Orange County Public Schools communication staff responded to School Board Chair candidate Carl Brewer’s recent comments in a West Orlando News article. OCPS district staff wanted the clarifications on the political candidate’s statement in order to be as accurate as possible.
While Brewer’s comments targeted School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs, who is running for re-election on August 23rd, OCPS staff directly responded, not the political consulting firm who handles her campaign. The response was sent one day before the new school year started for students. OCPS Chief Communications Officer Scott Howat, who reportedly makes around $180,000 according to GovSalaries, worked on the responses. Here are the comments from Brewer and the OCPS district staff responses for each one:
Brewer said: “We should not be surprised though, that this is happening though under Teresa Jacobs’ watch as OCPS School Board Chair. We are talking about the same woman who freely allows boys and girls in our school system to choose to use whichever restroom they ‘feel’ suits them best, which is a huge safety risk being forced upon our children physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
OCPS staff responded:
“The restroom issue is a result of a court case out of St. John’s county (Adams v. St. John County School Board, FL). This specific issue was not decided by Chair Jacobs or the school board and has never been brought to the board for a decision in a public or closed meeting.”
Brewer said: “We are talking about the same women who behind closed doors codified the verbiage mother/woman and father/man to ‘birthing person’ and ‘person,’ which is slap in the face to every parent in the county, especially every woman who gave birth to their children. My point is, that over time, she has consistently shown complete disregard for the law and acted in an unprofessional manner.”
OCPS staff responded:
“This statement has nothing to do with the use of Dr. Phillips High School parking lot by Universal. The board discussion about mothers and fathers took place in a public meeting on April 19. Any member of the public could attend this advertised meeting and speak to the proposed policy.”
Brewer said: “With regard to Universal Orlando utilizing 382 spaces of parking at Dr. Phillips High School during peak season operations and special event season, such as Halloween Horror Nights, there are several issues that need to be addressed. First, there is the assignment of liability, whereas, if anything were to happen on OCPS premises, who would assume responsibility without a written agreement detailing the requirements that have been bestowed to Universal Orlando. Next, is ensuring there is no contraband on premises in accordance with OCPS policies and procedures.”
OCPS staff responded:
“As stated, that is the purpose for having administrative and custodial staff on campus to ensure that no items are left behind.”
Brewer said: “In addition to this, there should also be guidelines that require Universal Orlando to sweep the property and ensure the area has been secured for the following day and that students will be safe on the property. Furthermore, there should be security fencing with blackout coverings to ensure individuals cannot scout the property with the intent of ill will, as the current six foot fence does not meet this criterion, or the purpose of protecting the students and faculty of OCPS, on-premise. To further this point, even if there are no students on premises during these times, we must always consider that there is someone out there with the intent to do harm, and as such, we must ensure the premises are secured.”
OCPS staff responded:
“This statement is not based in fact and the individual making the statement has no knowledge of additional security measure in place on our campuses. In fact, all OCPS facilities exceed the security requirements set forth by the State of Florida under the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Act.”
