TEAM Sanibel, a group of parents who demanded an investigation into allegations of misconduct at The Sanibel School, released a statement explaining their anticipated absence from Tuesday’s school board meeting.
Sanibel parent Claudia Foster said the group is boycotting the Jan. 12 meeting because TEAM Sanibel feels the investigation excluded a significant amount of information.
Officials from the Florida Department of Education in-formed the group that the Lee County investigation was closed as of Friday, Jan. 8.
Foster added that she was informed by the district that Superintendent James Browder intended to announce his final determination Tuesday.
“Dr. Browder is intending to announce his final determination regarding our requested investigation that evening,” said the official statement from the group of parents. “The group of concerned Sanibel School parents will not attend as we feel the investigation into the claims of misconduct on the part of the Sanibel School administration has been closed without being conducted properly or fully.”
Foster said only a small portion of the group’s 35 complainants were contacted for the investigation.
“We’re intentionally not going to be there because we don’t agree with the way the investigation is conducted,” she said. “But we will back on the 26th to voice our opinion.”
Over the last two months, Sanibel parents told stories of school-wide bullying, harassment and intimidation that went unaddressed by the administration while others alleged that their ESE students were denied services to get children to transfer schools in order to maintain the school’s A rating.
Although Foster was told the issue would be announced during Tuesday’s meeting, the official agenda is absent of any scheduled discussion and district spokesperson Joe Donzelli said he’s not aware of that being announced.
“I have not been provided with any such information at this time,” said Donzelli.
If the final determination is delivered on Tuesday, neither Sanibel parents or members of the media would have access to the report for 10 days because of public records practices.