The Broward School District is facing a state review\u00a0after Florida\u2019s education commissioner learned of a flyer for a Democratic gala that featured six School Board members and the district\u2019s logo.<\/p>\n
The flyer in question says, \u201cThe Broward School Board of Broward County celebrates the Broward Democratic Party\u2019s Obama Roosevelt Legacy Dinner,\u201d according to a Wednesday post<\/a> on X from state Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas.<\/p>\n Pictured in the flyer are Democratic School Board members Sarah Leonardi, Maura Bulman, Debbi Hixon, Nora Rupert, and Jeff Holness, as well as Adam Cervera, a Gov. Ron DeSantis appointee who is the only Republican on the nine-member board. The district\u2019s logo is also pictured, saying \u201cEstablished in 1915. Broward County Public Schools.\u201d<\/p>\n The gala was held March 28 at the Signature Sunrise Ballroom, according to a Facebook post<\/a> from the Florida Democratic Party. It\u2019s unclear where the flyer appeared.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Kamoutsas sent a letter to Superintendent Howard Hepburn voicing concern about the flyer and instructing the district he was referring the matter to his department\u2019s Office of Inspector General for \u201creview and any further action deemed appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPublic school systems do not exist to promote, align with, or lend credibility to partisan political organizations,\u201d Kamoutsas wrote in his letter. \u201cThe use of an official district logo in connection with a political event creates a clear appearance of endorsement and erodes public trust in the neutrality and integrity of our education system. This is a fundamental and widely understood obligation that every superintendent, board member, and district employee is expected to uphold without exception.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that while board members are allowed to attend political events on their own, the district cannot \u201cfurther political activism\u201d through the use of a district logo.<\/p>\n \u201cThis incident signals either a knowing misuse of public resources or a breakdown in oversight so significant that it raises serious questions about the fitness of those involved to serve in their current roles,\u201d the commissioner wrote. \u201cNeither explanation is acceptable. I am calling for the immediate discipline of all employees responsible for creating, approving, and distributing this flier.\u201d<\/p>\n Leonardi, who is the board chairwoman, sent a letter to the commissioner on Wednesday, saying the district agrees the use of the logo was \u201cinappropriate and unacceptable,\u201d but doesn\u2019t explain what happened.<\/p>\n