Scheduled speaker urges St. Lucie board to condemn prejudice, calls for trauma-informed supports

Christy Stenos, a scheduled public commenter, told the School Board of St. Lucie County that "America has lost its moral compass" and urged the board to publicly affirm that St. Lucie County schools are safe for "every child without exception." Stenos criticized the circulation of a demeaning image of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama and said that kind of messaging "causes real harm" and becomes behavior children repeat in schools.

Stenos said fear related to immigration enforcement, including ICE activity, is affecting students'their attendance, behavior and emotional health. "Students worry if a parent will be detained. They worry who will pick them up," she said, and described educators seeing anxiety, withdrawal and attendance problems she called trauma responses rather than discipline issues. She urged the board to "strengthen trauma-informed practices with counselors, social workers, and staff training" and to "explicitly teach empathy, respect, and civic responsibility."

The speaker framed her remarks as a moral imperative and called for the board to call out prejudice whenever it appears. The meeting record shows this was a public-comment statement; the transcript does not record a formal board response, vote, or an action directing staff to pursue the specific measures Stenos recommended.

Because the remarks were part of the public-comment portion of the meeting, they do not by themselves create policy; they do represent a constituent request for stronger student supports and explicit public statements from district leadership.