Continued calls for Bridget Ziegler to resign dominate Sarasota School Board meeting

The Sarasota County School Board convened Tuesday for the first time since members voted to ask their colleague Bridget Ziegler to resign from her position amid a continuing investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving her husband, Christian.

The meeting agenda contained 53 items ranging from revised district policies to joining a national lawsuit against social media companies. However, no item compared to the spectacle of the meeting's public comment time, which saw nearly 70 people speak for almost three hours, most asking for Ziegler's resignation. Tuesday marked the second consecutive School Board meeting dominated by the Ziegler scandal, as the former Mom's for Liberty co-founder and incumbent District 1 board member stands firm amid the boisterous calls for her resignation.

Ziegler's husband, former Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler, was accused of sexual battery by a woman with whom the Zieglers previously had a consensual threesome. Christian Ziegler was removed from his position as the head of the Republican Party of Florida in a one-sided vote on Jan. 8.

Public commenters at Tuesday's meeting and in December cited perceived hypocrisy in Bridget Ziegler telling law enforcement that she had a sexual relationship with a woman, given her support for legislation such as the Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law by critics. Ziegler has also posted anti-transgender social media posts.

Ziegler has not responded to several requests for comment from the Herald-Tribune regarding the investigation or the calls for her resignation.

Bridget Ziegler speaks

Following public comment, which ended at almost 10 p.m., Ziegler addressed the public. She steered clear of discussing the sexual assault investigation into her husband and her involvement in a three-way sexual relationship, instead discussing student achievement and how the board worked together at that morning's workshop.

"I have come in every single day with the focus to work together as a board, to focus our mission with what our mission is, where we can agree and focus on academics," Ziegler said.

She then turned to Superintendent Terry Connor. She asked him if the district had banned any books, to which Connor answered "no." She then asked Connor if the district teaches slavery and civil rights in social studies classes, to which he answered "yes".

As of Jan. 16, Sarasota Schools had not removed any books challenged by the public. One book, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, reached the board for a removal vote but ultimately stayed in Sarasota district libraries.

Public comment lasts hours

Commenters continued to barrage Ziegler with passionate remarks calling her a "distraction" and a "hypocrite" as she continues to remain on the board. Unless Ziegler — who was re-elected in 2022 — voluntarily steps down, she would serve on the board until 2026.

"Your presence on the dais is simply a distraction. It is evidence of your lack of compassion for our students, our teachers, our schools, our community and your very own coworkers" said Jennifer Bowles, a parent of three students in the district.

Some who spoke emphasized that they would continue to organize long public comment sections as long as Ziegler continued to sit on the board.

Paulina Testerman, an activist from the group Support Our Schools who helped organize a December rally calling for Ziegler to step down, said Ziegler lacked "self-reflection." She accused the board members of trying to placate the public by passing a non-binding resolution asking Ziegler to resign, but not approving a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis asking him to remove her.

The board cannot vote to remove one of its own members and unless Ziegler chooses to resign, the only person who can remove her from her seat on the board is DeSantis.

"While it may feel futile, it proves to our community that you actually want this distraction removed, and then I can finally stop making jokes and Mrs Ziegler's expense," Testerman said. "We are watching. Stop placating us. We're not done."

Jason Champion, the president of Project Pride SRQ, said Ziegler's actions on and off the board could harm the Sarasota area and its economy in the future.

He said young families could move out of Sarasota, causing the district to lose its "A" rating which could cause fewer people to want to move to the district — in turn, tanking property values.

"Calling out hypocrisy in politics often falls on deaf ears. But girl, your actions speak louder than words," Champion said. "You tarnish the reputation of Sarasota, all in the pursuit for you and now your unemployed husband's political gain. So it's time to address the consequences of those decisions."

Elizabeth Bornstein said the School Board had lost the trust of the community and for it to be restored, Ziegler must step down. She said if Ziegler cared about the school district and community, she would resign.

"We can't forget your role in the distracting the district and matters of the board," she said. "I really didn't want to come tonight. I've grown weary of all of this chaos."

Two hours into public comment, Ziegler's stoicism broke as she appeared to tear up during a comment made by Louise Machinist. Machinist, who also asked Ziegler to step down, expressed empathy for Ziegler in having to endure hours of public comment all targeted at her.

A coalition of students also signed up to speak and call on Ziegler to step down. Hannah Silva, a senior at Sarasota Polytechnical High School, addressed Ziegler with an anecdote about how policies championed by her have affected students such as her friend, who is transgender.

"The image of Sarasota County school system has been shattered In the eyes of students and the rest of the world thanks to the work you've put in to derail education and make our schools your political playground," Silva said. "Enough is enough, Bridget. Your time here is done."

Few speakers, mostly near the end of public comment, spoke in support of Ziegler.

Larry Wilson, a speaker who said he was from Venice, urged Ziegler to hold strong in the face of the growing calls to resign. He said she's been the target of attacks from leftists and the media.

"They have targeted our most conservative board member hoping to drive her out," he said. "I hope she does not give in. We need her. She is the only one who has put children first; that's why they want to get rid of her."

Wilson also called living an LGBTQ+ lifestyle an "abomination" and "perverted".

Board business

Despite the three-hour-long onslaught of public comments before board business, the board did approve several notable agenda items.

The board approved a resolution to join a national lawsuit against the parent companies of prominent social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Youtube.

Sebastian Girstl, a junior at Riverview High School and regular meeting attendee, urged the board members to vote in favor of joining the lawsuit.

"We've seen it destroy both social and academic careers of our youth nationwide. Sarasota is no exception," Girstl said. "Whether it's the increase in depression, anxiety, suicide, or the decrease in sleep, academic success and attendance, social media has become a real and active threat to the development of youth everywhere."

Ziegler urged the board to discuss further restricting cell phone usage in schools at a future board workshop. She said if the board was serious about combatting damage to students from social media, it would discuss potentially prohibiting phones from bell to bell.

The board also approved the advertisement of 10 updated school district policies. The policies ranged from "Internet Safety" to "Distribution of Literature and Materials to Students."

The latter policy, numbered 9.50 by the district, states that "literature or materials which originate from out-of-school sources shall be approved by the Superintendent or designee" before being used in schools. It also explicitly states that the content must be free of pornography and content depicting sexual conduct.

During public comment, Rev. Jay Wolin from the Universalist Unitarian Church in Sarasota spoke against the policy.

"(The policy) will leave our students uneducated," he said. "Sex is an important and a very natural item that qualified teachers should be allowed to teach, to educate our children."

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota School Board hears more calls on Bridget Ziegler to resign