubs I wrote a
2:00:16 speech I grabbed my
2:00:18 daughter’s binder here and I was verbally attacked by people in
2:00:24 my own
2:00:24 party out there that they’re screaming call me a lesbian lover
2:00:28 gay lover I was
2:00:31 shaking I’m still shaking I just can’t believe that happened so
2:00:34 you know we
2:00:35 need to have decorum treat people to respect and medicine I’m a
2:00:39 health care
2:00:40 provider so if I see somebody who’s gay who’s pansexual I treat
2:00:44 everybody with
2:00:44 respect I don’t say oh you’re transgender or you’re gay I treat
2:00:48 people so that’s
2:00:49 just go back to the golden rule I’m not gonna be redundant on
2:00:54 some of the
2:00:55 topics I’m already stand I think we don’t need more rules
2:00:59 everything but that’s
2:01:00 another topic some of the things I think that nobody else has
2:01:06 brought up is this
2:01:08 I’ve reached out to Russell Broon I think I saw him here earlier
2:01:12 and Lisa Elam
2:01:14 this is passed in 2016 my question is none of the school board
2:01:18 members that were
2:01:19 elected after that they didn’t say anything about it why now so
2:01:22 that’s my
2:01:23 question second question is where does everybody stand I know
2:01:28 this is public
2:01:28 comments I can’t interrogate you like in a court case but I’m a
2:01:33 district for my
2:01:34 school board member sent an email out to the Republican
2:01:36 executive committee and
2:01:38 said this is Biden language which he was in an office in 2016
2:01:43 working on the sports
2:01:45 angle after the FHSAA so I’ve never spoken at a school board
2:01:49 meeting so I don’t know
2:01:49 all the legalities our backs are against the wall my friend so
2:01:55 that’s why I want to
2:01:57 try to find out more and learn more about this LGBTQ guidelines
2:02:03 his very gold water
2:02:04 said government governs best when it governs least and tries to
2:02:09 stay out the
2:02:09 impossible task of legislative morality and I felt like I met
2:02:13 morality police out
2:02:15 there because of the way I was dressed because of my folder and
2:02:19 I’m horrified
2:02:20 I’m embarrassed this is not the party that I grew up in I’ve
2:02:23 been a registered
2:02:24 Republican since high school I’ve been active in politics since
2:02:28 high school and
2:02:29 our party on our website says we believe in equal right equal
2:02:35 justice equal
2:02:36 opportunity for all regardless of race creed age and sex I had
2:02:40 Trump Club
2:02:41 members that were gay and transgender thanks thank you
2:02:45 good evening madam chair my name is Catherine Hagan can you move
2:03:01 just a little closer for me
2:03:02 Catherine certainly I’m a 21-year resident of Brevard County I
2:03:07 come to you as a concerned citizen a
2:03:09 voter and representative of Spectrum Health Spectrum Health is
2:03:14 an lgbtq cent lgbtq plus focused community health center in
2:03:20 Orlando
2:03:21 we serve a number of patients in Brevard
2:03:28 I am the chair of the Brevard County advisory board for Spectrum
2:03:36 in that role I work as a community advocate and a peer mentor
2:03:40 I work with some of these youth that are directly affected by
2:03:44 these policies
2:03:45 I know them I know their parents their parents are my personal
2:03:48 friends
2:03:51 I also know the despair that comes with living in a different
2:03:54 time in a different place where these types
2:03:57 of protections were unheard of I know what it’s like to stay in
2:04:01 the closet
2:04:02 I also know what it’s like to come into the light and I applaud
2:04:08 you each of you that were here in 2016
2:04:11 that implemented these policies in the first place that allowed
2:04:15 these kids to live their authentic lives
2:04:19 you’ve already done the hard work all that I’m asking you to do
2:04:22 now is to stay the course
2:04:24 none of the policies that are being discussed or none of the
2:04:29 guidance that’s being discussed
2:04:31 creates any rights that don’t exist for anyone else transgender
2:04:38 kids transgender adults
2:04:40 we don’t want anything special we just want to be accepted affirmed
2:04:45 and to blend in
2:04:49 I’ve heard people ask well how many trans kids are there how
2:04:51 many LGBT are there in the school system
2:04:53 I don’t know exactly considering it’s a group that largely hides
2:04:58 in plain sight
2:04:59 but I do know that when the time came for Spectrum to expand and
2:05:04 open a second office
2:05:05 we chose to do so here in Brevard County
2:05:09 thank you thanks Catherine
2:05:12 Jennifer Dunn followed by Alexander Churnshove Alano Churnshove
2:05:23 and Sarah Schmidt
2:05:31 all right for the record here’s what was said about the policy
2:05:36 in 2016. all we are is changing some verbiage
2:05:41 did and to clarify uh this is not a bathroom policy I would not
2:05:47 be supporting this policy
2:05:48 and if I thought my vote in any way would allow boys and girls
2:05:55 in the same restroom
2:05:57 our communication here at the local level has been regardless of
2:06:00 policy change we don’t intend
2:06:02 to make changes when it comes to those procedures
2:06:06 if this wasn’t your intention then you should fix it now all
2:06:11 children need needs and concerns should
2:06:14 be taken into consideration when making policies I at least ask
2:06:18 you to vote on these issues yourselves
2:06:21 so your constituents know where you stand thank you thank you
2:06:33 so I would like to touch the move a little closer Alex touch the
2:06:39 subject taboo subject of overall mask
2:06:43 effectiveness and hypoxia first I want to see to say that hypoxia
2:06:47 or oxygen deprivation is a real thing
2:06:51 I experience it mask do suffocate us my me and my family have
2:06:56 severe have headaches from wearing a mask
2:06:59 and and I ask everybody ask your kids if they experience
2:07:04 headaches or dizziness stop ignoring them
2:07:08 ask doctor for medical exemption doctors have to answer and here
2:07:13 the the hypocrisy comes
2:07:18 when you wear a mask on on one side you need to have side holes
2:07:23 to breathe not to suffocate yourself
2:07:26 but at the same time you expect the mask to stop the virus
2:07:30 somehow
2:07:30 and according to science and I can provide a lot of evidence
2:07:35 overall airflow efficiency of the face-to-face
2:07:38 mask mask system is only 20 percent for comfortable briefing
2:07:42 imagine a sick one sick person which produces two gallons per
2:07:46 minute
2:07:47 of 100 percent carbon contaminated air 20 percent goes through
2:07:51 the mask itself only 80 percent and
2:07:54 although 80 percent goes through the side holes 100 contaminated
2:07:59 moreover in a stale environment with limited airflow
2:08:03 like this when you have aerosol particles of covet they can stay
2:08:08 in the air for hours from minutes to hours depending on the size
2:08:12 and now once you have one one or two person with covid and they
2:08:21 have the toxic cloud in the area
2:08:23 the healthy person with the mask it has 80 percent efficiency
2:08:28 collecting those particles so overall the whole system
2:08:32 of mask is highly ineffective so and at the same time the long-term
2:08:38 effect of the suffocation on the kids
2:08:41 it’s well known there are multiple studies where people do have
2:08:46 headaches and moreover
2:08:50 you also affect the hormone development in kids because when you
2:08:54 don’t have enough oxygen it suppress
2:08:56 the hormones production so one of the topics so and so one of
2:09:04 the solutions which we can come is first
2:09:08 solution is let’s make mask effective so we ignore the suffocation
2:09:13 part of the mask let’s enforce n95 respirators
2:09:17 and let’s tape the side holes and we recommend the board start
2:09:22 the lead by example let’s enforce it let’s
2:09:24 make it effective or don’t do it and the other solution is let’s
2:09:31 make mask wear mask voluntarily
2:09:35 if people need mask for for their comfort let’s do it so as my
2:09:39 11 old son put it
2:09:43 he’s good in science he says masks sweep covet under the rug
2:09:48 while improved ventilation throws it right
2:09:51 into the trash let’s improve ventilation thank you we appreciate
2:09:56 you joining us this evening but i would
2:09:58 ask that you make sure that you’re wearing a mask when you’re
2:10:01 moving throughout the room please
2:10:13 okay my dear fellow americans we are tired of this masquerade i’m
2:10:21 gonna interrupt you for
2:10:22 just a moment and please ask that you speak to the board okay
2:10:25 thank you the ineffectiveness of
2:10:27 wearing a mask was proven again and again by multiple reputable
2:10:32 source 75 to 80 percent of all particles
2:10:36 escape through the side holes anyway so are we been lied to are
2:10:41 we at the point in history george orwell
2:10:44 predicted when he said in a time of universal deceit telling the
2:10:50 truth is a revolutionary act
2:10:52 our body is not designed to consume what it is trying to
2:10:57 eliminate
2:10:59 the opposite is true all sorts of diseases thrive in an oxygen
2:11:04 deprived blood our politicians contradict
2:11:08 themselves to overcome covet don’t we need more oxygen better
2:11:13 ventilation remember ventilators
2:11:17 by depriving our kids access to oxygen we decrease the chances
2:11:23 of their immune system to fight the virus
2:11:26 hypoxemia or below normal levels of oxygen in the blood affect
2:11:31 the brain and the heart if persists over a
2:11:34 long period of time so we demand effective solution if a school
2:11:40 board insists on wearing a mask we insist
2:11:44 you tape the holes on all sides to make masks effective try it
2:11:49 and then try to breathe we insist you start from yourself
2:11:56 and if you succeed which you don’t then you can impose it on our
2:12:01 kids
2:12:02 there are very effective alternatives to build a strong immune
2:12:10 system and minimize the chances of any
2:12:13 disease let me remind you anti-inflammatory diet go to nutritionfacts.org
2:12:21 and find out what the latest science
2:12:24 is saying teach it teach it teach it in school to our kids i
2:12:27 recommend the book how not to die by dr gregor
2:12:32 for example his daily dozen checklists also plenty of vitamins
2:12:37 and minerals plenty of sun plenty of water
2:12:41 plenty of movement plenty of fresh air by the way which was
2:12:47 known for millions of years to all the people
2:12:51 we demand that interest of both groups of people are represented
2:12:56 we are here to remind everyone that
2:12:59 school board are public servants
2:13:01 funded by and elected by the people and for the people and not
2:13:10 for your creepy agenda
2:13:14 also we are here to we are not here to negotiate our movement is
2:13:19 here to replace corrupt political
2:13:21 institution and return power to the people thank you for joining
2:13:25 us this evening your three minutes are
2:13:27 up please please stop speaking now thank you and if you would
2:13:31 please put a mask on when you move through the room
2:13:39 all right sarah schmidt followed by lewis shaffer then theresa
2:13:42 clayton we might want to wipe down the mic yeah
2:13:47 there are wipes there if you would like to wipe that down before
2:13:56 you i’m good okay
2:14:01 thank you for my being able to speak some of you have known or
2:14:06 gone through this some may not have
2:14:09 when you’re a kid nothing else matters but other other than
2:14:11 being a kid right it’s supposed to be fun
2:14:15 carefree adventurous with parents and friends may maybe cause
2:14:18 some mischief along the way and maybe just
2:14:21 maybe meet some someone special now imagine that kid now and now
2:14:26 now imagine all that with the feeling
2:14:29 thoughts and not fitting in and i don’t mean being um being um
2:14:35 being outcast what i mean is not fitting in
2:14:41 not fitting in that box of that says male or female now what i’m
2:14:46 what is going through my head was
2:14:49 not only wanting to be that beautiful woman but being that
2:14:53 beautiful woman my point is this that
2:14:55 people like me have have been around very long time and playing
2:14:59 sports and joining the military right
2:15:01 alongside the rest of you for over 100 years the reason you have
2:15:06 objections to it now is that we are
2:15:09 visible and in from the shadows and we are here to stay one bit
2:15:14 of tech uh is this from the associated
2:15:17 press of the 20 plus laws provisions uh proposed across the
2:15:21 country asked if there were any situations
2:15:25 when it created problems they found none thank you and have a
2:15:29 good day thank you sarah
2:15:31 lewis
2:15:39 lewis schafer
2:15:40 going once going twice
2:15:44 does anyone know lewis know if lewis might be here
2:15:51 okay pam i’m going to move on to the next one if lewis is out
2:15:58 would you just provide escort thank you
2:16:01 um teresa clayton
2:16:08 hi thanks for the opportunity to speak to a couple issues that i
2:16:16 have i first want to say i have a 14
2:16:18 year old grandchild in the brevard county school system i want
2:16:21 to begin by saying our country cannot
2:16:24 govern or operate or pass laws based on feelings feelings are
2:16:30 irrational this country has to serve
2:16:33 the whole country it’s not the government’s job we have drag
2:16:37 queens reading story books in public
2:16:40 libraries to our innocent impressionable children like this is
2:16:44 normal i thought the left were for
2:16:46 girls and women but want boys and young men up to 18 in girls
2:16:50 bathrooms locker rooms what’s next showers
2:16:53 so a boy on monday can say i feel like a girl on wednesday get
2:16:58 to go watch our girls undress
2:17:00 the left says believe in science well there are only two genders
2:17:04 male and female
2:17:05 the left are allowing boys in girls sports males are biologically
2:17:11 stronger bigger lungs
2:17:13 muscle mass and girls will never win awards scholarships or the
2:17:18 chance to go into the olympics
2:17:20 biden’s health secretary pick rachel levin who is transgender at
2:17:26 her senate confirmation hearing
2:17:28 would not answer the questions about allowing children hormonal
2:17:31 injections they will alter them for life
2:17:34 and pushing to not allow parents to even know about it
2:17:39 on the subject of mask mandates coronavirus is airborne it can
2:17:43 be transmitted in through the eyes
2:17:46 it goes through the tear ducts into the nasal cavity into your
2:17:50 lungs it’s false security and also if
2:17:54 masks work how come democrats are releasing tens of thousands of
2:17:59 prisoners in prison because of covid
2:18:02 give them all a mask why is biden leaving our borders wide open
2:18:07 tens of thousands of illegals coming in hundreds
2:18:09 tested positive released onto buses headed all over our country
