Continued Chaos in the Sand

Trails in the Sand by Peter Traciet, the Street Detective

Sand was being thrown from a thousand different directions at today’s School Board meeting.  It appears to Ol’ Pete that  partisan politics will never go away.  The Democrats showed up to support Allan Zeman in his Slapgate scandal and the Mothers of Liberty (majorly Republicans) were on deck to support Brenda Fam who is accused of inappropriately touching a student.

Each group was in adamant support of their person and mostly blamed Board members for addressing the issue. Ol’ Pete chuckled to witness the Republicans and Democrats found common ground and began supporting each other to help their person.

Fam was noticeably absent from the Board meeting, yet she had a mountain of supporters who came to give a positive voice to her in the matter. The Detective noted that Fam supporters characterized the Fam accusation as a witch hunt because of her outspoken views around LGBTQ+ persons.

Supporters of Zeman have labeled his slapping on the butt incident as a “nothing burger”. Back on December 13, Zeman slapped a Cabinet member on the buttocks in the Board room. Peter has learned that the incident was captured on camera and was witnessed by at least two people.  The employee on the receiving end of the butt slap reported the incident to then superintendent, Vickie Cartwright. Cartwright directed the employee not to report it and she later used the incident as leverage in securing Zeman’s vote to keep her as superintendent and later to negotiate a lucrative exit package.

The Detective learned that a report has not been filed against neither employee, yet the Board is considering paying an external investigator $12,500 to investigate both incidents as there is no one who can investigate persons holding the highest position in the organization. Board members hold such positions.

It would seem that Jeff Holness isn’t the only Board member who is fascinated with the Land of Oz.  It may have something to do with doctorates, because it is reported Zeman has forged a very unlikely alliance with the ruler of Oz. While Oz never endorsed Holness nor Zeman, they all appear to be living in Emerald City. Oz threw her support at Zeman’s opponent, incumbent candidate, Donna Korn. While Zeman squeaked through a win, it was pretty darn embarrassingly close for Zeman to be running against someone whose name was splattered all over a Grand Jury Report. Ol’ Pete is thinking Zeman’ win should have been a sandslide. In any case, Ol’ Pete is hearing that Oz continues to meddle in School Board business by not so secretly advising a couple Board members to separate out the Zeman complaint from Fam’s. Pete is wondering who takes advice from a former Board member who barely escaped a public flogging by the Governor because of incompetence that is riddled throughout a Grand Jury report.

It appears Board member Jeff Holness continues to take direction from Oz as he introduced a substitute motion to let Zeman go free but table Fam to come back for a later date. Pete is adamant that Holness needs to go because he represents one person only, not his constituents.

The most substantial fact that The Detective heard that gave pause was the length of time it took to address the Zeman complaint.  Zeman supporters are actually using this fact to muddy the waters. They are saying Zeman is  being swooped in to Fam’s muddy mess.

Every time the Detective hears about the Fam Slam, it’s like the story of the fisherman. New details emerge and the fish gets bigger and bigger. Today was the first time The Detective heard that Fam was on the verge of falling and grabbed on to the first person she could to steady herself and this is where the accusation began. Pete is also hearing that Zeman was quite excited about Fam’s investigation until her learned that he would be investigated alongside her.

Ol’ Pete wants to be clear that no one should take seriously that the employee whose buttocks were slapped was not offended.  The Board has an obligation to protect the employee just as it needs to protect a student who made an allegation. There is a definite imbalance of power between a School Board member and an employee. Zeman was this employee’s boss’s boss. There is no way this employee would feel comfortable saying he was offended and as a result, if it happened, it is textbook harassment. The employee needs protection and Pete believes that the investigation must move forward. Just as the student needs to be protected, so does the employee. Even if the employee reports he is not offended, the alleged action by Zeman is inappropriate workplace behavior and it must be investigated and appropriately disciplined, if found credible.   speakers in support of Zeman, often say that there was no victim. This is not true. For example, if a student who is 18 years old has a consensual relationship with an adult teacher, there may be no victim, but the behavior of the teacher is inappropriate and violates ethics.

Ol’ Pete was very impressed with the interim superintendent, Earlean Smiley who described how the entire thing came to be. Smiley explained that a complaint came to her regarding Fam with a signed statement from the alleged victim. She researched what an appropriate response should be when  a Board member is accused of misconduct.

Pete learned from Smiley that Policy 1100A is silent on Board members having the ability to investigate or sanction their fellow School Board members for alleged misconduct.  General Counsel Marilyn Batista advised Smiley that outside counsel is hired to investigate and provide a recommendation for the appropriate action. The detective surmise is that 🙂 realizes now the dirt that she has gotten herself into. She is commended for having the courage to bring this forward behind a superintendent who use the reporting of Zeman‘s conduct as a tool to bribe the board.

Ol’ Pete found it interesting that Board member, Nora Rupert, educated the public that this is not the first time Board members have been investigated.  She admitted that she and former Board member, Robin Bartleman, were accused of and investigated for harassment and at the conclusion, they were both cleared. Sources are telling Ol’ Pete that Jillian Haring, the employee from PCG, is the person who Rupert and Bartleman allegedly harassed. Haring went on to leave the district for PCG and was swept up into the huge scandal that contributed to Cartwright’s eventual firing.

Zeman opted to not weigh in on the item due to being buried in the sand by it.

It appears to Pete that both Fam and Zeman are worried because if they find cause for inappropriate behavior, it would be reported to Governor Ron Desantis’s office for action. While Fam, Zeman and the supporters of both fear the wrath of DeSantis, the Board’s hands are tied. Policy 1100A doesn’t speak to investigating and sanctioning Board members by a board members.

Ol’ Pete could feel some Board members trying to squirm out of holding their fellow Board members accountable in the same way that teachers are held accountable.  It appears to Pete that this is business as usual with this Board and Anna Fusco is going to have a fun time playing in the sand with this.

It seems clear that the Board is not willing to make the hard decisions. They claim to want more information; however, they don’t need it.  It is not for them to investigate but to find that an investigation is warranted.  It is clear that in both cases, there is enough there to move forward. For once, Ol’ Pete is totally aligned with Nora Rupert and her substitute motion that got no second. The indecision is dirty.

Ol’ Pete

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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