Kim Beede and other members of the school's Board of Trustees apparently believed they were speaking privately in the moments before the meeting started. Photo / NBC
Kim Beede and other members of the school's Board of Trustees apparently believed they were speaking privately in the moments before the meeting started. Photo / NBC
A school's entire board has resigned after they made disparaging comments about students' parents during an online meeting that was accidentally publicly livestreamed.
California's Oakley Union Elementary School District board of trustees got together to discuss how to deal with the parents of students who sent in complaints.
But the topic quickly went off track.
"They want to pick on us because they want their babysitters back," President Lisa Brizendine said about parents.
During the zoom call, one member threatened to physically harm a parent who allegedly called out the board member.
"Are we alone?" trustee Kim Beede asked before launching into a tirade: "B****, if you're going to call me out, I'm going to f*** you up."
Kim Beede and other members of the school's Board of Trustees apparently believed they were speaking privately in the moments before the meeting started. Photo / NBC
"Sorry, that's just me!" Beede said as other board members chuckled.
Another implied that parents wanted their children out of the house so they could take drugs during the day.
"My brother had a delivery service for medical marijuana and his clientele were parents with their kids at school," trustee Richie Masadas said.
He added: "It's easy to hide behind their screen and put a comment down, but when you're face-to-face with people, it's a whole different ball game."
The group criticised parents who wrote comments and complaints, after discussing a way to limit voice messages to three minutes, and cutting callers off.
But while trustees members were in the middle of their rants, they failed to realise parents had been joining the public call as it progressed with many hearing some of the disgusting comments made.
"Uh-oh," said board member Kim Beede when she was told, several minutes into the discussion: "We have the meeting open to the public right now."
"Nuh-uh," Brezendine said.
The meeting was then switched to private.
2) Before she realized the public was listening in, School Board President Lisa Brizendine criticized parents who continue to be frustrated by the district's Covid-related school closures:
Brezendine, who resigned her position late on Thursday, apologised for her statements.
"We were having a private conversation because we were really struggling at that moment with all the Board comments coming in because we want what's best for the kids so badly," she said.
Two days after the meeting, the entire board resigned, according to Oakley Union Elementary School District Superintendent Greg Hetrick, who had also been on the call.
In a letter to parents, he included a statement from three of the former board members.
"We deeply regret the comments that were made in the meeting of the Board of Education earlier this week," it said.
"It is our responsibility to model the conduct that we expect of our students and staff, and it is our obligation to build confidence in District leadership; our comments failed you in both regards, and for this we offer our sincerest apology.
"Please do not let our failure in judgment cast a shadow on the exceptional work that our teachers, administrators and hard-working employees are doing," it added.