2:18:14 coming to a city near you close the border
2:18:17 the left and the democrats want god out of our country any way
2:18:24 possible pushing abortions
2:18:26 lbgd lgbtq excuse me want to do away with christianity judeo-christian
2:18:34 values beliefs that is what this
2:18:36 great country was founded on that’s why people are trying to
2:18:39 come to our great our great country
2:18:41 because we are the greatest country in the world but if these
2:18:45 policies get implemented we will not have
2:18:47 in america like we know it anymore any of you who vote for these
2:18:52 harmful crazy policies will be voted out
2:18:56 we will work tirelessly to fill your seats with people who
2:18:59 believe in our children’s mental physical
2:19:02 health and future god freedom and liberty everything that has
2:19:06 made america great thank you thank you
2:19:09 theresa have a good night all right louise ragun smith followed
2:19:18 by kelly miracle and then ashley hall
2:19:22 oh okay sorry go ahead good evening i’m louise ragun smith i
2:19:32 wanted to first of all thank you all for
2:19:34 your time and your willingness to hear many many opinions i also
2:19:39 wanted to commend the students that
2:19:41 are here tonight to speak out on their experience i come to you
2:19:44 as a bps employee and a school counselor
2:19:47 at a middle school in merritt island i’ve also worked in volusia
2:19:50 county where i was the gay straight
2:19:52 alliance coordinator and i have to tell you how much i
2:19:55 appreciate these policies and these guidelines not
2:19:59 only as an employee but someone who supports students in every
2:20:02 facet um i wish that i could have bottled
2:20:05 the expression of one of my students when i said hey i’m going
2:20:07 to school board tonight we’re going to
2:20:08 talk about trans rights their face lit up in such a way and they
2:20:13 said really i get to be a person now
2:20:15 and that moment is invaluable so thank you for giving that
2:20:20 moment to a student to be dignified and
2:20:23 respected and respected and as a bps employee i am quite
2:20:27 concerned about some of our employees not
2:20:30 being able or willing to embrace these guidelines and adhere to
2:20:34 them and my question to you as this
2:20:36 rolls out and continues is how are we going to make sure that
2:20:41 faculty and staff are using those pronouns
2:20:44 are respecting that student’s dignity is there teeth to this
2:20:48 essentially how are we going to make sure
2:20:51 that we are promoting correct understanding of what it means to
2:20:55 be a transgendered person
2:20:57 and not misinformation that is so widely circulated about the
2:21:01 community it’s important to me that my
2:21:03 students and staff are on the same page about what it means to
2:21:06 be transgendered because when i hear people
2:21:08 say i don’t want a boy going into the girls bathroom that’s
2:21:12 incorrect a transgendered girl
2:21:16 is going into the bathroom and we need to respect that and have
2:21:20 a common understanding
2:21:22 that is based in science and psychology that helps us all
2:21:26 understand how to support these very
2:21:28 vulnerable and precious students thank you so much thank you louise
2:21:33 did we find lewis shaffer do we know not yet okay uh so kelly
2:21:50 uh first i would like to say that i am very disappointed with
2:21:54 with the school board here
2:21:56 my problem is with you guys you guys have exercised
2:22:00 a tremendous overreach of your authority you were elected by
2:22:06 this community to represent us
2:22:09 but instead you’ve decided to push your own agenda on my kids a
2:22:13 little more than four years ago
2:22:16 uh an elected board of five members of which actually by the by
2:22:20 the way only one of you were re-elected mrs
2:22:22 belford decided to enact a policy to protect our lgbtq youth the
2:22:28 heart of this policy was preached to us
2:22:31 as a protective anti-bullying and harassment initiative which
2:22:36 was backed by the title nine law
2:22:38 the title nine law says that public schools cannot single out lgbtq
2:22:43 students for negative treatment
2:22:46 this law is and was meant as an anti-bullying anti-harassment
2:22:51 law however what the board has
2:22:54 failed to recognize is that the 14th amendment equal protection
2:22:58 clause applies to all of our kids
2:23:00 no state shall deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal
2:23:05 protection of the laws
2:23:06 the equal access act allows the formation of lgbtq clubs it does
2:23:12 not allow males to join female sports
2:23:16 or provide them uninterrupted access to my daughter’s locker
2:23:19 room
2:23:19 it’s a gross overreach to say that if my child comes to a staff
2:23:27 member at her school and tells
2:23:28 them that she believes that she might be gay or male that they
2:23:31 don’t have to notify me
2:23:33 the lbgtq nation states nearly 40 percent of lgbtq youth have
2:23:38 contemplated suicide in the last year
2:23:41 48 percent reported and engaging in self-harm on what planet is
2:23:45 it in my child’s best interest
2:23:48 for you not to notify me if they are going through something
2:23:53 that huge and you had better believe
2:23:57 that if my child comes out to a staff member and they do not
2:24:00 notify me and later they commit suicide
2:24:02 i will slap a lawsuit on this school board so fast your head
2:24:06 will spin when the initiative was passed
2:24:09 in 2016 miss belford you assured us and i’m actually quoting
2:24:12 your own words this has little to do with
2:24:15 practices and nothing to do with bathrooms it seems that was not
2:24:20 true and perhaps that quote was the only
2:24:22 reason you’re the last remaining board member from that vote let
2:24:25 me make it perfectly clear if this
2:24:27 initiative moves forward i will do everything in my power my
2:24:31 personal mission to make sure that none of
2:24:33 you are re-elected in this town it’s untrue and narrow-minded to
2:24:38 say that just because i object this
2:24:42 i’m anti-lgbtq youth i care about all kids i want everyone to be
2:24:47 safe however the solution is not this
2:24:51 we can come together and discuss the solution but you will not
2:24:55 decide for me thank you
2:24:57 ashley hall followed by rowan craig and then cory carmichael
2:25:18 i’m sorry ashley hall followed by rowan craig and then cory carmichael
2:25:24 no problem hey my name is ashley hall i’m the brevard chair for
2:25:32 moms for liberty
2:25:34 um first wanted to say uh thank you for inviting what sounded
2:25:39 like an echo chamber in this room today
2:25:42 um to talk about an end goal with no advice to get to an end
2:25:46 goal so thank you for that um
2:25:49 hopefully our task force uh the task force that i was invited to
2:25:54 be on uh will have a little bit
2:25:56 better of a solution than what they came up with today um the
2:25:58 rest of the time i am going to talk a
2:26:01 little bit about the guidelines um as a spokesperson
2:26:04 spokesperson for moms for liberty
2:26:07 um seems like there’s a little bit of misinformation about our
2:26:10 organization and how we feel about this
2:26:13 um so i’m going to just kind of speak off the cuff i’m not going
2:26:16 to even read off of my notes really here
2:26:18 because uh 100 we want no bullying for any child we want all
2:26:26 children to feel safe in the school in their
2:26:29 schools so um that misconception is is absolutely false the act
2:26:34 the idea that we want the guidelines to
2:26:37 um just you know be gone either is not correct we would actually
2:26:43 like for you guys to take these
2:26:45 guidelines back take our parent concerns for the parental
2:26:49 notifications or the uh the actions you’re
2:26:53 going to take to prevent abuse so abuse we’re not so much
2:26:57 worried for you know a trans student that would
2:27:02 abuse you know abuse a person going into their identified
2:27:06 restroom it’s those that may take advantage
2:27:10 of this now guideline that could lead to further abuse so as a
2:27:17 parent of a seven-year-old little boy and
2:27:20 a three-year-old little boy and i know um there are parents with
2:27:24 boys and girls boys and girls need to
2:27:27 be considered um for this this guideline so have we considered
2:27:32 everyone i would like to see everyone
2:27:35 considered in the guidelines because there could be unintended
2:27:39 consequences that come from written
2:27:42 guidelines so i would like to see the guidelines further written
2:27:45 out to include those that may be at
2:27:47 risk if there are students that are uncomfortable with this how
2:27:51 will you handle those students that are
2:27:53 uncomfortable um and for those um trans students that came and
2:27:58 spoke it was very inspiring um to hear
2:28:01 their stories and you know we don’t want to have a divide
2:28:06 between us what you saw out there today
2:28:10 when we walked into this building is not representative of our
2:28:14 organization even i was yelled at by
2:28:17 my side i wouldn’t call it my side um so we want to make sure
2:28:24 that you know we’re inclusive of all
2:28:26 and that our students are considered that may be a concern with
2:28:30 this thanks ashley
2:28:32 rowan
2:28:40 good evening my name is rowan craig i’ve been attending school
2:28:57 in brevard for about 13 years
2:28:59 i first spoke in front of the board at the age of 12 when the lgbt
2:29:04 non-discrimination policy was first
2:29:05 being passed and five years later i’ve seen firsthand the
2:29:09 positive impact that it’s had on my peers
2:29:11 over the years i founded a gay straight alliance at johnson
2:29:15 middle school i was the leader of a
2:29:18 local lgbt youth group called rainbow youth of brevard i worked
2:29:22 as our local p flag chapters youth advisor
2:29:25 i was awarded the title of youth grand marshal at last year’s
2:29:29 space coast pride parade
2:29:31 and i’m the current vice president of ogali high school’s gender
2:29:35 and sexuality alliance also known
2:29:37 as safe space so i hope you’ll consider me qualified to give an
2:29:40 opinion on these protections
2:29:42 throughout all of these experiences i’ve had the opportunity to
2:29:47 hear many different stories of all
2:29:49 kinds of students affected by this policy and i can tell you
2:29:53 there is never a good reason to forcibly out
2:29:56 students to their parents i have never met a single trans
2:30:01 student who would feel comfortable or safe with
2:30:04 the proposed changes local and state officials have put forward
2:30:09 and that’s how i know they’re not
2:30:13 listening if a child does not want their parent to know that
2:30:17 they are transgender it is for good reason
2:30:20 whether it’s because they face the threat of disownment or
2:30:23 violence or because they’re simply not ready
2:30:25 forcibly outing a child will always be a violation of their
2:30:30 autonomy while the supposed parent bill of
2:30:34 rights would fulfill a self-serving sense of entitlement in some
2:30:39 parents it does not serve students which as
2:30:43 you are so often reminded is your mission the reason this issue
2:30:47 is so close to my heart is because i have
2:30:50 many trans friends who have confided in me about the dangers
2:30:54 they may face if forcibly outed to their parents
2:30:57 frankly i’m tired of the discussion being about parental control
2:31:01 and not the perspectives of these potential victims
2:31:06 i hope that moving forward the board will continue to support
2:31:10 these protections and that each member takes
2:31:12 time to listen to the voices of the students that need it most
2:31:17 thank you thanks ron
2:31:25 cory carmichael followed by willow noah and then lydia pressel
2:31:29 cory
2:31:32 okay willow
2:31:36 willow noah
2:31:39 he’s coming
2:31:42 okay
2:31:55 my name is willow noah i’m a resident of brevard county public
2:32:02 school or brevard county florida i’m a
2:32:03 non-binary bisexual person and my pronouns are she they until
2:32:07 2018 i was a student of brevard county
2:32:09 public schools and this is my experience in academics and
2:32:12 community spaces thereof for detractors of
2:32:14 clinical gender theory i’d like to refer to centers to the
2:32:16 collected works of emeritus professor dr ihalea
2:32:19 lips at the research center of psychology at radford university
2:32:22 who recognizes the spectrum of gender
2:32:24 identities and is a personal friend of my family’s the last time
2:32:28 that i came to the school board
2:32:29 was in 2016 with rainbow youth of brevard and p flag to get the
2:32:32 very ordinance passed that we
2:32:33 are discussing a hate group was there i remember vividly being
2:32:37 called slurs and being threatened
2:32:38 the ordinance passed with several of our elderly members being
2:32:41 threatened with bodily harm
2:32:43 we were followed home by people with firearms this incident gave
2:32:46 me intense fear when
2:32:47 leaving my home i didn’t go to school for a week and i developed
2:32:49 clinical ptsd
2:32:51 the year before the non-discrimination ordinance was passed i
2:32:54 was in middle school it wasn’t required
2:32:55 to recognize names and pronouns or to stand up for lgbt students
2:32:59 i had a few friends in my gym
2:33:00 class who were also bullied relentlessly for being bisexual and
2:33:04 teachers turned a blind eye because they
2:33:05 dismissed it as garden variety bullying these students could not
2:33:09 find acceptance at home
2:33:10 or at school and turn to self-harm and suicide attempts i recall
2:33:14 a gym period i spent bandaging my
2:33:15 friend’s bleeding arms holding her hair back as she vomited up
2:33:18 the pills she had taken
2:33:19 she was religious and her church had told her she deserved to
2:33:22 burn in hell a fellow student agreed
2:33:24 and mocked her for the crime of loving other women i was 12
2:33:27 years old this is the reality oftentimes for
2:33:29 students from varard county when i was 14 i ran the gay straight
2:33:32 alliance in melbourne high school
2:33:33 kids were frequently suicidal and had issues with substance
2:33:35 abuse and self-harm
2:33:36 i had a friend who was violently suicidal and because people had
2:33:40 told me it was safe i reported it
2:33:42 school resource officers they were not properly trained to deal
2:33:45 with lgbt students at risk she was taken
2:33:47 inpatient at circles of care outed to her family and violently
2:33:50 beaten by her father
2:33:51 even with the ordinance in place i had issues using my preferred
2:33:54 name in class i had a teacher tell
2:33:56 me he didn’t use nicknames because they were dumb and demented
2:33:58 and i accepted it because otherwise i
2:34:00 would have to out myself to fellow students the anti-discrimination
2:34:03 policy in place is only a start
