REDBROWARD obtained an email from a Democrat activist to Broward School Superintendent Peter Licata detailing chaos at Monday book review committee meeting in Hallandale Beach. The Superintendent’s Review Committee held a public meeting at Gulfstream Early Learning Center to discuss reviews of two books—Forever by Judy Blume and Choke by Chuck Plahniuk. An email by Siobhan McLaughlin, a Broward Democrat Party member and former president of the local National Organization Of Women (NOW) chapter, shared efforts by staff and Broward County Vice Mayor Beam Furr to keep Broward School Board Member Brenda Fam from participating in the meeting.

McLaughlin started with a scathing criticism of the process. She claimed the meeting started thirty-minutes late. She was shocked that public comments were not allowed. “Participation at School Board meetings to comment on issues is a Byzantine, opaque exercise in futility, designed to make any meaningful statement of opinion, difficult at best,” McLaughlin wrote.

Later in her email, McLaughlin focused on the attendance of School Board Member Brenda Fam. McLaughlin made the scurrilous claim Fam was a “Proud Boys adjacent member.”

McLaughlin claimed school staff members felt threatened by the presence of Fam. “Brenda Fam, was alerted to the potential silencing/ distress of staff due to her position as the ultimate employer/ decision maker of policy,” Mc Laughlin wrote.

Then, McLaughlin claimed Broward Vice Mayor Beam Furr, a Review Committee member, offered advice to Fam. She wrote, “[Fam] ignored the request of member (and policy maker on the County Commission) Beam Furr to not attend.”

McLaughlin claimed Fam recorded the public meeting without permission.

In a telephone interview with REDBROWARD, Fam confirmed the efforts to eject her from the Review Committee meeting. Fam said staff and committee members objected to her presence at the meeting. When Fam reminded them this was a noticed-public meeting, some member claimed this committee was not subject to Florida’s Sunshine Law. The member claimed “quasi-committees” did not need to follow those rules.

After being falsely accused of being a member of the Proud Boys, Fam said she feared for safety.

Fam told REDBROWARD she was prepared to ask for Superintendent Licata for security after last night’s events.

Why is Beam Furr, an elected official, trying to keep Brenda Fam, a fellow elected official, from attending a public meeting?

That’s chilling.

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Here is the full McLaughlin email to Superintendent Peter Licata:

Dr. Licata:

I am absolutely appalled by the meeting of the Superintendent’s Review Committee for Library Media Objections held at Gulfstream Early Learning Media Center earlier today. It wasdisgraceful. The meeting was advertised for a 4p start time, 1/22/24. When I questioned the moderator, Ms Taylor, at 4:20pm, she told me it was to start at 4:30.  I can forward a screen shot of the advertisement in the South Florida Sun Sentinel with the 4p start time.  Does the Communications/Media staff not coordinate with the appropriate staff to verify information? 

The meeting did not start until 4:35 (with a five minute delay for people just arriving in the parking lot). “People”, staff and  committee members, could not FIND the facility and went to another Gulfstream named property. Does the support/clerical  staff not send out correct information, start times and directions to the appropriate facility? How else do you explain that staff, committee members went to the wrong facility, blocks away? Not to mention, not being there for the 4p advertised start time. Dr Wilson herself was a NO SHOW.

The address was clearly printed in the newspaper advertisement.  Ms Taylor pointedly mentioned the meetings start on time, but she herself blatantly ignored this “policy”.

To advertise a meeting and keep people waiting is incredibly DISRESPECTFUL of the public’s (as well as staff and member’s) time and resources. Is there another way to describe this lapse of courtesy?  What will the accountability for this rudeness entail? Who is ultimately responsible for this abject performance? Support staff, Ms Taylor, Dr Wilson, you?

There were no “public comments” allowed: how do interested parties of all points of view actually communicate with the advisory committee if not at meetings held across the county?  When asked by the parent member of the committee when the recommendations would be discussed, the information, provided by Ms. Taylor, was incorrect. 

Participation at School Board meetings to comment on issues is a Byzantine, opaque exercise in futility, designed to make any meaningful statement of opinion, difficult at best.

This same parent mentioned that “outreach” to interested parties was sorely lacking. How are members appointed and how do you account for the vast divergence of opinions that need to be considered? Are recommendations to serve made by the School Board members? Is there a effort to alert the public of opportunities to serve? If not, why not?  This meeting was a poor reflection on the professionalism of the supposedly educated staff and ultimately, yourself.

School Board and Proud Boys adjacent member, Brenda Fam, was alerted to the potential silencing/ distress of staff due to her position as the ultimate employer/ decision maker of policy, yet she ignored the request of member (and policy maker on the County Commission) Beam Furr to not attend.  She then recorded the meeting without the express permission, or even the basic courtesy of asking, the public. Explicit policy regarding this problem need to be addressed. Is there a chilling of expression due to School Board member attendance? I would submit it would absolutely have such an effect.

There was no tabletop / placard names of Committee members. When I publicly asked, as a point of personal privilege, for the members to introduce themselves, it was ignored by Ms Taylor.  There was no roll call to verify quorum. An overhead slide of members, not readily visible to anyone further than 3 feet away, is not an excuse for the non introduction of your representatives. Perhaps the staff needs an inservice on how to run effective meetings. Clearly, they are lacking the basic skills to do so.

Another member, presumably, showed up at 5:05 and sat down. As Ms Taylor mentioned, there are no “minutes” taken. How do you account for quorum, attendance issues, if members just show up and are seated with no notice? I have attended civic associations and Girl Scout patrol meetings that were run in a more professional manner.

I am deeply disappointed by the lack of professionalism, courtesy and basic rules of effective management of meetings. I expect better from your representatives /appointees and staff and look forward to the courtesy of a response from you or the appropriate staff member to address these concerns (not just the acknowledgement of receipt of email, as is the current practice of the administrative staff.)

Sincerely,

Siobhan McLaughlin