Sarasota County School Board set to join national lawsuit against social media companies

Sarasota County Schools could join more than 20 other Florida school districts in a lawsuit against social media companies, according to an item posted on the district's next meeting agenda.

The Sarasota County School Board convenes Tuesday evening, and if the item is approved the district would join a class-action lawsuit against the parent companies of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Youtube. The agenda item cites a Surgeon General's advisory that cites "mounting evidence for the risk of harm to some children and adolescents from social media use." The advisory adds that the platforms have easily accessible content that could be extreme, inappropriate or harmful to children.

The suit claims that social media companies have known about the issue and have not altered their platforms despite the concerns.

Terry Connor, the district's superintendent, said Sarasota Schools has had to use resources to combat issues that officials say stemmed from the social media platforms, and that the district remains committed to "safeguarding the well-being of students," which is a reason the board is considering joining the lawsuit.

"Our district, like many others, has invested significant resources – both in terms of time and finances – to address these challenges," Connor said. "By potentially joining this litigation, we aim to recoup taxpayer resources spent in tackling the consequences borne from the use of these platforms."

The district would not have to pay any attorneys fees unless it receives a judgment or settlement in the case, Connor added, and the fees would be paid from the settlement.

Patrick Duggan, the board's legal counsel, said he sees joining the class action lawsuit as a no-lose proposition for the district. If the district receives part of a settlement, it could allocate that money to mental health services that could otherwise be losing funding as federal COVID-related funding ends. If there is no settlement, the district will not have to spend public money on the lawsuit.

"Those (COVID) dollars are going to run out and you know mental health funding is always something that is the district could use more of," Duggan said.

The district's involvement in the lawsuit would largely involve information gathering for the larger law firms working on the case, he said. There is a chance that Sarasota would be selected by a judge to be a lead plaintiff among other districts and have to be more involved, but Duggan called it a "needle in a haystack," situation with the hundreds of school districts across the country that have signed onto the lawsuit.

Meeting shrouded in scandal

The lawsuit vote likely won't be the biggest topic of discussion Tuesday, however, as calls continue for board member Bridget Ziegler to resign, including a resolution approved by the School Board at its last meeting Dec. 13 asking her to step down.

The resolution came as Ziegler's husband Christian was accused of rape by a woman who said she previously had a consensual three-way sexual encounter with Christian and Bridget Ziegler, according to search warrant affidavits. Christian Ziegler was removed from his position as chair of the Republican Party of Florida Jan. 8.

In an interview Jan. 9, board member Tom Edwards re-emphasized his call for Ziegler to resign. He was the first board member to formally call for her resignation in December.

Edwards said Ziegler has positioned herself as pro-student and pro-families, and if she wants to prove it, she should step down.

"You're in the midst of a scandal that questions your integrity, your political acumen and your trustworthiness," Edwards said. "I'm pretty sure you're gonna see a packed house again of public comments. Is that what we want for our children in our school district and our teachers? I don't think so."

Several groups, such as Support our Schools, have posted to social media looking to rally protest at Tuesday's meeting. The groups also rallied at the Dec. 13 meeting and public commenters spoke for more than three hours, with the vast majority asking for Ziegler to resign.

In the weeks following the news of a sexual assault investigation into Christian Ziegler and the revelation of Bridget Ziegler's sexual relationship involving another woman, Bridget Ziegler's School Board inbox was inundated with more than 100 emails calling for her resignation, according to records obtained by the Herald-Tribune.

"Bridget's been a distraction for the last 2.5 years. This new news is more of the same, and we deserve better than this. Our children deserve better than this," wrote Tracy Roelle in an email to Ziegler on Dec. 1.

Many pointed to perceived hypocrisy from Ziegler given many of her stances against the transgender community and advocacy for the Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by critics.

"You have a board member banning books and trying to eliminate LBGTQ people while that particular board member is having a threesome, which makes her the "L" in LBGTQ," wrote Brenda Gradl in an email to Ziegler. "The hypocrisy is unbelievable."

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 may join lawsuit against social media companies