Volunteers blast arrest at Broward School Board meeting

South Florida Sun Sentinel | By Scott Travis | Updated November 9, 2023

Broward schools’ volunteer leaders on Tuesday blasted the recent arrest of a longtime volunteer, saying the district is sending a bad message to those who donate their time to try to improve the school district.

The remarks came at the first School Board meeting since Oct. 17, when Debbie Espinoza, whom the district named “Volunteer of the Year” in 2020, was arrested on a felony charge of battery on a police officer and a misdemeanor charge of disrupting a public meeting.

“Long-time volunteers are used to staff and others steering narratives that attempt to undermine or minimize the advisory contributions you claim to value,” Nathalie Lynch-Walsh, who chairs two district committees, read from a letter she drafted with other volunteers.

“But our resilience is no match for a system that can so easily turn a volunteer into a felon,” Lynch-Walsh said. “We trust the School Board will hold the superintendent accountable for making the changes necessary to avoid this ever happening again.”

The letter was signed by nine leaders of district advisory groups that make recommendations to the School Board, including the District Advisory Council, the ESE Advisory Council, the Diversity Committee, the Audit Committee and the Facilities Task Force.

Espinoza is a current member and former chairwoman of the District Advisory Council.

The arrest was made by Detective John Mastrianni of the district’s Special Investigative Unit, a few minutes after Espinoza and another meeting attendee, Deidre Ruth, got into a heated exchange in the board room over a proposed sex education curriculum. Ruth was not arrested.

Members of several other volunteer and employee groups also voiced concern to the board.

“Some fear if they speak out on a topic their children will face retribution,” said Mary Fertig, who chairs the district’s Parent-Community Involvement Task Force. “What occurred in this room on October 17 is not something that encourages people to get involved.”

Some speakers said district police need better training, citing their own security concerns from board meetings. The meetings have become increasingly heated in recent years, due to controversies over COVID-19 restrictions, culture war issues and labor disputes with the Broward Teachers Union.

“As an employee coming into this boardroom, I’ve been attacked by certain people, spit on, threatened, touched and none of your security ever stopped it,” said Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union. “And we have a pillar of our community get arrested for a nudge?”

There’s no public video showing Espinoza’s alleged actions. Mastrianni wrote on the probable cause affidavit that Espinoza “lunged her body into this officer, creating body contact and causing this officer to backpedal.”

Espinoza reached by text Wednesday, said, “The support was overwhelming.”

Neither Superintendent Peter Licata nor School Board members responded to the speakers from the dais. District spokesman John Sullivan expressed support for volunteers and public speakers in an Oct. 18 email to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“The district greatly appreciates the invaluable contribution of all District volunteers,” Sullivan said in the email. “The School Board of Broward County recognizes the critical role of the community and encourages public participation and engagement as a partner in education.”

Licata agreed Oct. 23 to conduct an external review of Mastrianni’s actions, but it still hasn’t begun.

“The District is in the process of securing an independent reviewer as the initial person contacted had to turn down the task due to unforeseen circumstances,” district spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said in an email.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office plans to wait until the district’s review is complete to decide whether to file formal charges against Espinoza, a spokeswoman for the State Attorney’s Office told the Sun Sentinel.

Rod Skirvin, who represents Mastrianni through the Broward Police Benevolent Association, told the Sun Sentinel in a recent interview he expects the officer to be vindicated.

“He’s a professional, and he reacted as such during a meeting where tempers seemed to have gotten the best of some people,” Skirvin said.

The Oct. 17 arrest was the first time that a district police officer had arrested anyone in more than five years, according to jail records provided by the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Although there have been arrests at schools, those are handled by local police departments and the Sheriff’s Office.

The school district made several visible changes to Tuesday’s meeting. Neither Mastrianni nor two other officers involved in the Oct. 17 incident attended. The presence of police from the district’s Special Investigative Unit was less visible than in the past, with officers in suits and regular clothes rather than police uniforms.

“It is the Superintendent’s preference for SIU personnel in the Board Room to wear plain clothing,” Concepcion said.

At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, Board Chairwoman Lori Alhadeff read a statement at the start of the meeting about meeting decorum.

“Disruptive behavior, including but not limited to, yelling, interrupting speakers or engaging in personal attacks will not be tolerated.”

She said disruptive members of the public will first get a warning and can then be removed by law enforcement for the rest of the day. The message didn’t address whether participants could be arrested.

“Our primary focus is to create a safe and productive environment for all participants,” Alhadeff said.