2:34:05 a bear cold protection for our most vulnerable students lgbt
2:34:07 youth who come from highly rejecting
2:34:09 families are 8.4 times as likely to have attempted suicide as
2:34:12 their peers who reported no or low levels
2:34:14 of family protection these ordinances in place are life-saving
2:34:17 for our trans students on a personal
2:34:19 note as a jewish person from generations of strong jews i’m
2:34:22 uncomfortable with a group purporting
2:34:24 liberty restricting my religious freedom in judaism we have six
2:34:28 genders zakhar nekiva tumtum
2:34:31 androgynous androgynous and saris all six genders are made but
2:34:36 salmo eloquim in the image of god
2:34:38 barring faculty from recognizing children as their gender is
2:34:42 transgressing on jewish religious freedom
2:34:44 the anti-discrimination policies were already in place anti-discrimination
2:34:48 i asked the school
2:34:49 board to uphold this ordinance for the safety of our lgbt youth
2:34:52 and i thank them for their continued
2:34:53 support the barti i yield my time thanks hello
2:35:00 lydia pressell followed by megan wright and then jeremy saglinberry
2:35:11 maybe
2:35:15 hello hello good evening hi i just wanted to first of all i
2:35:19 wanted to say i love everybody i love gays
2:35:23 lesbians transgender this isn’t about that um in fact my my
2:35:29 daughter um ever since elementary school her
2:35:32 two of her closest friends forget are gay and one is dresses as
2:35:37 female but identifies as a boy
2:35:40 um so i mean in fact she’s with them tonight um so i mean and
2:35:44 they were their close friends so it’s nothing
2:35:47 to do with being gay or any transgender what i’m concerned about
2:35:53 is um the women’s sports i’m concerned
2:35:57 about the genetics it’s it’s i mean i can tell you um growing up
2:36:01 or my my son growing up we used to play
2:36:04 kickboxing and we had a good time until about 13 years old and
2:36:09 all of a sudden we’re doing pretend
2:36:11 kickboxing and all of a sudden he comes in and i end up breaking
2:36:15 a couple ribs because i realized oh my
2:36:17 gosh my little boy is is his testosterone is kicking in and now
2:36:22 he’s a man and i had to pull away from
2:36:25 doing sports with him um so basically you know realizing that
2:36:30 genetics it is impossible for um
2:36:35 i mean just the other night i was at a little pub and i was i
2:36:37 know this sounds crazy i’m going to go
2:36:39 off topic here but playing arm wrestling with a bunch of girls
2:36:43 uh just happened to be doing that
2:36:45 and then all of a sudden my brother comes in and says oh come on
2:36:48 let’s arm wrestle so we start arm
2:36:49 wrestling and of course he took me down in two seconds you know
2:36:53 so what i’m really concerned about is
2:36:55 what is this going to do to women’s sports it i know i feel bad
2:36:59 for everybody i feel bad that they’re in
2:37:01 the situation but genetically it’s dna it comes down to that um
2:37:06 and you know like i said i do feel bad
2:37:10 that they’re in that situation but i don’t want it to be against
2:37:14 and come against the opposite where
2:37:17 it’s like everybody’s hurting so where the women can’t get their
2:37:20 scholarship women can’t you know so
2:37:22 i mean yesterday was women’s day um and you know basically it
2:37:26 was how are we going to keep women i
2:37:29 mean back in the day it was how are we going to excel as women
2:37:32 when when you know that’s going to be an
2:37:35 issue but anyway like i said i i just i feel bad that we live in
2:37:40 a world where this is an issue um i wish
2:37:45 and i pray that you know because i do feel bad for them i really
2:37:48 do i feel bad that they’re going
2:37:50 through that my heart goes out to them i really but but keep in
2:37:55 mind i think everybody we need to
2:37:57 think about everybody and how they feel and how their little
2:38:01 girls feel going into a room where possibly
2:38:03 there’s men in you know that’s where my concern is is that it
2:38:07 has to be fair and balanced for everybody
2:38:09 for the majority and you know and as far as i pray to god that
2:38:13 they you know i understand that they
2:38:16 have a problem thanks lydia we appreciate you being here
2:38:18 all right megan wright followed by jeremy and then kelly williams
2:38:36 good evening my name is megan wright i am a local brevard county
2:38:40 resident i am born here raised here
2:38:42 went to school here i currently have two daughters that are both
2:38:45 enrolled in the brevard county public
2:38:47 schools my husband and i both run two businesses that you know
2:38:50 we operate out of brevard county and
2:38:52 employ quite a few people here i come to you as a mother that’s
2:38:56 extremely concerned about this lgbtq plus
2:38:59 policy i’m sure the board has had its fair share of emails phone
2:39:03 calls we can see there’s quite a split
2:39:04 room here but the board has a mission and the mission is right
2:39:07 on the wall behind you and that’s to serve
2:39:10 every student with excellence as a standard every student means
2:39:14 every student so it’s clear that
2:39:16 there’s work to be done here there is not really a clean
2:39:20 solution to this it sounds like that but we
2:39:22 need to keep continuing to look at this policy um as a mother
2:39:26 who has daughters that are in school
2:39:28 i’m going to tell you i don’t want a male in there changing in a
2:39:31 locker room in front of my daughter
2:39:33 and i think that that’s a fair expectation for me to have as a
2:39:37 parent i don’t think that that’s asking
2:39:39 for anything unfair in february of 2019 two trans athletes who
2:39:44 were born male and identify as female
2:39:47 took the first place at the connecticut state high school track
2:39:50 championship i am concerned about what
2:39:53 this will do for our females in the school system if we are now
2:39:57 allowing transgender to participate in a
2:40:00 female sport 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 and that is hurting our female
2:40:11 population that hurts those kids potential
2:40:13 to get scholarships in different arenas um you know there’s been
2:40:17 a lot of talk about science that’s
2:40:19 the thing everyone likes to talk about now the science and so
2:40:22 the science is real clear on this
2:40:24 there are chromosomes that differentiate which gender we are so
2:40:27 and there are only two different
2:40:29 variations of that so i’m pleading with you guys just to look at
2:40:33 this policy to consider making
2:40:35 something that’s a little safer than what this broad policy is
2:40:38 now and work together to come up with a
2:40:40 solution that helps protect every one of the students not just
2:40:45 the very few students that we’re focusing
2:40:47 in on thank you thanks megan jeremy
2:40:58 hi my name is jeremy saglin benny and i’ve been in brevard
2:41:02 county since 1996. i’m a father of four
2:41:05 and i have a local business here in the county as well um i don’t
2:41:09 hate anyone i’ve been accused of
2:41:12 hate and screaming that that i hate people because i’m not pro-lgbt
2:41:15 but it’s not the case i think it’s
2:41:17 many of the case that just because we’re not for something it
2:41:19 doesn’t mean that we hate that
2:41:20 um i honestly don’t hate people that that’s not my not me
2:41:24 biological gender is unchangeable so
2:41:28 bathroom and locker room assignments should be based on
2:41:30 biological gender this is not a crippling on
2:41:32 religious freedom i’m a born-again christian i i don’t that’s
2:41:36 that’s not the case that’s not the
2:41:38 reasons there are different reasons um switching subjects sports
2:41:44 boys are most boys are stronger than most
2:41:46 girls not 100 but most boys are stronger than most girls my son
2:41:49 ran cross country and the boys and the
2:41:51 girls are separate for different reasons for sorry for obvious
2:41:55 reasons the boys track times are way
2:41:57 lower than the girls track times if a boy ran on the track of
2:42:01 the girls track team even not one of the
2:42:03 top boys they would clean house that would make it instantly
2:42:07 unfair and all those girls would be
2:42:10 cheated badly
2:42:12 there’s been a history of people posing as transgenders and
2:42:18 doing bad things to people
2:42:21 and because they have the easy access to them i’m not saying all
2:42:25 transgenders are bad i’m not saying
2:42:27 that i’m saying there’s people who have posed as transgender to
2:42:30 gain access to children or people of the
2:42:33 opposite sex and bad things have happened consequences are not
2:42:38 going to go there we need a different
2:42:42 solution for that so i’m not here to condemn the lgbt to speak
2:42:46 against having giving a small minority
2:42:48 a full change to policy not telling parents is absolutely unthinkable
2:42:52 uh kids can even watch certain
2:42:54 movies about their parents consent and something this serious
2:42:56 needs to be addressed to the parents
2:42:58 if one of my children is going through this i as a parent need
2:43:01 to know i know there’s different forms
2:43:03 of abuse but the the parents need to know we need to come up
2:43:06 with a different solution for that
2:43:08 and parents who abuse their children need to be fully charged to
2:43:10 the extent of the law
2:43:11 i don’t know
2:43:17 why i was here in 2016 i don’t know why the course has changed
2:43:23 because i was told in 2016 i spoke then
2:43:26 and i was told that this is not going to happen for sure it’s
2:43:29 not going to happen this is not the case
2:43:32 but i’m standing here again because it did happen so i don’t
2:43:36 know why that changed i don’t know what
2:43:38 the motives were i don’t know what the outside influence was but
2:43:40 whatever that is i would ask you
2:43:42 to reconsider that reconsider the lives that you’re affecting
2:43:45 and the lives you’re changing there’s no
2:43:47 bullying there there’s no i mean lgbtq has all the rights that
2:43:52 straight people do and often more
2:43:55 honestly so food for thought thanks jeremy
2:43:58 all right kelly williams followed by eric craig and then brandy
2:44:08 julen
2:44:19 as a mother with children in preschool elementary and high
2:44:22 school i couldn’t feel stronger about
2:44:24 standing up for my parental rights the safety of my children and
2:44:27 for all of my fellow brevard county
2:44:29 parents i’m here to speak against the policies of the lgbtq
2:44:32 guidance and its clear agenda to strip away parental
2:44:35 roles and instead give them solely to our underage underdeveloped
2:44:39 and extremely vulnerable children
2:44:41 this guidance as it’s been so controversial named is designed to
2:44:46 appease a small select group of people
2:44:48 at the expense of the rest allowing children as young as four
2:44:52 years old to be forcibly subject subjected to
2:44:55 an environment that will affect them for the rest of their lives
2:44:57 allowing a child whom will inherently
2:45:00 try on many different personas as they grow up and develop into
2:45:04 individuals to decide with the approval of a
2:45:06 non-related adult ie teacher or school official to change their
2:45:10 god-given gender identity in any way
2:45:13 without the consent of the child’s parent or regardless of their
2:45:16 opposition to such is a complete
2:45:18 overstep of boundaries from educational bureaucrats it is a
2:45:22 direct violation of the rights and desires of
2:45:25 parents who already struggle to maintain stability for their
2:45:27 children in an extremely unstable world
2:45:30 why is it that we have to sign a form of consent to educate our
2:45:34 children about sexuality but have
2:45:35 no right to be involved in their interpretation or implications
2:45:38 of it it is not brevard public
2:45:41 schools place to raise our children or push their personal
2:45:45 beliefs or opinions on them their role is
2:45:47 simply to educate them academically and that’s it allowing
2:45:51 legally underage people to make life-altering
2:45:54 decisions is not only irresponsible but abusive and neglectful
2:45:58 our children are just that
2:46:00 ours and how dare anyone try to take that right away from us
2:46:04 furthermore this guidance doesn’t promote
2:46:06 a safe non-discriminatory environment but instead creates just
2:46:10 the opposite what about the heterosexual
2:46:12 children who will be affected by the infringement of their
2:46:15 privacy in a place with the vulnerability of
2:46:17 a bathroom the fear of exposure or creating a situation with the
2:46:21 concerns of rape in mind i’m in favor of
2:46:24 equality for all people no matter of race gender religion or
2:46:27 anything else but this is not the way
2:46:29 how about a family style bathroom that anyone can feel safe to
2:46:34 use in our schools how about creating
2:46:36 co-ed sports teams so anyone can be involved why are we labeling
2:46:40 people at all isn’t that the exact
2:46:42 definition of segregate segregation the bottom line is these are
2:46:46 our children not yours and our rights as
2:46:49 parents will not be revoked thank you thanks kelly
2:46:53 eric craig followed by brandy julin and then tamela castellano
2:47:13 hello eric craig from coco beach i received an email that was
2:47:20 very uh inflammatory what was going to happen
2:47:24 tonight and i have to say that i’m very impressed with what is
2:47:28 going on um i’m a taxpayer i have no
2:47:34 children i’m also a pastor and i have a whole new group of
2:47:39 people to pray for and i want them to know and
2:47:44 i want you to know that god loves you it doesn’t matter if you
2:47:48 doubt that god loves you read the bible
2:47:53 there’s a whole lot of bad people in there there’s a whole lot
2:47:55 of sick people a whole lot of people that
2:47:58 were dying a whole lot of people that were doing all sorts of
2:48:00 things but i’m not here to preach
2:48:02 but i’m here to talk about discrimination and bullying
2:48:11 and i want to talk about the flip of those things i’ve been out
2:48:15 of school for over 40 years
2:48:17 and bullying and discriminating was being worked on then and i’m
2:48:22 just amazed
2:48:23 that we’re still dealing with the same things now
2:48:25 nobody should be discriminated against it was a lot simpler back
2:48:33 in the 70s for uh what you were
2:48:36 discriminated against or what you were bullied on we have much
2:48:40 more complications today and i don’t envy
2:48:42 you all for having to do this and i didn’t know we had a policy
2:48:46 but i will be looking into it and
2:48:49 checking it out and i appreciate that the opposite effects like
2:48:53 many people talked about locker rooms
2:48:57 males females teenagers i know that back in my day guys were shy
2:49:03 but i don’t think young men are as shy
2:49:05 as they used to be and i’m not talking about transgenders boys
