School Board Candidate Teri Barenborg and a PAC backing her were called out by local Pro-Constitution group We the People Indian River County, for a deceptive mailer that made it look like Teri was backed by Governor Ron DeSantis. Many have even disagreed with the content of the mailer, saying that they feel Barenborg hasn’t actually stood with the Governor on certain issues.
We the People Indian River County in a Facebook post that cited many issues they found with Barenborg during her tenure on the Indian River County School Board.
They cited things such as her vote in February 2022 to put books, vote in the Summer of 2021 to have social justice CRT laced HMH as back up Amplified for English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum and her vote for the tiered mitigation plan for masking in the schools in the fall of 2021.
Notably, Barenborg, alongside fellow Board Members Dr. Mara Schiff Ph.D (District 1), Dr. Peggy Jones Ed.D (District 3) and Brian Barefoot (District 5) at the February 2022 School Board Meeting, did not support a motion to Table the agenda item for the books with sexually explicit content. Many citizens at the meeting wanted the agenda item Tabled since many were unable to speak on that item. The School Board, through an outdated public noticing policy, failed to adequately inform the public of the change in time to hand in the public input forms. The public input forms are required to speak at a school board meeting.
When this change happened, many who wanted to speak, relying off the previous deadline, were unable to address their local governing body.
Other local governing bodies in Indian River County, such as the City of Sebastian and County Commission, do not require a form to speak during public input.
The Town of Orchid has a form to speak during public input at their Town Council Meetings.
We the People Indian River County Co-Founder and Moms for Liberty – Indian River, Florida Vice Chairman Chris Allen had edited the flyer to reflect what she and many others have felt about Barenborg:
We the People Indian River County asked for Indian River County residents to vote for Thomas Kenny for School Board District 4.
We the People Indian River County Co-Founder and Moms for Liberty – Indian River, Florida Chairman Jennifer Pippin told Indian River News:
Barenborg was the chairman of the school board when the sexually explicit content books were being discussed in February 2022 and 11 people were unable to make public comment at that meeting due to a 7 minute discrepancy she claimed. We were in a sea of 100 plus people there for the school board meeting and the main board room was full and the overflow room. By the time we got inside and then to the main board room they wouldn’t allow us in to submit forms to speak. The chairman has the right to allow us to speak. She chose not to. She knew many of the people who have been working at that time four months on challenging these books were in the stack of public input forms because the secretary had them. She knew who wouldn’t be able to speak by her decision. She claims she “follows the rules” and wouldn’t allow it. She didn’t follow the governors “rules” for mandatory masking children against the parental rights law. She didn’t follow the “rules” to allow sexually explicit content in the hands of minors in SDIRC. Instead of allowing the people who directly challenged these books or wanted to object to the books to speak we were silenced. Politics by a weak board member. Our children deserve better.
Indian River News and Moms for Liberty – Indian River, Florida have endorsed Thomas Kenny for School Board District 4.
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