A hot mic gaffe at an East Bay school board meeting Wednesday has landed board members in hot water, specifically for pointed and sometimes explicit comments about parents calling for schools to reopen.
The incident happened Wednesday during a virtual monthly meeting of the Oakley Union Elementary District Board of Trustees. In an eight-minute video uploaded to YouTube, trustees can be seen and heard discussing the agenda before the start of the meeting - a conversation they didn’t know was being broadcast live for all to see.
The conversation went in a few different directions.
"We’re real community members," said OUESD Board of Trustees President Lisa Brizendine, discussing pressure parents are applying to get schools reopened. "We have kids or have known kids that have gone to these schools. We have a vested interest in this process. They don’t know what we know behind the scenes and it’s really unfortunate that they want to pick on us because they want their babysitters back."
Board member Richie Masadas, who represents Area 5, responded to Brizendine's comments: "My brother had a delivery service for medical marijuana...clientele were parents with their kids in school."
That drew big laughs.
Board members also discussed how other districts are handling what have become lengthy public comment sections at their meetings, referencing one instance where a district set up their voicemail for messages that max out at three minutes.
Board member Kim Beede, apparently discussing one specific parent's complaints posted to social media, unleashed an expletive-filled phrase: "I honestly don't care about all that. But, you know what? Are we alone? Bitch, if you're gonna call me out, I'm gonna f-k you up. Sorry. That's just me."
In response to the now-viral incident, OUESD Superintendent Greg Hetrick issued a statement Thursday:
"Last night at the Oakley Union Elementary School District Regular Board Meeting there were unfortunate and truly inappropriate comments made that were heard by many. These comments are not typical and more importantly they are not what the community should expect from our school district. We all take pride in the Vision of the Oakley Union Elementary School District in that we are “A diverse learning community committed to educating and empowering today’s learners and tomorrow’s leaders in a safe and inclusive environment.” The comments made were not in alignment with our Vision and are definitely not what any of us stand for as leaders. I know that we lost trust with the community. I will not make excuses for what happened or why it happened. I am the superintendent. I am responsible and accountable and I am truly sorry for what took place. I have been and continue to be committed to working together for the betterment of the Oakley Union Elementary School District students, staff and entire school community. I know that our students deserve better from us. I pledge to work collaboratively with stakeholders and community members to begin doing the important work that is needed to rebuild community trust in our district."
As of Thursday afternoon, an online petition calling for all board members to resign or be recalled had over 1,600 signatures. "I am asking that the board members to resign immediately due to their egregious behavior. They should no longer represent the parents, teachers, and children in this school district," it read.
Related