2:49:09 going to the locker room i’m
2:49:10 talking about straight heterosexual males being tempted to go
2:49:15 into the locker room all they have to
2:49:17 say is i feel like a lady um i’m sure you’re going to take care
2:49:21 of that that’s what you need to tighten up
2:49:24 on now bullying i think some of the things that the lgbt group
2:49:31 uh do is reverse reverse bullying in a sense
2:49:35 um by the pronouns and prefixes and and all this sort of stuff
2:49:40 that people 40 50 60 years old
2:49:44 have no idea what you’re talking about there has to be some
2:49:49 understanding there has to be some give
2:49:52 because we lived in a different world than these young people
2:49:55 are are living in today
2:49:57 so in your policy things like that too so that it doesn’t turn
2:50:02 around um and like boys wrestling
2:50:07 with girls that story where breaking bones of young girls that
2:50:10 are on a wrestling team that that’s
2:50:12 nonsense i know that could be hype but thank you all for what
2:50:15 you do thanks eric
2:50:21 brandy good evening um i i’ve heard a lot tonight it’s my first
2:50:36 ever meeting i am a mother had two children
2:50:45 uh one still in public school um and i’m a crier sorry so i just
2:50:54 um so sad to think that any of our
2:50:58 children go to school and feel um less than it just sends me a
2:51:03 lot it also sends me to think that um
2:51:08 other boys and girls um can have their uh cut you know their um
2:51:14 privacy or their rights to compete
2:51:17 taken from them as well i am a born again christian and um you
2:51:23 know god doesn’t believe that way he
2:51:26 doesn’t think that way he loves everybody so just keep that in
2:51:30 mind when you’re making your decision thank you
2:51:35 thank you
2:51:40 pamela as you’re approaching uh let me just go ahead and call
2:51:45 out our next couple okay
2:51:46 um amber cheney cow reagan and then severne shelley
2:51:51 thank you city uh school board members and thank you misty for
2:51:56 pronouncing my name correct
2:51:59 i know it looks like a complicated one but it’s pretty simple i
2:52:01 came here to deliver one sentence
2:52:04 and i have to elaborate a little bit more on that anybody who
2:52:08 walked the gauntlet to come in here
2:52:10 this evening facing what those students faced standing in the
2:52:14 outside waiting to come in
2:52:15 knows that our students are not safe and i applaud you all for
2:52:21 the decisions that you have put in place
2:52:23 over the last four years to make sure that they are i know that
2:52:27 you have a hard job of fulfilling state
2:52:30 law and it’s embarrassing that you’re now being asked to violate
2:52:34 state law
2:52:34 i appreciate that you’ve taken the fact that 40 percent of
2:52:40 transgender home 40 of our homeless
2:52:44 are lgbtq youth who have run away from home because of the
2:52:47 responses they’ve been getting from their
2:52:49 parents or they’ve been kicked out and i know that that was part
2:52:52 of your consideration and how to handle
2:52:54 that issue now people i understand the concern of a cis student
2:53:02 risking being threatened by somebody
2:53:05 pretending to be a trans student assaulting them in a bathroom
2:53:08 that’s already against the law
2:53:14 there is no need to create another policy when assault is
2:53:19 already against the law doing so would only
2:53:23 violate the rules the rights of those lgbtq students thank you
2:53:27 for your time thanks camilla
2:53:35 amber
2:53:45 hi thank you for letting me come and speak um tonight i really
2:53:50 don’t have so much comments about the policy
2:53:54 as i do some questions um our family has um i guess some special
2:54:00 we have a special needs child
2:54:03 she’s seven years old um she’s been diagnosed with autism and
2:54:07 she’s non-verbal so when she goes to
2:54:09 school during the day she has what we call an rbt assist her
2:54:14 throughout the whole day um i believe bps
2:54:18 calls them maybe aids um but it’s basically like a personal
2:54:22 assistant she needs help that person is there just
2:54:25 for her um she needs help in the restroom area that rbt helps
2:54:32 her do that it’s a very you know an intimate
2:54:36 situation probably most people’s students have never have to
2:54:39 deal with at that age um if she needs a
2:54:43 change of clothes that rbt changes her clothes right now i am
2:54:47 guaranteed that she has a biological female
2:54:53 rbt assist her with those things um one of the board members i
2:54:57 can’t remember was so kind to actually
2:55:00 put the policy for the students and the guidelines and then also
2:55:05 highlighted the employee policy which
2:55:07 was i was having a hard time finding about non-discrimination
2:55:10 can bps guarantee that to me
2:55:15 maybe now you can um but i feel like this is an unintended
2:55:19 consequence that we’re not talking about
2:55:23 where four years from now you may be sitting there saying we
2:55:27 didn’t intend for that and i heard that
2:55:31 um from one of the board members from your 2016 video so i would
2:55:37 really like you to think about that um
2:55:40 our transgender students um i was very sad to see the way they
2:55:48 were treated coming in i want them all to
2:55:53 know i want you safe i care about you education is the most
2:55:57 important thing any child can have and no one
2:55:59 should ever feel uncomfortable but i think that there are some
2:56:03 things that we need to talk about
2:56:05 there are some situations that i think are just not getting the
2:56:10 attention they need and when you call
2:56:12 people hateful right away you don’t get to listen to these
2:56:17 experiences so that’s all i just that’s all
2:56:21 all i had thank you thanks amber um one two three four five
2:56:31 seven we have about seven speakers left
2:56:35 board members okay for hanging in for the remainder okay um cal
2:56:40 reagan followed by severin shelley and then roger alley
2:56:51 good evening ladies and gentlemen my name is cal reagan my
2:56:58 pronouns are they them and i am presenting the
2:57:00 queer kids of satellite high school we want you to know that it
2:57:03 is tough being quote unquote different
2:57:05 from the other kids not only do we get hate from the students
2:57:08 but there’s heat from the teachers alike
2:57:11 we come to the school board for help and to make our seemingly
2:57:15 small voices heard so here’s my story
2:57:18 i was a student born the way i am who was kicked out of school
2:57:22 for being who i meant to be
2:57:23 that’s right i was escorted off campus by police last time i
2:57:28 went to my high school
2:57:30 all for using a single stall gender neutral bathroom with a pass
2:57:33 from my high school english teacher
2:57:35 but i won’t let this injustice crush my spirit because if there’s
2:57:39 one thing i learned from my inclusive
2:57:41 accepting college it’s that the united nation human rights
2:57:45 branch classifies intersex people
2:57:47 as common in occurrence as red-haired people and surely you
2:57:51 wouldn’t exclude gingers from school clubs
2:57:53 another thing that colleges taught me is about co-ed sports team
2:57:59 we should all be on one team teaching
2:58:00 everyone in the school that no matter what gender they are we
2:58:03 are all on one side intramural sports
2:58:07 exist and work well this gives everyone a chance to work
2:58:10 together and put aside our differences of gender
2:58:13 these imaginary differences that bring so many queer kids to the
2:58:17 brink of suicide
2:58:18 when all they want to do is live a normal experience playing
2:58:22 sports i beg you not to
2:58:24 continue the discriminatory chain that we’ve been beaten down
2:58:27 with all of our lives our short-lived lives
2:58:31 make the right decision and let us play thank you thanks pal
2:58:38 seven
2:58:52 good evening i have three children three children in brevard
2:58:56 school district i’m deeply concerned
2:58:58 about the ongoing conflict between religious liberty and gender
2:59:01 identity rights it is poisoning our civil
2:59:04 discourse eroding our free exercise of religion and preventing
2:59:08 diverse americans of goodwill from living
2:59:10 together in respect and peace lawmakers across the nation
2:59:14 including members of congress are working to enact and
2:59:18 strengthen laws that ensure gender identity persons fair access
2:59:22 to important rights at the same time we
2:59:25 urgently need protections for the rights of children of faith to
2:59:29 freely gather and assemble speak out publicly
2:59:32 serve faithfully and live openly according to the religious
2:59:36 beliefs they identify with even when those
2:59:38 beliefs may be unpopular it is important to protect the rights
2:59:42 of all and to encourage mutually respectful
2:59:45 dialogue and outcomes in this highly polarized national debate
2:59:49 conflicts between rights are common and nothing new when there
2:59:54 are conflicts between religious
2:59:56 freedom rights and gender gender identity belief rights i
3:00:02 advocate for a balanced fairness for all
3:00:05 approach that protect the most important rights for everyone
3:00:08 while seeking reasonable respectful
3:00:11 compromises in areas of conflict this is the best way to
3:00:15 overcome sharp divisions over these issues
3:00:19 unfortunately revard school districts gender identity guidance
3:00:24 is not balanced and does not meet the
3:00:26 standard of fairness for all while providing extremely broad
3:00:31 protections for gender identity rights the guidance
3:00:35 the guidance provides no protections for release religious
3:00:35 freedom action two names and pronouns denies my children’s
3:00:36 freedom of speech by compelling them to use the district’s
3:00:37 guidance it is important to recognize and be fair to the
3:00:38 freedoms of children who wish to follow traditional pronoun
3:00:38 usage action five interscholastic athletics denies fair play to
3:00:39 children many religious children who wish to
3:00:40 and pronouns denies my children’s freedom of speech by
3:00:44 compelling them to use the district’s
3:00:46 guidance it is important to recognize and be fair to the
3:00:51 freedoms of children who wish to follow
3:00:54 traditional pronoun usage action five interscholastic athletics
3:00:59 denies fair play to children
3:01:02 many religious children who wish to participate in athletics
3:01:06 find intermingling of genetic males
3:01:09 and females to be rife with impropriety so much so that a
3:01:15 religious male wrestler would rather
3:01:18 forfeit a match than take on a female opponent in conclusion the
3:01:23 end result of the district’s
3:01:25 guidance bullies harasses and robs many religious children of
3:01:30 the rights that are promised to them by
3:01:32 the constitution while seeking to protect gender identity rights
3:01:37 this is unbalanced
3:01:39 not fair and not constitutional thank you thanks seven
3:01:45 all right roger ally darcy quinn and then kimberly adkinson
3:01:53 roger
3:01:59 hi there my name is darcy and i’m here as a concerned mother i
3:02:20 don’t really have anything prepared
3:02:21 um when i heard about this and that uh the guidelines that are
3:02:27 currently in place are being questioned
3:02:31 um as a mother of two trans children that are in the school
3:02:35 system um i was kind of concerned because
3:02:38 the guidelines we have in place they’re great and thank you for
3:02:41 that but i think the real question is
3:02:44 how are we enforcing these current guidelines i know last year
3:02:48 my trans male when he went to use the men’s
3:02:51 restroom was then bullied every day after school by one of the
3:02:54 boys that saw him there calling him names
3:02:56 following him home from school and then when he goes to use the
3:03:00 women’s restroom the girls in there because
3:03:02 he looks very male say oh you’re in the wrong restroom this is
3:03:06 the girls room so now
3:03:07 he doesn’t feel comfortable going in either restroom with fear
3:03:11 of being bullied
3:03:13 or possibly being physically harmed being chased after school so
3:03:17 as a concerned mom i get that
3:03:21 these other parents are concerned about their children’s the cis
3:03:25 males uh you know going into
3:03:29 or males going into the girls bathrooms but these are not males
3:03:32 these are trans girls going into girls
3:03:34 bathrooms these are trans men going into boys bathrooms it’s it’s
3:03:39 these kids are not trying to see
3:03:42 the privates of the other children that’s not what they’re doing
3:03:44 when they’re going into these
3:03:46 bathrooms and as far as the sports if we’re going to start
3:03:49 saying well it has to be equal what about
3:03:52 stronger girls on girls teams what about less strong boys on
3:03:56 boys teams are we going to start making it so
3:03:59 oh you have to have a certain strength to be on these teams so i
3:04:02 just want you to consider that
3:04:05 and when we talk about all students it’s all students it may be
3:04:09 a smaller percent but that’s part
3:04:11 of the student body that it is your job to protect and find a
3:04:13 safe place for them to get their education
3:04:15 so when you’re thinking about these guidelines please regardless
3:04:19 of your personal views think about
3:04:21 the protection of all students and what they have to deal with
3:04:24 that’s all i have to say thanks darcy
3:04:27 all right kimberly adkinson how we
3:04:35 elder snatches and samantha mason
3:04:41 good evening everyone thank you for allowing me to speak tonight
3:04:48 um i was here a month ago
3:04:50 and um ask you all a question all of us here tonight are here
3:04:55 because we want you to hear us
3:04:57 and we want you to act on our concerns i’m here tonight find out
3:05:03 what you did about mine
3:05:05 so a month ago i was here and i asked you
3:05:07 what about my son who needed lunch and you wouldn’t let me drop
3:05:13 it off because of
3:05:14 our policy that says parents may not drop off items for student
3:05:18 pickup that are not medically or
3:05:20 academically required i’m here tonight to ask you each of you
3:05:25 what did you do about my concern
3:05:29 all of us whatever side we’re on we need to know what it is you’re
3:05:33 going to do about our concerns
3:05:36 i’ve been hearing a lot of parents say i emailed that question i
3:05:42 emailed that question i haven’t got a
3:05:44 response i’m here a month later and i want to know from each one
3:05:49 of you i hold you accountable what did you do
3:05:52 do about the fact that it was harder than heck for me to get my
3:05:56 son lunch that day but i could have brought
3:05:59 him his homework thank you thank you kim howie
3:06:10 samantha mason
3:06:22 hello so first of all i would like to say there are a lot of
