As a young woman who has always been interested in local politics, I jumped at the chance to attend The Florida Citizens’ Alliance School Board Forum. I didn’t know what to expect from this forum but I was excited to hear the candidates’ visions for the future of  Collier County Public Schools. I was sorely disappointed. 

Based on the current Florida statutes, the school board is responsible for many responsibilities; from adopting a school program to establishing schools and their enrollment process, as well as the settlement of disagreements. Florida goes on to explicitly state specific roles and responsibilities outlining responsibilities to all students, personnel, and ensuring the general well-being of the school systems.  Most importantly though, a board is tasked with guiding a district’s budget to ensure all students can reach their maximum potential.

As attendees walked into the Family Church, they received a school board questionnaire. Despite the obviously biased questions like, “Will you actively support Florida ‘Heart Beat Bill’ Legislation to protect the unborn?”, the most confusing addition was listed at the very bottom. In the fine print, the line reads, “Footnotes allowed but not encouraged. Footnotes make you look weak on these basic principles and values.” This confusing comment seemed arbitrary but also hateful. The “if you’re not with us you’re against us” mentality seemed embarrassingly apparent. As students, we are taught to question and examine, why doesn’t this extend to the school board?  Doesn’t learning start with asking the right questions?

When we all sat down and readied ourselves for the forum, an “elder” from the church took center stage. He continued on to deliver a Christian message including quotes like “Man is born believing in God.” As a non-religious student, I was a little uneasy. I was curious about church v. state and how this mini-sermon fit into a local, nonpartisan meeting. Regardless, this soon passed and we looked to hear from two incumbent board members and some new faces who wanted a seat on the board. 

We began with hearing from the moderators. The moderators gave a background on themselves. One moderator introduced himself as an entrepreneur and businessman, he emphasized the American Dream and becoming united. I felt relieved, a good moderator for the event. The other moderator, however, spoke heavily of his faith-based initiatives and his deep involvement in the pro-life ministry. As a young woman, I felt it distasteful to have someone of such deep roots in the pro-life ministry sitting as a moderator. But what could go wrong?

The school board forum began shortly after the moderator’s introduction. The candidates introduced themselves one-by-one. One candidate declared herself “a constitutional conservative” while another called herself a “conservative mama bear.” For an event that was nonpartisan, there seemed to be an overwhelming majority sitting on the right side. Throughout the afternoon the candidates gave answers to fit the audience’s approval, making sure to use buzzwords like the “left” and “porn” to receive approval from the listeners. The blatant pandering for support seemed distasteful for the forum. 

The questions that were asked to these candidates continuously grew more bizarre. Some questions in the beginning referenced equitability to charter schools and the allowing for the expenditure for an independent audit of CCPS. Unfortunately, the questions grew unpredictable. In one instance, the candidates were asked if they would vote in support of a “day of remembrance for unborn fetuses.” As a young woman and student, I was stunned and appalled. What type of question is this for a school board? Why did all of the candidates vote in support of that day and who is leading the future of our schools? 

In an important addition, the questions asked by the moderators were worded to instill fear in the audience. Most notably, the moderators asked, “Do you support men going into the girl’s bathroom?” This question was not only evasive in what it was surely asking, whether or not the candidates supported trans students, but it also neglected to include any context. This distasteful strategy left me feeling on edge and frustrated. What kind of event was this? 

A student who also attended the forum, Riley Letendre, said this, “ I found it most frustrating that this nonpartisan event held clearly partisan views. Almost every vote was unanimous and almost every candidate held conservative opinions.” She went on to say, “How is this a fair representation of our student body? There is simply no difference between the opinions shared.”  

This supposedly nonpartisan forum for a discussion of the betterment of Collier’s children was obviously a distorted discussion full of people who do not have their best interests in mind. The candidates continuously mocked the very notion of “gender fluidity,” with statements like “the parts God gave them” and insinuating trans students decide to be trans with a comment like “I feel like a girl today.” They deemed masks as a political ploy and they continuously integrated their faith-based opinions into conversations about the futures of a diverse set of students.  This demeaning and unbalanced forum was not only disgusting as it was equally terrifying. 

Are these the people who are representing the future for ALL students, not just Christian cis-gendered people? Are these the people we trust to nurture students and spark creativity and a change for the future?  No. This forum was an excellent insight into why we need new leaders. We need people to represent the group they are given the honor of advocating for. We don’t need mockery, ignorance, and uneducated remarks. 

The Full Forum: