The Volusia County School Board will reconsider who will lead the board in the new year, after Chair Jessie Thompson’s controversial comments about the district at the annual Moms for Liberty Summit in Washington in August.
At a board meeting on Tuesday, school board member Ruben Colón and the rest of the board agreed to take up Chair Jessie Thompson’s removal at their January meeting.
The move comes after a video from a Moms for Liberty summit resurfaced, showing Thompson referring to Colón, who is Latino as, a “tan man.”
Watch Thompson’s full comments here:
Thompson also said in the video that she wouldn’t trust students at Title I school Deltona High, where a majority of students are Black and Latino and receive free and reduced lunch to, “fill up her gas tank.”
Colón said Thompson’s comments hurt, not just him, but the entire community.
“I think that we need to reconsider who is going to be the face of this board, and I don't think any of us, there's none of us here that were not affected by those words,” said Colón.
For her part, Thompson apologized to the board at Tuesday’s meeting, calling it a “growing moment.”
“I'm sorry for the words that I said, because I chose those words poorly. I do sincerely believe that all of our students deserve the best education, every single one, and so I am looking forward to working with our superintendent, because I know she believes that our students are made for greatness, and they can absolutely get there,” said Thompson. “I am sorry to the board that my words caused you sadness and anger.”
Colón pushed back, saying he accepted Thompson’s apology, but the thing that really made her behavior unacceptable is that kids were left in the crossfire.
“We're big people. We can handle it. We're politicians. People say whatever they want to say, we get used to that. But, when it affects our kids, when comments are made to disparage our children, that crosses over into a different world,” said Colón.
In a Facebook post, Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila, Jr. said he was appalled by the “disparaging remarks” and called on Thompson to be removed.
“Her offensive comments, including the suggestion she ‘wouldn’t trust some students to fill up her gas tank,’ are unacceptable and are also an insult to the hard-working students and staff of this A-rated school,” he said.
"Additionally, her derogatory remarks about our District 5 representative, including calling him a 'tan man,' are unprofessional and unbefitting of someone in her position.”
In a separate post, Volusia Moms for Liberty Chair Jenifer Kelly called Thompson’s remarks unacceptable.
“Moms for Liberty-Volusia is absolutely disgusted and disturbed by her inappropriate comments about students and other board members,” said Kelly. “We disavow any affiliation with school board member Jessie Thompson.”
In a statement, Volusia County Schools spokesperson Sarah Lux said, “Volusia County has incredibly smart, talented students. We’re proud of our students and the teachers who teach them. High graduation rates are proof of the hard work they put in every single day.”
Watch the full Volusia County School Board meeting where Thompson’s comments and the vote to remove her is discussed:
