Broward board reduces teacher’s suspension to written reprimand after public appeals

The Broward County School Board on Tuesday voted to reduce disciplinary action against teacher Siloreen Samuels Pink from a three‑day suspension to a written reprimand and required school‑based training after public speakers, union representatives and several board members urged more context be considered.

The action followed more than an hour of public testimony in which the teacher and her supporters described the incident — a scheduling confusion that briefly left a student unattended — as an honest mistake amid shifting schedules and staffing changes. Heather Parente, director of professional practices, told the board the employee had attended a due‑process meeting and acknowledged the mistake; staff recommended a three‑day suspension because the district’s established corrective action for unsupervised students has been a three‑day suspension.

Board member Deborah Hixson moved to change the discipline to a written reprimand; the motion was seconded and amended to include school‑based training on supervision protocols. After public comment from teachers and union leaders urging consistency and due process, the board approved the amended motion, with one dissenting vote (Board Member Thompson).

“I think there is a human element that sometimes gets missed in that consistency part,” Hixson said during debate, adding she could imagine herself making a similar mistake. Dr. Allen Zeman, who proposed an initial motion to reduce the suspension to a single day, said the case illustrated the difficulty of “putting these incidents into precisely the same bucket” and urged staff to continue refining guidance.

Parente told the board the incident dated to Sept. 18, that video showed a brief time — about one minute — in which a child was unattended in a hallway before another staff member escorted the student back, and that staff had advised the employee to seek medical documentation for prior attendance issues. The board heard from Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union, who said the district’s processes still lacked transparency and consistency.

General counsel clarified that employees retain appeal rights and other due‑process options if they disagree with board action. Board members also directed the superintendent and HR staff to continue work with union leaders on a standing work group to address discipline consistency across the district.

Outcome: motion to reduce the discipline to a written reprimand with training passed; the employee retains the right to further challenge the matter under established due‑process procedures.

The board’s debate underscored growing concerns about consistent application of corrective actions across the district and set a near‑term administrative task: the superintendent and human resources were asked to convene a work group with union representatives to recommend clearer, more consistent criteria for disciplinary outcomes.