Statement of Concern

I support Senora Davis and her efforts to ensure the full inclusion of the LGBTQ community. Identifying as LGBTQ+ is not a rated-T-for-teen issue, it's reality. All of our TES students, not only the upper school, should be celebrating diversity in this and every area.

TES parent

I think there is some misinformation here. I don't think the administration punished a teacher for teaching about Pride month. If the administration didn't want to celebrate and teach about the LGTBQ community then they wouldn't allow curriculum in the school on the topic. The upper grades had an approved Social Studies curriculum that dived into the topics of the LGBTQ movement and how it impacted our culture. I feel this is age appropriate and the LGTBQ community should be included and celebrated for their struggles and the progress our culture has made to be more inclusive of them. The school even created an age-appropriate poster that is on display at the school celebrating Pride month. In the case of Ms. Davis, she crossed the line with the lower classes and went against curriculum. She told a group of 5 year old children “If you were a boy but felt like a girl on the inside that you could go see a Doctor and they could fix you”. There are other ways to describe the Transgender community in an age appropriate manner than to essentially tell them you can go see a doctor to get “fixed”. This type of discussion is not age appropriate for children this young. They cannot comprehend what that means to go see a doctor to get "fixed" and in the case of our child confused them.

I am concerned with Ms Finch's method of firing Ms Davis and do not feel that the protocol was fairly followed. I am also extremely concerned about TES's punishing a teacher for teaching students about Pride. It is clear to me that criminalizing and punishing Miss Davis for these activities is contradictory to the Expedition School's stated mission, deeply hypocritical, and is an outright display of discrimination against LGBTQ people. I hesitate to send my child to a school where the authorities would behave in such a way, and I hope the Expedition School will hold itself accountable to a higher standard of justice, fairness, and respect for people of all genders and sexual orientations. These are not issues to be hushed away from children, rather they are issues about which we should educate our future citizens so that they may be empowered participants in a conscious and fair democracy. As their teachers and Role Models, the Expedition School staff and administration should model non-discrimination for their students rather than this shameful display of bigotry.

Quite disappointed to hear of this termination, and the lack of transparency surrounding the entire situation. I am eager to hear more from the school's board of directors and from the school's leadership in particular.

I, too, have serious concerns about the directorship of TES and will provide details in a separate letter to the school board.

I would like to learn more from the school and Board regarding this situation. I value our teachers and appreciate the efforts they make to embody diversity and respect within their classrooms and curriculum. I was not notified of any of these issues during the school year for my younger student, so I would like more explanation as to what "non-Spanish" actions or content they were taught and why it was deemed inappropriate, as well as the processes used in terminating Ms. Davis.

I have been in Erica Davis’ classroom many times with students as Senora Davis taught with clarity and consistency. I consider her a solid role model: she lives what she teaches which is what she believes. I too have worried as I’ve seen great teachers leave the school and , while HR confines necessarily mask the story’s two sides, I fear a leak in the independence, free-thinking and ethical decision-making we of TES value so highly. In the faith that we preserve our precious school for many more students and our community , I stand in solidarity.

I am a TES parent who values equity, inclusion, and transparency. I love TES and look forward to hearing how the concerns outlined here will be addressed.

Concerned TES grandparent

My major concern is the highly irregular and discourteous manner of her dismissal and being locked out of her work.

As a local community member, I am interested in board process. The truth lies in the middle, and I am sure that the Board of TES is interested in transparency, supporting current teachers, and relationships for current students.

Employee rules must be enforced in a common manner. Procedures must be equally applied

Concerned local hairdresser considering this school for my son who has same sex parents. My wife and I pride ourself in our relationship and want nothing but equality. Ms Davis did nothing wrong! Hoping another signature helps. I want to keep informed.

Dear “Anonymous” parent, Why the mask? It may be helpful to take a moment to reflect as to why someone acknowledging their racial identity makes you feel so uncomfortable. Why do you shy away from facing the fear and pain that comes with acknowledging the socially constructed racial identities society has imposed upon us? There is an extensive amount of research that talks about how white people use anger to suppress the fear, pain, and shame that comes with acknowledging racial identity. This anger is often projected at people who expose race by naming it for what it is. All I ask is for you to take a moment and sit with the discomfort when you admit your child is not colorless and make space for the emotions rather than cover them up with anger and rage projected onto those who are courageous enough to face the ugly truth rather than hide behind a mask, a thinly veiled storyline developed for whites to be comfortable ignoring the fact that they benefit from a system designed to benefit whites. People who use the colorblind storyline by stating “how can I be benefiting from the historical legacy of psychological and physical violence inflicted onto historically disenfranchised people when I’m colorless??” The colorblind rhetoric is a strategy used time and time again by whites to feign ignorance and pretend like color doesn’t matter (or racial identities don’t matter) so they don’t have to acknowledge their complicity with the system. Please don’t bully others with the hope that it will detract from your whiteness. It’s ugly and it’s time to face it. Sincerely, Liz Allen If you would like to continue the conversation, please feel free to email me at [email protected]

TES parent of a "colorless" child. Does it really matter what race we are to sign the petition.

Transparency in such important matters of employment and termination is crucial for the proper functioning of any institution, particularly a place of learning where the minds, hearts, and lives of young people are shaped. This accountability on the part of leadership will also serve to ensure a healthy sense of morale among faculty, staff, and the parents who are invested in the inspiring vision of The Expedition School, without which the valued contribution of the school to the life of the Hillsborough community and Orange County is jeopardized. In the end the ones who will benefit most from a thorough reconsideration of this decision and its possible ramifications will be the students entrusted to your care and guidance.

I have grave concerns about how the situation with Ms. Davis was handled based on how it is presented here. I look forward to hearing a response from Ms. Finch and the Board.

This situation is the reason we have a board, it is to provide the faculty with some assurance that they will be treated fairly without bias.

I am interested in learning more and hearing the Board's perspective on these issues.