Public commenters press board on curriculum, protests and superintendent conduct
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Summary
During public comment at the Feb. 9 Harford County Board meeting, multiple speakers raised concerns about curriculum (DEI, SEL), student walkouts, budget priorities, and urged the board to address superintendent conduct and possible contract termination.
A series of public commenters at the Harford County Board of Educations Feb. 9 meeting urged changes to curriculum, criticized student-led protests and the teachers union, and called for accountability regarding Superintendent Sean Balson.
David Bauer, who said he began attending meetings in 2017, told the board it should "push back" when claims of poor student achievement are made and urged respect for staff expertise. William Martino, representing Moms for Libertys Harford County chapter, said parents should be central to education and criticized what he called an excessive requested school budget increase of "15.5%" and growing central-office spending.
Several other public speakers raised objections to DEI and social-emotional learning programs and asked the board to "pull back" on making schools into health hubs; one speaker asked the board to buy out the superintendents contract and conduct an open search. Tony Jan Giordano, identifying himself as Harford County council vice president, urged the board to uphold the moral clause in the superintendents contract and said the board "has both the authority and the responsibility to act" if standards were compromised.
The speakers expressed a mix of policy and personnel concerns and cited national legal developments and court decisions in support of their positions. The meeting record shows the board later moved not to renew Superintendent Sean Balsons contract and to enter a separation agreement; the public comments were heard before those motions were taken up in new business.
"When a member of the public says, 'we are woefully behind in student achievement,' you should know enough to push back on that," David Bauer said during public comment. Tony Jan Giordano said the moral clause "exists to protect the credibility of the school system and the confidence of the employees who serve within."
The board did not take immediate personnel action during public comment; those items were later addressed in new business.