3:06:30 parents here tonight who are very
3:06:32 concerned with their child’s safety and a lot of those same
3:06:35 parents were the ones who screamed at me
3:06:38 called me a bitch a whore a prostitute whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa
3:06:42 whoa i can’t allow you to say those
3:06:43 words in here okay okay i need you to i need you to make sure
3:06:47 you keep it clean okay thank you well that
3:06:50 was what was said to me i was screamed at and yelled at and i
3:06:53 did not feel safe outside of this building
3:06:55 and as a student of our county i would feel more uncomfortable
3:07:00 if someone who identified as a boy
3:07:02 and presented as a boy was forced to go into my restroom rather
3:07:06 than someone who identified and
3:07:07 presented as a girl surprisingly students don’t talk about their
3:07:12 genitalia in the restroom
3:07:14 in regards to the sports aspect of this policy i understand
3:07:18 where the frustration comes from
3:07:20 but we’re only discussing a small amount of the student
3:07:22 population anyway
3:07:23 according to the ucla school of law only 0.7 percent of youth
3:07:29 ages 13 to 17 identify as trans
3:07:31 less than one percent and how many of these people are
3:07:35 interested in participating in sports
3:07:38 this isn’t the olympics it’s high school i believe that it is
3:07:41 more important that students feel welcome
3:07:43 and accepted at school rather than it is to win i applaud the
3:07:47 school board on this policy it is a
3:07:50 critical part of the school environment that all students feel
3:07:54 accepted and welcome at school all
3:07:57 students i believe this policy is a step in the right direction
3:08:01 for bevard county please do not give into
3:08:03 the pressures of some people here tonight please keep school a
3:08:07 welcome place for all thank you thanks
3:08:11 all right so i’m just going to quickly run through the list and
3:08:23 make sure that none of the people that
3:08:24 were not available when i called on them or i were not
3:08:27 overlooked some way because i know there was some
3:08:29 shuffling outside to in okay um lewis shaffer
3:08:36 any lewis okay corey carmichael
3:08:45 corey would you like your three minutes
3:08:58 hello i’m corey carmichael and i have a daughter in third grade
3:09:05 in bavard county
3:09:07 public school and i am here today not just for women’s rights
3:09:11 but also for transgender rights
3:09:14 one issue at hand allowing access to bathrooms and locker rooms
3:09:18 is with allowing males to dress
3:09:22 and take showers with females this violates the privacy and
3:09:26 dignity of girls and is especially
3:09:28 disrespectful and harmful to girls that have experienced sexual
3:09:32 abuse as we know sexual
3:09:33 assault is very serious issue and many of us are or personally
3:09:37 know one or more people
3:09:39 they have been victims of sexual assault also biological females
3:09:44 being in locker rooms with
3:09:45 20 30 boys is also not safe i am not saying that transgender
3:09:50 people are more likely to be sexual
3:09:52 predators but normalizing unisex bathrooms or locker rooms with
3:09:55 undressing girls and boys will create
3:09:57 dangerous opportunities for those with bad intentions one of my
3:10:00 good friends from high school
3:10:03 is gay and i asked him one day why do you dress out in the
3:10:07 bathroom he told me that he was being
3:10:09 respectful because he’s attracted to guys and doesn’t want to
3:10:12 make anyone feel uncomfortable
3:10:14 i know many people in the lgbtq community have a hard time just
3:10:19 living their lives because of how
3:10:21 people treat them we must protect all children no matter who
3:10:24 they are i understand both sides we
3:10:26 should have a place where any child can get dressed or go to the
3:10:30 bathroom in a place they feel comfortable
3:10:32 i think it would be reasonable to have a smaller gender-neutral
3:10:36 bathroom and a locker room
3:10:37 for anyone that feels uncomfortable with getting dressed in
3:10:40 front of others
3:10:40 it’s still easy accessible for teacher to access to protect the
3:10:46 children we cannot leave any child
3:10:48 behind and the issue with sports the biological males have a
3:10:53 biological advantage over females
3:10:56 um because of testosterone levels is seven to eight times higher
3:11:01 which is the reason why you’re
3:11:02 not allowed to shoot up anabolic steroids in any sports um and
3:11:07 also with females transitioning
3:11:10 into males they are on testosterone well if they are on
3:11:13 testosterone that gives them an advantage
3:11:15 over biological females and um so equality is not taking rights
3:11:23 and protections from one group and
3:11:24 giving it to another we have to protect all of our children we
3:11:27 can we can’t pick one group over the
3:11:29 other the road we are going down is dangerous um women have been
3:11:33 fighting for equality across the
3:11:35 world for hundreds of years america is no means free of sin but
3:11:39 as for americans it is our responsibility
3:11:41 to teach our kids that what is so great about our country is
3:11:45 that we have a melting pot of all the
3:11:47 people across the world that come together for a common goal of
3:11:51 um life liberty and pursuit of happiness
3:11:55 the diversity and differences we have is what makes america so
3:11:58 beautiful and unique our children
3:12:00 are the future of the story we appreciate you joining us this
3:12:02 evening
3:12:03 all right roger alley
3:12:14 roger with us um howie is not here is there an ashley phillips
3:12:24 no okay then i think that concludes our speakers for this
3:12:30 evening
3:12:31 um i’m going to take a moment of chair privilege um before we go
3:12:37 into our board discussion items
3:12:40 um first i would like to thank all of our students that joined
3:12:43 us this evening to speak
3:12:45 um you guys were phenomenal and we appreciate you taking the
3:12:48 time to come out
3:12:56 we always love it when our students join us so please don’t ever
3:13:01 hesitate to come in and hang
3:13:03 out with us for the board meetings we absolutely love to hear
3:13:05 from you guys um the other thing i want to
3:13:07 say is i am mortified with what um all of you had to go through
3:13:13 to get into our building today um
3:13:16 we were working as much as we could to ensure a um a safe and
3:13:24 respectful environment but unfortunately
3:13:28 we were not able to keep them from doing the things that they
3:13:31 were doing um our law enforcement
3:13:34 representatives who are here this evening we’re reaching out to
3:13:37 um legal from from sheriff’s
3:13:40 department from our legal department um trying to see what we
3:13:43 could do about it and unfortunately
3:13:45 there was nothing that we could do to stop them from being out
3:13:48 there and so um i apologize i um
3:13:52 as i said i was mortified um especially mortified that our our
3:13:57 children were exposed to it not that i
3:13:59 think anyone should be exposed to it but especially our children
3:14:03 being exposed to it um just is horrific
3:14:07 so um we will continue to have conversations and see if there’s
3:14:10 anything that we can do and if you
3:14:12 all have feedback as to how you know short of um considering our
3:14:16 inability to force them to leave the
3:14:19 property um or to do things differently if there are things that
3:14:22 we could have done um that you think
3:14:24 would have been beneficial please feel free to reach out to us
3:14:26 and um we will be more than happy to take that
3:14:29 feedback because that certainly is not the environment that we
3:14:32 want here at the school board building
3:14:34 um with that being said because we are now in an official public
3:14:39 meeting i do have a little
3:14:40 more control and so um i several of you i had to interrupt as
3:14:44 you were speaking please know it had
3:14:47 absolutely nothing to do with you personally i was just trying
3:14:49 to make sure that we were all on the
3:14:51 same page as far as expectations and um and focused on
3:14:54 delivering that message and with that i also have to say to
3:14:58 each and every one of you thank you for being incredibly
3:15:01 respectful this evening um obviously
3:15:03 some emotional issues and um we had some very diverse
3:15:07 perspectives but i couldn’t be more proud
3:15:09 um that we didn’t we didn’t have issues everybody managed to to
3:15:14 work together for the most part this
3:15:16 evening and so we appreciate that um so at this point we are
3:15:20 actually going to move into our board discussion
3:15:24 topics and um we have a couple of well mr susan just left and
3:15:31 his discussion topic was the first one on
3:15:34 substitutes so um miss campbell you have you uh requested as a
3:15:40 discussion item as well do you want
3:15:42 to get started with your discussion item or um certainly or
3:15:48 would you like for me i mean i don’t i’m i
3:15:52 don’t mean to put you on the spot there if you want me to speak
3:15:55 to it i can as well no that’s okay i’m ready
3:15:58 to go okay so first of all again i just like to say i i really
3:16:02 absolutely hate that i can’t be in the room
3:16:05 this evening so thank you guys for being understanding we are
3:16:08 trying to honor my uh commitment
3:16:10 to miss uh miss moore and that i would be an exemplary quarantined
3:16:14 person um the document that so
3:16:19 many have referred to this evening is something that was sent
3:16:22 out to our administrators about a
3:16:24 month ago i believe in order for them to have updated guidelines
3:16:27 based upon the most current
3:16:29 interpretation by the courts of federal law and although the
3:16:33 first page has been highly circulated
3:16:35 across social media the second and third pages which include the
3:16:39 federal and state laws and the
3:16:41 court cases that have shaped these guidelines has not to be
3:16:45 clear the guidelines are not something that
3:16:48 the board voted on back in the summer of 2016 the board at the
3:16:52 time did adopt a non-discrimination
3:16:54 policy that included the language of sexual orientation
3:16:57 transgender status and gender identity
3:16:59 and for several years now our schools have been working with
3:17:03 families on a case-by-case basis to
3:17:05 protect their privacy as well as the privacy of other students
3:17:08 similar to school districts across the
3:17:10 country transgender students were offered the use of single user
3:17:14 restrooms on their campus or private
3:17:15 locations where they could change clothes for PE as has been
3:17:19 referenced a few times this evening
3:17:21 a few years ago a transgender student in a school district here
3:17:25 in florida to the north of st john’s
3:17:27 county sued their school district stating that their similar
3:17:30 policy of having known transgender students
3:17:33 use separate bathrooms violated his rights under title nine
3:17:36 which protects against sex discrimination
3:17:39 he won that case and the school district appealed to the u.s
3:17:42 court of appeals the 11th circuit
3:17:45 the 11th circuit i’m just trying to give you guys some some
3:17:48 history because several people
3:17:50 have asked this evening why why now or or what what is the
3:17:53 reason behind some of these guidelines the 11th
3:17:56 circuit which i believe governs uh florida georgia and the and
3:18:00 alabama or rules in the in that area
3:18:04 and knowing that the supreme court was scheduled to hear a
3:18:07 related case delayed its decision making
3:18:10 in june of last year 2020 the u.s supreme court ruled in a case
3:18:15 um labeled bostock versus uh clayton county
3:18:18 that i’m going to quote here discrimination based on homosexuality
3:18:23 or transgender status
3:18:25 necessarily entails discrimination based on sex end quote
3:18:28 subsequently the 11th circuit ruled in august of
3:18:32 last year in adam versus the school board of st john’s county
3:18:36 that and again i quote a public school may
3:18:39 not punish its students for gender non-conformity neither may a
3:18:42 public school harm transgender students
3:18:44 by establishing arbitrary separate rules for their restroom use
3:18:49 and so i do realize that many parents and
3:18:53 community members aren’t aware of the supreme court case and
3:18:56 federal circuit court case and how they have
3:18:58 impacted how we treat these issues most are also not aware that
3:19:01 the florida high school athletic association
3:19:04 which is the governing body for our athletics in the state has
3:19:07 allowed students and again i’m quoting
3:19:10 directly from their documents to participate in interscholastic
3:19:14 activities in a manner that is consistent
3:19:16 with their gender identity and expression irrespective of the
3:19:18 gender listed on a student’s first certificate
3:19:21 and or records end quote and that’s been happening since 2013. I
3:19:26 would direct you to the
3:19:28 FHSAA website where you can find that policy which is pretty
3:19:33 extensive and it sells out
3:19:35 all the things that they have to go through to jump through to
3:19:40 to be able to participate and it’s not
3:19:42 something that they’re able to go back and forth from many
3:19:45 emails and phone conversations that I’ve had in
3:19:48 the last week I know that there’s been a lot of confusion on
3:19:51 what the school board can and cannot do or what
3:19:53 we might or might not have been voting on this evening or in the
3:19:56 coming months we obviously were not
3:19:58 taking a vote on any of these issues tonight but I think it is
3:20:00 so important to make the public aware
3:20:02 of some of the why behind these since it can be such a contentious
3:20:07 issue and a deeply personal one
3:20:09 moving forward I want to challenge this board and all our BPS
3:20:15 our BPS staff in three things
3:20:17 we’ve been challenged um by many things but I want to add these
3:20:20 three some of which have already been mentioned
3:20:22 number one um that we need to continue to ensure the safety of
3:20:27 every student and protect protect their
3:20:29 right to privacy we’ve already been uh we’ve already been
3:20:32 hearing this evening about um some of the
3:20:35 difficulties that our LGBTQ students have faced throughout the
3:20:38 years but I also want to emphasize
3:20:40 that we will have students who are not comfortable changing
3:20:43 clothes in front of someone who is biologically
3:20:45 the opposite sex and we must continue to make accommodations for
3:20:48 these students like we have for our LGBTQ students
3:20:52 Secondly I urge the board and our BPS staff to be vigilant to
3:20:57 protect the rights of parents
3:20:59 to make decisions regarding the education upbringing of their
3:21:03 children.
