After former superintendent Todd Bowden was forced out of office due to handling of sexual harassment accusations, Dr. Brennan Asplen took office as superintendent. Now, it appears that he will be forced out of the role after a 4-1 vote by the school board to start negotiations relating to his resignation. A school board meeting addressing Asplen’s removal was held Nov. 29.
Speakers throughout the night spoke mostly in support for Asplen, including some who pointed out how the school districts he has served, St. John’s and Sarasota, have been the only to receive A-ratings since the rating system to evaluate districts was established.
Many parents and teachers came to the meeting to speak their minds, including Pine View teachers Summer Grantham and Kathleen Suchora. In Grantham’s speech, she said “We’d really like [Asplen] to stay,” pointing out how he has “not stood out in any negative way politically.” Meanwhile, Suchora directly addressed Asplen, saying “I have loved working in this county, and I think you’ve done an amazing job.”
The four school board members who voted for Asplen’s removal have pointed to several problems about his leadership, with Bridget Ziegler citing communication issues as one reason for the removal and Tim Enos speaking about the mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asplen, who was frustrated at the board’s decision, also spoke at the meeting, strongly defending himself and recognizing administration, teachers, and faculty at schools and their efforts to “block out the noise,” which maintained Sarasota County Schools’ A-rating status.
A full livestream of the school board meeting is available here.
Throwback Thursday
Click here to read “Decision for superintendent made, sexual harassment allegations continue” by Alexa Mollod, published on PVTorch.com, Nov.14, 2016.
Every week, we select one of our previous stories to republish, as a glimpse into the past. Stay tuned every single Throwback Thursday for new installments of this PVTorch.com exclusive series.
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