Civil Rights and Parents Groups Denounce Effort to Erode Local Protections in Sarasota Public Schools
Civil Rights and Parents Groups Denounce Effort to Erode Local Protections in Sarasota Public Schools
Proposed changes dangerously obscure discrimination and bullying protections for all students
Sarasota, FL — Today a broad coalition of civil rights, parents, and faith groups, including the NAACP, Florida PTA, Public Education Network (PEN) Sarasota, Voices of Florida, Progress Florida, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Equality Florida, the Suncoast Jewish Alliance, and the First Congregational Church of Sarasota called for Sarasota County Public Schools to reverse course on proposals that would dramatically change the district’s longstanding policies protecting students, faculty, and families from discrimination and bullying on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, age, disability, veteran or military status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation.
Discussed in a public workshop on June 17th and with a final vote planned for today at 3:00pm, the board has signaled plans to remove express enumeration from the districts anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, and anti-bullying policies and instead offer muted guidance. The move comes as staff and board members have grappled with intentionally vague guidance from the Trump Administration that advises districts to eliminate “DEI” or risk losing federal education dollars. District staff and some board members incorrectly argue that eliminating local protections is required. Earlier this year the Federal Department of Education launched an effort to repeal diversity policies across the country with a “Dear Colleague” Letter and subsequent guidance that was intended to attack “DEI” but offers no clear definitions what “DEI” is. Further, not of the guidance offered is a legally binding directives* for school districts. The decision to neuter the district's diversity policies by removing an articulation of who is protected is both a capitulation to federal overreach into local public education and a dangerous overcorrection to vague, sweeping, and nonbinding guidance. If passed, the coalition of organizations warns the proposals will erode decades of progress in local civil rights policy and make Sarasota schools less safe for minority students.
“The Sarasota County Branch of the NAACP opposes changes being discussed by Sarasota County Schools that would weaken protection against discrimination and remove specific safeguards for protected groups,” said Trevor D. Harvey, President of the Sarasota County Branch of the NAACP. “Protected groups are protected for a reason. For example, the Department of Justice reports the most common school hate crime is the result of anti-African American bias. Young perpetrators, who demonstrate a limited understanding of accepted behavior, must be shown the clear nature of their offense. As a leading district in the State of Florida, Sarasota County Schools should remain committed to making sure the protections as outlined under Title IX are enforced and their policies strongly reflect such standards.”
“As the state’s largest and oldest child advocacy association, Florida PTA urges school leaders to prioritize clearly written, explicitly inclusive policies that protect every child,” said Florida PTA President Maxine Ann-Marie Lewers. “Express enumeration, naming protections for students across race, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and other identities ensures accountability and affirms each student’s inherent right to learn in a safe, respectful environment. Policies that name children—protect children. By working together, we can build school cultures where all students feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.”
Already, three court jurisdictions have ruled against the Trump Administration’s vague and nonbinding guidance to repeal diversity policies in K-12 public schools, swiftly enacting injunctions**. Rather than rush to repeal local policies that offer necessary clarity on conduct, the district should reaffirm it’s commitment to celebrating diversity, banning discrimination, and offering crystal clarity on what conduct is appropriate.
The final vote on Sarasota Public Schools’ diversity policies is scheduled for the 3:00pm School Board meeting on Tuesday July 22 to be held in the School Board Chambers located at 1960 Landings Blvd. Major public opposition is expected.
Community Leaders and Organizations Speak Out
“School districts have a clear legal and moral responsibility to keep students safe. Defining specific protections against bullying and discrimination promotes transparency, consistency, and helps ensure students are learning in a supportive environment,” said Mark Ferrulo, Executive Director of Progress Florida.“These protections weren’t chosen at random — they’ve been carefully developed over time to respond to real, evolving needs and to create safe, inclusive schools for all students. Replacing them with vague, watered down protection criteria jeopardizes school safety, and hinders the ability of our neighborhood public schools to ensure every student can thrive.”
"Sarasota School District’s new code of conduct is too vague,” said Jill Lewis Spector, Board Chair of Public Education Network (PEN) Sarasota. “Instead of taking a strong stand that confirms Title IX protections, it simply says it won’t ‘tolerate discrimination and harassment'. Sarasota’s A-rated school district must be clear. Public Education Network (PEN) Sarasota beieves that in the school board’s attempt to be neutral, it is weakening protections for all students and undermines its own mantra: 'every student, every day.”
“There’s a reason we don’t have road signs that say ‘Don’t Speed’ instead of ‘Speed Limit 45 MPH,’” said Joe Saunders, Senior Political Director of Equality Florida. “Students, parents, and faculty deserve certainty and clarity that the Sarasota School District is going to require basic fairness for all students and clear guidance on what conduct is acceptable. You shouldn’t be required to be an expert in federal law to understand that discrimination against your child will not be tolerated. Eroding local directives that expressly call out discrimination is a failure of the district to keep its commitment to respecting every family and protecting every student.”
“The Suncoast Jewish Alliance stands with our community partners in opposition to changes being proposed by the Sarasota County School Board related to discrimination and protected classes in existing school policies,” said Norman Olshansky, President of Suncoast Jewish Alliance. “As a Jewish group, we are one of the existing protected classes. We fear that this change will send the wrong message to students and staff. If the proposed changes are adopted, it will indicate that our School Board is moving away from its long commitment and history of protecting religious and other minorities within our schools.”
“Florida’s parents overwhelmingly support their local public schools and trust professional educators to make research-based decisions about how best to teach our children,” said Jonathan Webber, Florida Policy Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. “Vague, threatening, and unworkable policy recommendations from Washington D.C. do nothing to help students succeed. Every child deserves a high-quality education, free not only from discrimination but also from the political games of out-of-state, out-of-touch politicians.”
“As a Sarasota County parent, a Black woman, and the mother of a disabled student and mixed children, I am furious,” said Sarah Parker, Executive Director of Voices of Florida Fund. “We are going backwards. There is no reason to change these longstanding policies except to pander to right-wing hysteria. While the kids in this district are struggling to afford school lunches, basic supplies, and consistent classroom support, the school board is wasting time on performative politics. Instead of helping students thrive, they are focused on erasing language that protects them. Protections that tell our kids: you matter, you’re safe here, & you belong. This isn't just policy. It’s about whether our children feel seen or silenced, protected, or targeted. Our kids deserve better. They deserve dignity, safety, and the full support of the institutions that claim to serve them.”
"We also know that making schools LGBTQ-affirming and inclusive, and having supportive adults lowers suicide rates and improves overall health and wellness", said Rev. Dr. Wex Bixby of the First Congregational Church of Sarasota. "We believe that it is imperative that bullying and harassment based on race, color, ethnic or national origin, age, disability, veteran/military status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation be clearly defined in school policies to make our schools safer for all our children.”
*The Federal Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague” Letter expressly states, “This guidance does not have the force and effect of law and does not bind the public or create new legal standards.” https://www.ed.gov/media/document/dear-colleague-letter-sffa-v-harvard-109506.pdf
** Three federal judges recently ruled against the Trump Administration’s attempt to enforce anti-diversity policy guidance: A Maryland judge issued a temporary stay of the “Dear Colleague” Letter, “which would necessarily preclude enforcement based on the Letter’s changes to existing law,” preventing the Trump administration from administering its threat against schools; A New Hampshire judge issued an injunction against the anti-DEI efforts, explaining that the federal government’s directives neither defined DEI programs nor DEI practices that violated federal law; A DC judge issued a preliminary injunction and enjoined the enforcement of anti-DEI guidance over concerns related to its “vagueness.”