3:21:03 I reject the guidance of the advocacy group Equality Florida
3:21:07 that specifically states
3:21:09 a student’s right to be out at school does not give teachers or
3:21:12 staff the right to disclose
3:21:13 the student’s gender identity or sexual orientation to the
3:21:16 student’s family.
3:21:17 Now I was able to have a long conversation with Chris Moore our
3:21:20 assistant superintendent
3:21:21 of student services about how staff are handling these
3:21:24 situations at the school level and staff
3:21:28 has shared with us that when a student approaches staff about
3:21:32 LGBTQ questions or a request the
3:21:33 parents are brought into the conversation that is a starting
3:21:36 point of conversations about
3:21:38 creating the best plan for that student.
3:21:40 This also ensures that a boy who wants to identify as a girl on
3:21:43 Monday will not go back to being
3:21:45 a boy on Thursday.
3:21:47 These there is a lengthy discussion and planning to make sure
3:21:50 that the child is sent to the
3:21:51 request and that the proper accommodations are offered to that
3:21:54 student.
3:21:55 Now if a student shares that the parents are unaware of their
3:21:59 decision staff work with that
3:22:01 student to get them to a place where they can have that
3:22:03 conversation with the parents.
3:22:05 As Chris told me there are constant conversations and I believe
3:22:08 these open communication practices
3:22:10 need to continue.
3:22:12 And thirdly we must strive to protect the religious freedoms of
3:22:16 our students and staff.
3:22:16 It is not out of the realm of possibility that students or
3:22:20 employees or student organizations
3:22:21 that hold for traditional or biblical values will eventually
3:22:24 face discrimination.
3:22:25 It is already happening around the nation in various forms.
3:22:28 And again we have the responsibility to meet the needs of every
3:22:32 student whether they are in the
3:22:33 or the majority or the minority of, and I’ll borrow this from
3:22:36 our non-discrimination statement,
3:22:38 of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, pregnancy, age,
3:22:43 religion, industry,
3:22:44 or genetic information or any other factor protected under
3:22:48 applicable federal, state, or local law.
3:22:49 I’m going to borrow a statement from the child and parental
3:22:54 rights campaign.
3:22:55 It says school communities include families who have competing
3:23:00 worldviews.
3:23:01 Out of respect for that diversity educators must consult with
3:23:04 parents and review policies
3:23:05 frequently to ensure that the policies are values neutral and
3:23:09 provide reasonable accommodations
3:23:10 for all points of view.
3:23:14 For decades families including mine who work from the worldview
3:23:18 that in the beginning God created
3:23:20 the heavens and the earth have had to guide their children in
3:23:22 how to reconcile their religious
3:23:24 beliefs with the teachings that they hear in school, scientific
3:23:27 guesses that the earth is
3:23:28 billions of years old and that life developed from the
3:23:31 simplicity of a primordial suit to
3:23:32 the super complex nervous reproductive and cardiovascular
3:23:35 systems of the human body, how to be respectful
3:23:39 listeners and engage in the curriculum without having to
3:23:42 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 at the very core of our being
3:23:51 it is extremely important
3:23:53 that the school district and any of its representatives
3:23:56 recognize the right of our students and employees
3:23:58 and families to hold to foundational beliefs that God created
3:24:03 man in his own image.
3:24:04 Male and female he created them and other verses that say we are
3:24:08 fearfully and wonderfully made.
3:24:09 It is not the place of an educator outside of the home to cause
3:24:13 children to question those foundational beliefs
3:24:15 especially without the consent or knowledge of a parent or
3:24:18 guardian.
3:24:19 Some may say that it’s unnecessary for me to bring this up but I
3:24:23 would remind you as has been mentioned already tonight that a
3:24:26 former board told this community that the non-discrimination
3:24:29 policy would not have an impact on the use of restrooms, soccer
3:24:32 room support schemes.
3:24:33 And the truth is that the guidelines which are causing so much
3:24:39 controversy today would be our reality whether they have passed
3:24:43 that policy or not.
3:24:44 School districts without an official policy still have to abide
3:24:47 by the decisions of the federal court.
3:24:51 The problem with drawing a line into sand is that sand has a
3:24:54 tendency to shift.
3:24:57 We need to be vigilant to protect these fundamental
3:24:59 constitutional human rights.
3:25:01 Since I’ve taken the liberty to share some words from the Bible
3:25:04 I’d like to share one more and that is love your neighbor as
3:25:07 yourself.
3:25:08 Although this issue is so heated so divisive I believe that we
3:25:13 can have these conversations without treating one another with
3:25:17 contempt.
3:25:18 We can recognize that we have different worldviews and values
3:25:22 and still work together to protect students who might be
3:25:25 vulnerable
3:25:25 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 and students should treat
3:25:35 others with respect in the same way they want to be treated.
3:25:38 I haven’t received a single email or phone call from a person
3:25:41 that would disagree with those last statements and we need to
3:25:44 start there with the things that we can come to agreement on.
3:25:47 I’m just going to wrap this up by saying that some of these
3:25:50 issues just so we’re all aware are not completely settled.
3:25:53 For example, it is possible that the Florida legislature could
3:25:56 pass legislation that would change the policies of the FHSAA.
3:25:59 It is also expected that in the near future the Supreme Court is
3:26:03 going to take up one of the many cases involving transgender
3:26:06 athletes.
3:26:07 Even a case similar to the St. Johns County case could end up
3:26:11 going to the Supreme Court.
3:26:13 In the Bostock opinion that I mentioned earlier, Justice Gorsuch
3:26:15 said, and I’ll quote him, “None of these other laws are before
3:26:19 us.
3:26:19 We have not had the benefit of adversarial testing about the
3:26:22 meaning of their terms, and we do not prejudge any such question
3:26:25 today.
3:26:26 Under Title 7-2, we do not purport to address bathrooms, locker
3:26:30 rooms, or anything else of the kind.
3:26:32 The only question before us is whether an employer who fires
3:26:35 someone simply for being homosexual, transgender, has discharged
3:26:39 or otherwise discriminated against that individual because of
3:26:41 such individual sex.”
3:26:42 I know that I have shared a lot and I am certainly willing to
3:26:46 share any of the resources I have drawn from with anyone who
3:26:49 would request them.
3:26:49 So with that I thank you, Madam Chair, for allowing me some time
3:26:52 to walk through these issues.
3:26:54 - Thank you, Ms. Campbell.
3:26:55 And we are sorry that you couldn’t be with us here in person
3:26:58 tonight as well.
3:26:59 Any other board members wish to address that particular
3:27:04 discussion item?
3:27:05 If not, I have some…
3:27:07 - I do.
3:27:08 - Ms. Jenkins.
3:27:09 - Yep.
3:27:10 I have a lot to say.
3:27:12 - I have a lot to say.
3:27:16 First and foremost, I just want to make it clear, I too am a
3:27:22 taxpayer, still is my husband.
3:27:24 I essentially pay your salary as well.
3:27:26 I pay all of our salaries.
3:27:28 I love that point when people make that.
3:27:32 You know, I find it interesting, you know, there weren’t any
3:27:38 students here to speak out against this guideline.
3:27:43 Which gives me hope that the students who were here self-advocating
3:27:49 are going to grow up in a world where they are more accepted by
3:27:53 their peers.
3:27:59 For the adults that are concerned, so much for our female and
3:28:05 our girls.
3:28:07 You know, we don’t currently have a force field on the thresholds
3:28:10 of our bathrooms that stop straight students from going into the
3:28:14 other bathroom to stop them from sexually assaulting or harassing
3:28:19 our students.
3:28:20 And if we’re so concerned about our straight boys sexually
3:28:26 assaulting our female students,
3:28:28 maybe we should be teaching them not to sexually assault our
3:28:32 females.
3:28:50 I really don’t want to give this group any more attention, but I
3:28:55 have to say this.
3:28:57 We heard a lot of people say, this isn’t about that.
3:29:01 That is not representative of who we are and what we believe.
3:29:07 When you have a public Facebook page that people can see what
3:29:12 you believe
3:29:13 and you choose to put what you want on it, you cannot claim that.
3:29:18 When you have a private Facebook page 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 of what you
3:29:28 believe.
3:29:29 And if it’s truly not what you believe,
3:29:31 please take a look at what you’ve posted and take it down.
3:29:37 I’m not going to just sit here and let people present themselves
3:29:43 as something that they are not.
3:29:48 Ms. Campbell, I really appreciate you supporting everything with
3:29:57 law,
3:29:57 but I also think it’s really important to just say,
3:30:00 I don’t even care about that at this point.
3:30:03 This is about morality and decency of our children and the
3:30:06 people that we live with in our community.
3:30:08 And even if these laws didn’t exist, this shouldn’t be something
3:30:12 that we should be so again.
3:30:16 I spent a majority of the time outside when there was, I guess,
3:30:21 protesters.
3:30:22 And I was disgusted by what I saw.
3:30:27 Shouting hate at children, using such small children, the age of
3:30:33 my own daughter, to spew that hate.
3:30:36 It is disgusting.
3:30:39 The fact that our children and our students had to stand there
3:30:51 silently, peacefully standing up for their own rights and listen
3:30:56 to that is disgusting.
3:30:57 And I will not stand here and stay quiet about it.
3:31:01 I went outside and I was asked to speak to our students who came
3:31:05 here to stand up for themselves and their own rights because
3:31:09 they were frightened and they were triggered and they felt
3:31:12 insecure.
3:31:16 So what I said to them was, I just want you to know and I want
3:31:18 the public to know that every negative email I got, I got 10, 15
3:31:25 positive emails in favor of this guideline.
3:31:29 And I said I pointed out the fact that a certain side had to use
3:31:38 a bullhorn because they are small.
3:31:43 Remember that.
3:31:49 So I wrote down a lot of things that people had said and I, I
3:31:53 didn’t come here with anything prepared at all.
3:31:55 I literally was just drafting down some of, some of the quotes
3:31:58 that meant something to me.
3:32:00 You have not been pushed out of the conversation and I want you
3:32:05 to remember that.
3:32:06 I want to just highlight the names of students and adults that
3:32:13 came here to share their story and their experiences.
3:32:16 Andrew, Regina, Krishna, Jacob, Shelly, Gina, Gustavo, Catherine,
3:32:23 Sarah.
3:32:24 Rowan, Willow, Powell, Samantha.
3:32:31 And I forgot, if I forgot anyone, I’m sorry, I was trying to
3:32:33 keep up with it all.
3:32:35 But I support you and I will fight for you.
3:32:38 You are brave, you’re strong, you’re powerful, your voices are
3:32:42 powerful.
3:32:43 And I am honored to be a member of a board that protects your
3:32:46 right to thrive.
3:32:47 And there was a speaker, Randy.
3:33:02 I’m sorry, I didn’t write everyone’s last names down.
3:33:07 But you said a quote that was, that was really important.
3:33:10 And I feel like it’s important to say again, and I want to say
3:33:13 it to our LGBTQ students and their allies.
3:33:17 Stand behind me because everything behind me is safe.
3:33:21 And I am here to stand up for you and to protect you.
3:33:27 And I am proud to be here to do that.
3:33:30 And thank you for giving me that honor.
3:33:32 There’s one thing.
3:33:35 I am like literally shaking because I’m frustrated.
3:33:44 I have two more things.
3:33:49 I think this is important to say as well.
3:33:53 Again, there’s a certain organization and a person who founded
3:33:56 it that made a big deal over this.
3:33:57 I just want to make it really clear that that person saw this
3:34:01 document one year ago and didn’t have any concern about parental
3:34:04 rights back then.
3:34:05 I find the timing very interesting.
3:34:08 This is not a new document.
3:34:14 Mr. Susan, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt.
3:34:17 But somebody said something during a public comment that
3:34:20 bothered me, as well as your expression during one of the
3:34:24 speaker’s comments.
3:34:26 Doesn’t mean it’s true.
3:34:30 So I would like you to respond to it if you would.
3:34:32 That your back was up against the wall.
3:34:37 And this was because of the Biden administration.
3:34:43 And it seemed as though you might have agreed with something
3:34:46 about emails in support.
3:34:47 And I’m sorry.
3:34:51 I can’t let that slide.
3:34:52 And I hope it’s not true.
3:34:53 And I hope you can respond to that.
3:34:55 But if I’m going to stand up here for my students, I’m just
3:34:58 going to have to point that out.
3:35:00 Thank you.
3:35:01 Thank you, Ms. Jenkins.
3:35:06 Ms. McDougall, would you like to?
3:35:07 I will, but I think Mr. Seuss would like to.
3:35:09 Go ahead.
3:35:10 I’ve got a lot to say.
3:35:12 We always do.
3:35:13 First, I want to thank all the students who were brave enough to
3:35:18 come and share their stories
3:35:20 and share their concerns.
3:35:22 I’ve gotten many, many, many emails.
3:35:25 And as was Ms. Jenkins said, predominantly 95% of them are all
3:35:31 in support of these guidelines.
3:35:34 And I want to know that I support these guidelines.
3:35:37 And I reached out to a couple who had some stories that
3:35:41 concerned me of what happened in school.
3:35:43 And please know if you have any issues that you don’t feel are
3:35:47 being resolved, please feel free to reach out to me.
3:35:50 And Ms. Jenkins also put that out there.
3:35:53 So we want you to feel safe.
3:35:55 We want everyone to feel safe.
3:35:57 And my speakers from Edgewood, I’m so proud of you all.
3:36:01 Go to my school.
3:36:02 So, good job.
3:36:03 Good job.
3:36:05 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 at this time in
3:36:17 our lives.
3:36:17 I would have hoped that we had moved beyond, but we’re not.
3:36:21 So, again, I am here to support you.
3:36:24 Let me know what I can do.
3:36:26 And I want to thank our staff who helped us put these, or really
3:36:31 who did the hard work of putting these guidelines together.
3:36:34 So, thank you for all who came tonight in support.
3:36:37 Thanks, Ms. McDougal.
3:36:40 Mr. Susan.
3:36:41 Mr. Paul, can you, since Ms. Campbell’s not an attorney, can you
3:36:48 go through exactly what she said so that everybody understands
3:36:52 that there is no vote tonight,
3:36:54 that we are under federal guidelines through the Biden
3:36:59 administration’s actions?
3:37:03 Well, first, I would just clarify, it’s not necessarily the
3:37:05 Biden administration.
3:37:06 It is a federal case law, including the 11th Circuit, which
3:37:10 governs Florida and Alabama and Georgia, as Ms. Campbell stated.
3:37:14 She kind of stole most of the thunder on that one.
3:37:16 The Drew Adams case versus St. John’s is a bathroom case.
3:37:20 And it does state that there is only one dispute, and it’s a
3:37:23 quote, about Mr. Adams’ Title IX claim,
3:37:26 whether excluding Mr. Adams from the boys’ bathroom amounts to
3:37:29 sex discrimination and the violation of the statute.
3:37:32 We conclude that this policy of exclusion constitutes
3:37:35 discrimination.
3:37:36 First, Title IX protects students from discrimination based on
3:37:40 their transgender status.
3:37:41 And second, the school district treated Mr. Adams differently
3:37:45 because he was transgender, and this different treatment caused
3:37:48 him harm.
3:37:50 So, Ms. Campbell was correct that the federal laws, as we know
3:37:53 it, and it’s binding.
3:37:54 The 11th Circuit is as high as it goes for Florida until the
3:37:57 Supreme Court takes one of these cases.
3:38:00 So, this is the law in Florida that if you prevent a transgender
3:38:04 student from using the bathroom of their gender identity,
3:38:08 you are engaging in discrimination, subjecting you to lawsuits.
3:38:12 So, I would agree with that.
3:38:14 The Boston case added discrimination.
3:38:16 Let’s just say that.
3:38:17 All right.
3:38:18 If there’s an instance that that happens in this school district,
3:38:21 decides not to go with it,
3:38:22 then we end up violating that federal.
3:38:25 Title IX, yes.
3:38:26 Title IX.
3:38:27 And then we are in the position to lose federal funding to
3:38:31 include grants that we may already have in place and other
3:38:34 things, correct?
3:38:34 That’s potentially it.
3:38:36 They can withhold funding.
3:38:37 And it could be, you would never know if you get put on a list
3:38:41 where, you know, the DOE says they are anti-LGBTQ in violation
3:38:46 of Title IX.
3:38:48 So, whatever grants we apply, if we’re, like, down to the top
3:38:51 two candidates and there’s a state or a district that is
3:38:54 friendly to LGBTQ with their policies,
3:38:57 they might decide to go that way instead of Brevard.
3:38:59 So, it could be you never even know.
3:39:02 And you now are going to refer to the next law case.
3:39:05 Well, I was just going to say the 11th Circuit relied on Bostick’s
3:39:08 interpretation of gender identity and transgender status or
3:39:13 LGBTQ status with adding it into the Title VII.
3:39:16 And Title VII is the workplace thing, but it is all from the
3:39:20 Civil Rights Act.
3:39:21 And the court said that Title IX and Title VII rely on the same
3:39:25 definition of sex.
3:39:27 The 11th Circuit refused, just like the Supreme Court, to define
3:39:30 how you determine sex.
3:39:32 So, there is no guidance on how you determine sex and what it
3:39:36 means.
3:39:36 And now, you and I were both inside the legal office today, and
3:39:42 you put two of Joe Biden’s executive orders down on the desk.
3:39:46 To explain those pieces, if you can explain that to everybody.
3:39:49 Right.
3:39:50 Biden has directed the Department of Education to review Title
3:39:54 IX protections and take them under.
3:39:57 And he has advised everybody that Title IX will be enforced to
3:40:01 include gender identity protections of LGBTQ and transgender
3:40:06 students,
3:40:06 as well as access to athletics.
3:40:10 So, the DOE is looking into districts, or will begin doing what
3:40:14 the Obama administration was doing, taking up complaints, alleging
3:40:19 violations of Title IX based on LGBTQ status.
3:40:21 Thank you, Mr.
3:40:24 Thank you, Mr. Gibbs.
3:40:25 I just wanted that to be said, because there seems to be a lot
3:40:28 of groups that thought that tonight was a vote, tonight was all
3:40:31 this, and it wasn’t.
3:40:33 Because the bottom line is, is that no matter what your beliefs
3:40:36 are, no matter what you do, these are the laws that govern us.
3:40:41 And we don’t have that ability to make that change, that change
3:40:44 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 for him.
3:40:51 The second one I wanted to talk about is, everybody’s, everybody’s
3:40:55 worked up about the FHSAA and having transgender students
3:41:00 actually participating in sports.
3:41:03 A lot of the stuff that’s coming up inside of this policy is
3:41:06 that there’s no parental notification, that there’s all this
3:41:09 stuff.
3:41:10 If anybody actually went to 16.8 gender identification
3:41:15 participation in the FHSAA guidelines, it has one of the most
3:41:19 stringent policies to actually participate that I’ve ever seen.
3:41:25 When you read through this, it talks about the trigger that it
3:41:29 talks about, that you have to formally write a process to the
3:41:33 school.
3:41:34 You have to have your parents notified, bring in notification.
3:41:38 You have to also have a medical professional play into it.
3:41:44 You also have to go back, and then the FHSAA reviews it.
3:41:50 There is a stringent process for that to happen.
3:41:54 Now, where I come in and where I get worried about is that this
3:41:58 is a massive process that we have to follow, according to FHSAA,
3:42:03 but we don’t have any guidance to our coaches to make sure that
3:42:08 they’re following this exact process.
3:42:10 Because we don’t have a policy in place to identify the
3:42:14 beginning of a transgender making an application to utilize
3:42:18 bathrooms and those same rights.
3:42:22 But on the sports end, there’s a very stringent policy that goes
3:42:25 through.
3:42:26 So where my concern is, is when I made phone calls to all my
3:42:30 staff across the county, and I said, hey, have you wrestled with
3:42:35 this yet?
3:42:36 Do you have any cases?
3:42:37 What’s going on?
3:42:38 A lot of them said that up to that point of identification
3:42:42 afterwards, they understand what’s supposed to happen, but they
3:42:45 don’t understand how a person is to come in.
3:42:48 And I think that’s where the parent notification piece comes
3:42:51 from.
3:42:52 I think that there’s a lot of individuals that are upset because
3:42:55 they don’t feel like the parents are to be notified.
3:42:58 In this process in the FHSAA, get the guidelines, states
3:43:02 parental notification.
3:43:04 Okay?
3:43:04 I would love, just like Katie Campbell had, is to have parental
3:43:09 notification if a transgender or a student comes in and says
3:43:13 that they are not of the same sex.
3:43:16 Okay?
3:43:17 I don’t have a problem with that.
3:43:19 And in the event that you actually have somebody that is going
3:43:23 to cause harm, their parents are going to cause harm, then that’s
3:43:27 why we call DCF and we work out how to make that happen.
3:43:30 I think we go blind into a situation if we don’t have a formal
3:43:35 process.
3:43:36 Now, that is a collaborative process among the board members
3:43:39 that sit here today that have expressed all of their concerns
3:43:42 for the LGBTQ community.
3:43:44 That process is not a negative one.
3:43:47 It’s just a process of how we can notify parents, how we can
3:43:51 make sure that we do the right thing as far as all of the
3:43:54 participation inside of our schools.
3:43:56 We don’t have that.
3:43:57 It’s absent.
3:43:58 So, I follow what Ms. Campbell was saying in urging protect the
3:44:03 rights of students and actually have the parents notified in
3:44:08 some way, shape, or form.
3:44:10 I think that that would be fair, and that would be my ask, is to
3:44:13 put something like that, a procedure or something in place.
3:44:17 You could even already mimic what the FHSAA is doing.
3:44:21 That’s all.
3:44:22 I’m sorry.
3:44:24 Did anyone here tonight, a parent of a trans student, ask to be
3:44:27 notified?
3:44:28 Who were the parents asking for that notification?
3:44:32 It wasn’t the trans parents.
3:44:36 So, that doesn’t benefit the people who are asking for the
3:44:39 parent notification.
3:44:40 They’re asking for notification of a trans student.
3:44:43 And so, that is imprinting on the rights of our trans students.
3:44:47 And that is a fine line we are crossing.
3:44:50 And it’s only going to cause harm to our trans students.
3:44:53 It is not going to benefit them.
3:44:55 And it is only going to make the other parents feel comfortable,
3:44:59 which then outs our trans students.
3:45:02 It’s not okay.
3:45:03 Can I jump in, too?
3:45:05 I want to jump in.
3:45:06 Ms. Jenkins.
3:45:07 My turn.
3:45:09 So, if I could.
3:45:11 Lots of emotion around this.
3:45:15 We need to keep it orderly, just like we kept our public
3:45:17 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.
3:45:25 I understand where you’re coming from, Mr. Susan.
3:45:29 But I have a very big concern because I’m hearing now that we
3:45:34 work with our students who haven’t come out to their parents
3:45:39 very diligently to help them come out.
3:45:43 But there are some parents, and we look at our homeless
3:45:47 population that are predominant, the population of homeless of
3:45:52 our trans students is great.
3:45:55 Many of our homeless students are trans because they have come
3:45:58 out to their parents.
