Community speakers urge pilot resiliency program; some warn against planned student walkouts
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Summary
Public commenters asked the board to consider piloting 'Speak Life' resiliency programming and raised concerns about planned student walkouts and district supervision; a teacher also described insurance and medication access problems.
Several members of the public used the Feb. 3 Seminole County School Board meeting to press two issues: a request to pilot a bullying- and suicide-prevention program, and community concerns about planned student walkouts during instructional time.
Dan Bird, CEO of Speak Life and Bullying, described a three-tier model that begins with a film and Q&A followed by classroom lessons and optional deeper modules. Bird said the program has worked with districts in Florida and elsewhere and requested the board consider a small pilot in Seminole County schools. He told the board the program "is approved by the Florida Department of Education and meets the state's required 5 hours of resiliency instruction," and offered to meet with board members to discuss details and implementation.
A Seminole County teacher (unnamed in the transcript) then described struggles with the district insurance and a denied prescription, saying an injectable medication was rejected by Cigna and that staff are experiencing coverage gaps. The speaker asked the board to address bargaining and insurance concerns and sought support for affected employees.
Public commenters raised a separate set of concerns about planned student walkouts. Peggy Smith, who identified herself as the new chapter chair for Seminole County Moms for Liberty, said parents were worried about protests during school hours and asked for access to the district policy on demonstrations. Leslie Kirschenbaum, a resident, urged the board to communicate clearly that organized walkouts during instructional time "are not permitted" and to prioritize safety, supervision, and attendance enforcement.
The chair responded that district policies are published on the school website and invited members of the public to submit further comments in writing for staff follow-up. No board vote or change to policy was made at the meeting; the board recorded the comments and closed public comment for non-agenda items.
The board did not adopt or reject any formal proposal to pilot Speak Life during the session; speakers were invited to pursue follow-up with staff.