Black History Month turnout at Sarasota School Board Meeting becomes the model for other school districts

The strength of our coalition allowed us to STAND UP for Sarasota Public Schools on Tuesday, February 1.

Using the same template, we hope to bring the same message to neighboring Manatee County for their upcoming meeting on Tuesday.

We can inspire others to STAND UP for Public education by working together and staying focused. Read how the Sarasota Herald-Tribune covered the meeting:

Sarasota school board hears concerns over teaching race, limiting speaking time at meetings

Concerned parents and community members again took to the Sarasota County School Board this week with concerns over censorship and the state's ban on teaching critical race theory. 

Unlike previous comments centered around issues like mask-wearing, the speakers maintained a more civil approach on Tuesday night. The comments follow the board’s decision in January to update the public speaker policy at meetings to avoid contentious discussions.  

Following recognition of Black History Month, conservative residents addressed the board’s perceived efforts to censor organizations like Moms For Liberty, which has become the focal point at recent meetings and opposes teaching Sarasota County students about critical race theory. Others spoke in opposition to the book banning and censorship.

“This is a publicly funded school board, and you are accountable to the public, not the other way around,” outspoken Republican congressional candidate Martin Hyde told the board. “In reality, it's truth and accountability to the majority that you don't like, not politics... you actively engage in partisan politics at every meeting.” 

Carol Lerner, chair of the grassroots organization Protect Our Public Schools Manasota, spoke out against recent book banning, citing a history project her daughters completed in grade school. Lerner said that through historical events such as the Holocaust and slavery, her children learned empathy and history. 

“I believe that teachers, administrators, parents and students all support a truth-based and evidence-based curriculum,” Lerner said. “Rules have been passed, wrongly, claiming that important aspects of history are critical race theory. Teaching the history of marginalized people and people of color is American history.” 

Parent and chair of Moms For Liberty's Sarasota chapter, Alexis Spiegelman spoke in opposition to teaching race in schools through CRT but supports teaching accurate Black history, she said. 

“Teaching in this manner keeps us all divided when our country needs to be unified,” Spiegelman said. 

New equity committee explained

At the start of the meeting, Superintendent Brennan Asplen also addressed concerns from transparency groups over the new equity committee at the district rumored by some in the public to have been created in secret.  

The committee was formed in August 2020, hired Dr. Harriet Moore as director in December 2020, and members were chosen by Brennan to help create the district’s equity plan, he said. 

“The committee was designed for us to all talk and create a plan to fit everyone,” Brennan said. “It wasn’t a secret committee.” 

Brennan assured parents the committee would work to be more transparent and continue to adhere to Sunshine Laws.

“It was designed to bring us together to talk because we all have differences,” Brennan said. “The equity plan’s goal is to find out what it is you need and try to supply that for you.” 

Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune - view original article
Samantha Gholar Weires - sgholar@gannett.com