The Broward Teachers Union plans to sue Broward school board chair Sarah Leonardi, alleging her order to remove union president Anna Fusco from a board meeting violated First Amendment rights. Fusco said she will file the lawsuit.
The meeting, held Tuesday, was livestreamed by the union. Leonardi ordered Fusco removed for repeatedly disrupting the proceedings. Fusco disputed that account, saying she sometimes calls out a word or two between public comment periods but does not disrupt the meeting.
The board had also voted 6-3 to fire district procurement director Jennifer Andreu. An independent investigation by the Broward County Inspector General’s Office found that Andreu mismanaged a contract and misled the board about it. Andreu also serves on the Plantation City Council. Fusco is not a member of the union that she leads on the matter, and she argues the board did not follow proper procedure in the firing.
Fusco said the dispute extends beyond her, framing it as a question of labor and union contract rights that could affect other employees. Broward County Public Schools has been contacted for comment.
