CVUSD Board Member Fitzgerald – Misrepresenting the Public/Private School Option Conference

By Peggy Rosenberg

Mrs. Fitzgerald, a CVUSD Board Member, attended the Conference on Public and Private School Options where fellow board member, Mrs. Everett, was a guest speaker. Fitzgerald brought a group of her political supporters from Indivisible Conejo (a far-left political group) and Conejo Together (the Political Action Committee that worked to elect the slate of Board Members Fitzgerald, Goldberg, and Gorback). these individuals comprise the core group that fought against the book policy that had provided transparency to parents and students regarding books that contain graphic child rape and other disturbing violence, and which was overturned by the new board majority.

Following the conference, Mrs. Fitzgerald chose to write a long complaint on social media about what she claims to have seen and heard. Specifically, she misrepresented the presentation given by her fellow board trustee, Mrs. Everett. The following fact-checks Mrs. Fitzgerald’s misrepresentations.

About 150 people attended the conference and, aside from those Mrs. Fitzgerald brought with her, all those in attendance I had the chance to talk with were pleased with the event.

To correct the most obvious and glaring misrepresentation Fitzgerald made, Mrs. Everett spoke after Mr. Dunn and clearly stated that her opinions, research, and approach were not the same as his. Mrs. Fitzgerald purposefully deceived her social media contacts by stating that both Dunn and Everett said the same thing. Her deception was taken to an extreme when she included a picture showing Mrs. Everett seated below the projection of Mr. Dunn’s slides that Fitzgerald posted. Not only is her blatant attempt at misrepresenting Mrs. Everett dishonest and unprofessional, it is disrespectful.

I find the most offensive comment in Fitzgerald’s rant was the idea that Fitzgerald thought Mrs. Everett was going to pull her kids out of public schools and not run for re-election. Mrs. Everett has five children, three of whom have graduated from Newbury Park High School (one was a valedictorian in 2017). Everett’s two youngest children will both be attending NPHS this fall. How arrogant of Fitzgerald to make a statement like that. Mrs. Everett, and all of us, have a right to have our children in the public schools and to influence how our schools educate our children. Mrs. Fitzgerald seems to have a problem with elitism and coping with having a board member who has a different constituency and value system than hers.

As a new board member, Mrs. Fitzgerald may not understand how inappropriate it is to treat a fellow board member with such contempt. Unfortunately, she is setting a very low standard for herself. She needs to consider her unprofessional behavior toward Mrs. Everett in light of the following board bylaws:

“In addition, the Board encourages members who participate on social media networking sites, blogs, or other discussion or informational sites to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous, and professional manner and to model good behavior for district students and the community” (BB 9010).

“Recognize and respect differences of perspective and style on the Board and among staff, students, parents and the community” (BB 9005).

“The Governing Board recognizes the responsibility of Board members in their role as community leaders to participate in public discourse on matters of civic or community interest, including those involving the district, and their right to freely express their personal views” (BB 9010).

If Mrs. Fitzgerald didn’t know that the event was video-taped and her attempt to misrepresent Mrs. Everett will be exposed, this may inform her. It appears that Fitzgerald thinks Everett is not allowed to have a different opinion than hers regarding gender identity theory and sex education. However, Mrs. Everett’s opinion is shared by a large part of the community they both serve.  It is very appropriate and appreciated that Mrs. Everett presented facts to educate the community about the new curriculum and laws.

Fitzgerald states that Everett is hurting the CVUSD when it is she herself who is causing controversy and lashing out with public rants. Mrs. Everett is the only board member many of us in the community trust. If the hostility Fitzgerald displayed toward Everett and the speakers and attendees at this conference is any indication of how children at school with a similar belief system as Everett might be treated, it would be no wonder students are leaving the CVUSD. Thankfully, most CVUSD teachers would never behave in such a bigoted and intolerant manner.

Mrs. Everett spoke as an ambassador of the public schools, providing valuable and transparent information regarding new gender spectrum theory being taught in public and charter schools. She urged parents to be informed and get involved to ensure their values and beliefs continue to be respected in our schools.

While Fitzgerald is free to express her opinions and make false statements, I call upon her, nonetheless, to correct the false information she is spreading about Mrs. Everett and the respectable conference at which she spoke. Fitzgerald’s post is remarkably offensive to those who attended and know the facts of what was said. Fitzgerald owes an apology to the many attendees and speakers at this event, including the organizer, Dr. Robert Lee, and the Church that hosted the event.

Ms. Rosenberg is a resident of Thousand Oaks

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