3:45:59 I don’t want that to happen to our children.
3:46:03 Getting an education is hard enough.
3:46:06 And not to have a home, it’s detrimental.
3:46:10 So, I, it’s a very difficult line to walk.
3:46:14 Mr. Susan.
3:46:16 I, I agree with you, and I can see the fear.
3:46:20 I’m not proposing this to create what you think.
3:46:25 I am simply falling in line with what the FHSAA is already going
3:46:30 to make our students do.
3:46:32 There is no getting around that to play sports.
3:46:36 When you have this situation over here, you want to have
3:46:40 consistency between the two.
3:46:42 That’s all.
3:46:42 And I hear you about homeless transgender policy.
3:46:45 I, I, I understand that.
3:46:47 I don’t think that’s where this is going.
3:46:49 I am concerned for our staff who has to make decisions and do
3:46:53 things that they’re not going to know unless we have a policy in
3:46:57 place to provide that.
3:46:59 And there will be some that don’t follow a policy because they
3:47:01 say that there’s not one.
3:47:03 And I understand that this document that gives guidance, but I
3:47:07 think we need to have consistency.
3:47:10 And I looked at this FHSAA and it had in there the parental
3:47:13 piece.
3:47:13 That’s all.
3:47:14 So, right now, in order for a kid to play sports in our school
3:47:16 district, they got to tell the parents.
3:47:18 And I just wanted to make that consistent with what we would do
3:47:21 normally.
3:47:22 That’s all.
3:47:24 Thank you.
3:47:24 Anyone else or?
3:47:27 Can I speak?
3:47:28 Yes.
3:47:29 You say that you want to make it fall in line, but I feel like
3:47:34 it’s fallen in line with something else.
3:47:37 And so I gave you the opportunity to address that, that
3:47:40 statement that was made 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 the wall when it came
3:47:47 to this guideline?
3:47:48 Ms. Jenkins, I am simply saying that we have to fall in line
3:47:53 with the FHSAA guidelines.
3:47:55 An email that was sent out where it talked about backs against
3:47:59 walls, Biden administration, was exactly what I just walked
3:48:02 through.
3:48:03 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.
3:48:09 That’s my point.
3:48:13 I’m done.
3:48:14 Listen, I am so tired of people saying one thing in the public
3:48:16 and saying something.
3:48:17 I’m not saying anything different here.
3:48:19 All right, guys, I’m going to call a point of order because this
3:48:22 back and forth is not productive for any of us.
3:48:24 And as chair, I have not even had an opportunity to address
3:48:28 because of the back and forth.
3:48:29 So I would like to take advantage of my opportunity to discuss
3:48:32 at this point in time.
3:48:35 So several things were mentioned tonight that I think there
3:48:38 needs to be some clarification on.
3:48:41 One, there were several people who indicated that in 2016, we
3:48:47 claimed that this would not change bathroom policy when we
3:48:51 passed the non-discrimination policy.
3:48:53 And I would suggest that what we did in 2016 was done
3:48:57 appropriately, done for all of the right reasons.
3:49:01 I stood behind it then and I stand behind it now.
3:49:05 What I don’t think people realize is that what we are talking
3:49:09 about now with regard to the guidelines has nothing to do with
3:49:13 our non-discrimination policy.
3:49:15 Our non-discrimination policy still stands.
3:49:18 It hasn’t changed.
3:49:19 It provided protections.
3:49:22 And I still say that our non-discrimination policy has nothing
3:49:25 to do with bathroom use.
3:49:27 Our non-discrimination policy says that we will protect all of
3:49:31 our students.
3:49:34 And that remains incredibly important to me, regardless of any
3:49:40 of the factors that are there.
3:49:42 What I will say is there is also an enormous amount of
3:49:46 misunderstanding around the document that everyone has spun up
3:49:50 about.
3:49:51 So, the document doesn’t reference parental rights, it doesn’t
3:49:57 reference registration for FHSAA, it doesn’t reference many
3:50:02 things because the document that everyone got spun up about is
3:50:06 simply a quick reference card for our administrators who were
3:50:11 provided that information in context.
3:50:13 And the truth of the matter is that we cannot, as a board, make
3:50:25 you promises for anything going forward because we are going to
3:50:34 be subject to state and federal law.
3:50:38 And we can certainly do our best to make sure that everyone is
3:50:42 supported as safely as possible.
3:50:44 And in some of those instances, we are personally going to agree
3:50:48 with the changes that are made.
3:50:50 And in some of those instances, we may not agree with some of
3:50:54 the changes that are made.
3:50:56 So, for any one of us to sit here and tell you that this
3:51:00 absolutely will or absolutely will not happen, we can’t promise
3:51:05 that.
3:51:05 Because we are federally funded.
3:51:08 Because we do receive funding from the state.
3:51:11 And yes, some of our lawmakers may, unfortunately, change some
3:51:15 of the things that are currently on that document as guidance
3:51:18 for our principals.
3:51:20 So, to the point, are we legally required to do the things that
3:51:25 are on that document?
3:51:28 We absolutely are.
3:51:29 And we will.
3:51:33 Now, I have spoken with staff about the issue of parental
3:51:36 involvement, simply because it’s something that has come up
3:51:40 repeatedly.
3:51:41 I would go back to the fact that that document is not intended
3:51:46 to provide guidance to parents.
3:51:50 It’s not intended to be all inclusive.
3:51:51 It’s not, it’s simply a quick reference for our administrators
3:51:55 to ensure that everyone is on the same page and doing the things
3:51:58 that they need to be doing from a legal perspective and from
3:52:02 direction from the district.
3:52:07 So, yes, there are processes in place, Mr. Susan, through FHSAA
3:52:10 for students to register, to compete as transgender students.
3:52:14 And I would suggest that we have to be very, very careful about
3:52:19 setting up.
3:52:23 So, first of all, as, as the board, I think we have to be
3:52:26 careful of setting up administrative procedures for dealing with
3:52:29 the situation as we’ve discussed before.
3:52:31 I think secondly.
3:52:34 There are, there are situations where FHSAA has set up processes
3:52:44 for application and I would suggest, and Mr. Gibbs, you can feel
3:52:49 free to weigh in if you’d like.
3:52:51 That requiring our transgender students to complete a process
3:52:56 that we are not requiring our other students to complete is
3:53:00 potentially problematic.
3:53:01 So, when it comes to us, you know, with regard to pronoun, for
3:53:06 example, are we going to ask our heterosexual children to fill
3:53:14 out paperwork on what their, their pronoun choices?
3:53:19 And so, I, I mentioned that just to say, we have to be really
3:53:23 careful, I agree, some, some expectations in place to ensure
3:53:28 that everyone is doing things as they should, because we
3:53:31 certainly have heard and seen that that’s not necessarily the
3:53:34 case.
3:53:35 Which is why the document ironically was put together to ensure
3:53:38 there was some, some consistency.
3:53:44 But at the end of the day, regardless of laws, as long as it is
3:53:48 within the law, we have a responsibility to ensure that all of
3:53:53 our children are safe.
3:53:56 And I think there’s an enormous amount of misunderstanding,
3:54:00 certainly that quick reference card isn’t all that’s taking
3:54:04 place in our schools, our team members have done a phenomenal
3:54:08 job for decades, quite frankly.
3:54:09 And so, we have a lot of, quite frankly, about working with our
3:54:13 families, and working with our students, and oftentimes parents
3:54:15 are involved in the discussion, and oftentimes our trans
3:54:21 students opt for different solutions, other than utilization of
3:54:26 a particular bathroom.
3:54:27 And 99 percent of the time, and 99 percent of the time, we work
3:54:31 through these issues, with parents, with students, with our team
3:54:35 members at the school.
3:54:36 So, for all of the people who have said, this is just going to
3:54:40 put all of our students at risk, it’s going to cause all of
3:54:44 these issues, I would have to suggest that it hasn’t in a very
3:54:49 long time.
3:54:50 And I would suggest it’s because the collaborative approach that
3:54:54 we have taken, to try to meet every student’s needs.
3:54:59 And we do, as a district, meet the needs of students who are
3:55:03 uncomfortable with trans students using the same restroom, or
3:55:08 using the same locker room, right?
3:55:09 We don’t just have accommodations for trans students, we have
3:55:12 accommodations for all students.
3:55:13 That’s what we do.
3:55:15 Because the truth of the matter is, at the end of the day, our
3:55:18 schools need to be a nurturing, safe environment for everyone.
3:55:22 And that’s what we have done.
3:55:24 For decades.
3:55:25 For all of our students.
3:55:27 And that’s what we will continue to do.
3:55:29 In Brevard County.
3:55:30 Because that is our mission.
3:55:32 That is the most critically important thing.
3:55:35 So, for all of the confusion around this document, and where it
3:55:39 came from, we’re not voting.
3:55:42 It’s an outline of the laws.
3:55:46 We’re going to continue to do what we have done.
3:55:49 And Mr. Susan, if you would like to have discussion about some
3:55:55 processes, some expectations, some whatever.
3:55:58 You know, this board has always been open to discussion.
3:56:01 But maybe we need to sit back and have some more conversations
3:56:05 and think about exactly what that looks like.
3:56:08 Because I don’t know that at this point in our day, it is
3:56:13 productive.
3:56:15 No, I agree with you.
3:56:16 That wasn’t the intent.
3:56:18 Is there any additional discussion on this particular issue?
3:56:23 All right.
3:56:25 And Mr. Susan, you had a request for discussion on substitutes.
3:56:29 Yes.
3:56:31 Thank you.
3:56:32 I have a situation where when I substitute taught, there was a
3:56:35 bunch of teachers that actually came to me.
3:56:37 And they said, here’s some ideas that we could use to try to
3:56:41 help out.
3:56:41 And I wanted to place it in your guys’ camp so that you could
3:56:44 then turn around and think about it.
3:56:45 And then maybe in two weeks, we could come back and have a good
3:56:47 recommendation.
3:56:48 The bottom line is, is that right now, we could attract more
3:56:53 substitutes to register and get back into our schools if we
3:56:57 showed an incentive-based piece.
3:57:00 Now we talked about, and Dr. Mullins had spoken earlier about
3:57:03 that he wanted to move the minimum wage up before and get our
3:57:06 bottom up.
3:57:07 But what I would like to do is really look at possibly waiving
3:57:12 the fees for all of your, waiving the fees for all of your
3:57:17 applications, the fingerprinting, the background checks, and all
3:57:21 of that.
3:57:21 And if we could pay for that, to bring them back in, we can get
3:57:25 them registered and we can get them going.
3:57:28 I think that’s part of the process is, and I think when I went
3:57:31 to Tallahassee and when I made phone calls up there, they said
3:57:35 that it would probably qualify as under our COVID stuff.
3:57:37 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 as a
3:57:44 possibility to come back, that’s all.
3:57:46 And Dr. Mullins had said that he was working on stuff at the
3:57:49 same time.
3:57:50 So I wanted to be able to offer up a couple of those options and
3:57:53 then come back and try to see if there’s a way to incentivize it
3:57:56 to come back.
3:57:56 Does any board member have any opposition to exploring some of
3:58:00 those possibilities and potentially revisiting in two weeks?
3:58:03 No, that makes sense.
3:58:04 Okay.
3:58:05 Very good.
3:58:06 Is there any other business?
3:58:08 Two 10 second statements.
3:58:10 The first one is, is that there is a huge piece out there that’s
3:58:15 talking about block scheduling versus seven period.
3:58:18 And people are saying, no, we’re coming back on seven periods.
3:58:21 We’re doing this and that.
3:58:22 And people are saying already that these are things.
3:58:25 I just wanted to make sure everybody understands that those
3:58:29 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.
3:58:33 That was one of the things.
3:58:34 And then that will be discussed inside this boardroom to make
3:58:37 those decisions.
3:58:38 Right.
3:58:38 I mean, we’re going to have the next year’s.
3:58:44 I would suggest that the superintendent and his team would make
3:58:49 recommendations.
3:58:52 And then we would discuss it before schools are making decisions
3:58:56 and coming back.
3:58:57 It’s correct.
3:58:58 We have, we have not made any academic oriented decisions for
3:59:04 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 format
3:59:13 will look like.
3:59:14 Right.
3:59:15 With respect to this year or past years pre COVID.
3:59:18 And at which time we do, I’ll certainly keep the board informed.
3:59:24 The next one is, is that we haven’t made any decisions on
3:59:28 foreign exchange students for next year either.
3:59:29 There seemed to be a big push and people contacting me saying,
3:59:33 Hey, we’re being denied for foreign exchange.
3:59:34 The policies that we have and procedures have not been discussed
3:59:37 with that.
3:59:37 And Dr. Mullen said the same thing.
3:59:38 That’s all.
3:59:39 But I just wanted to say those two things publicly because there
3:59:42 seems to be this parental angst over it.
3:59:44 Awesome.
3:59:45 Thank you, Mr. Susan.
3:59:46 Is there any additional business to come before the board?
3:59:49 Hearing none.
3:59:50 This meeting is adjourned.
3:59:51 Have a great night.