8.13.2025 FRPS Grievance Subcommittee

All right. I'd like to call to order uh the grievance subcommittee of Florida public schools on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Uh Jeff, you please call role.

Mr. Drag here.

Mr. Bailey here.

Mr. Larby here.

Please rise for the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium.

Attendees are therefore advised that such recording or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible. Um, Deb, do we have any citizens for us? We do.

Am I all set?

Yeah.

Thank you.

Good afternoon. Um, I have a grievance that I wish to bring before the committee today and I believe this matter can also be brought up in new business.

You'll see his name.

Oh, I I'll say my name. I'm Colin D, 560 Ray Street, Fall River. Um, continuing on, um, believe this matter can also be brought up in new business as it was discovered within 48 hours of the meeting. Um, the Far Public Schools, as we all know, is a public entity that receives taxpayer funding at the local, state, and federal levels. The Fall Public Schools Facebook page, which allows for comments on its content,

recently removed comments relating to the hiring of the principal of RPA, which was posted on the district's Facebook page. The superintendent stated that comments will be turned off going forward. However, comments are still allowed on previous posts, including congratulator congratulatory posts for the new principles of Tanzy, Spencer Bordon, Watson and other schools.

So, the situation that we have and the situation the concerns that I have is here is one, we turned off comments on all posts for thousands of people who normally 99% of the time post positive content. my opinion that cripples our public engagement in the community. Two, the district removed comments only for this one principal because they were not positive while other comments on other

posts that appear positive for the other principles remain.

This no longer merely subject is merely a subject matter censorship. It is now a contentbased censorship. The superintendent, in my opinion, placed the district in legal jeopardy. All because we want to police Facebook. And the superintendent's own words, because there are too many people out there who make it their full-time job to troll Facebook. So, I guess the solution was to stop comments for thousands of people

who post congratulations to their loved ones who have graduated, kind remarks on many positive initiatives this district does undertake dayto-day, and supportive comments to staff members who have been promoted or introduced to the district. All in order to prohibit a few quote unquote Facebook trolls.

This decision was made in response to fair questions on the behavioral experience of the new RPA principal, referring to the city's residents expressing concern with their education system as Facebook trolls in my opinion is a great insult to the great people of Fall River. And I'm very disappointed as one member of the committee that those comments would be made and it's an insult to our community.

There is a legal precedent in case law that backs my claims of first amendment violations. Please review the letter that I have attached by attorney Ruth Borquin of the ACLU Massachusetts division which is attached to the email.

The letter states that a school district should maintain a transparent social media policy that limits on comments that limitations on comments must be viewpoint neutral and that a policy must be enforced consistently and there's also varying case law for your review as well. Believe we need to intervene as a committee. We cannot and should not allow our personal insecurities to dictate public government policy. We

should not use the power of government to silence critics. We are not allowed by law to censor people on a content matter basis most of the time. Again, I ask that our superintendent increase citizens participation and avoid going down this road of autocracy. The bottom line is this. My opinion, we have a very big first amendment issue on our hands and it's time to end it. End of grievance.

Thank you.

May I just ask uh that we get attorney Assad to issue something to the full committee based on those allegations?

Thank you.

Anyone else for citizens info?

No.

All right. So, moving on to Sorry.

Moving on to new business. Is there any new business to come before the committee?

Nope. All right. Um we have a request for executive session.

So make a motion to adjurnn. I will this right.

Not yet. Okay.

I I think um if I if I may, Mr. Chair.

Yep.

Okay. It'll be under National Law Chapter 38 section 21 A3 to discuss strategy and matters with respect to collective bargaining agreement including hearing grievances relative to all paraprofessional employees of the former school system represented by the forward federation of par profofessionals. as the chair is a chairman of open session may have a detrimental impact on the bargaining and

or litigation position of the committee.

We would be now be subject to a vote.

I need a motion.

All right. So, we don't have to adjurnn right out of regular session. So, make a motion to enter an executive session.

All in favor?

I I I recommend taking a roll call vote for executive session.

Do we need that?

No, we need that.

If you want to, we can do it. But if we want to, we don't have to.

We don't have to.

No, we don't need it.

Can you shut the door?

Well, is there a vote? Is there All right, we're going in executive.

Yes. I'd like to make a motion to uh enter back into executive session.

Second.

Yes.

Mr. Bailey.

Yes.

Miss.

Yes.

Motion to come back in.

No, we don't need to do it.

Just to reconvene, just attendance. Mr. Aam.

Yes.

Mr. Bailey.

Yes.

Mr. Larby.

Yes.

Excuse me.

Uh motion to second.

Mr.

A. Yes. Mr. Bailey. Yes. M.

Yes.