A Duval County school board member is calling on a fellow board member to resign over controversial text messages she sent about the superintendent.
Action News Jax first told you last week Connie Hall sent text messages saying Superintendent Nikolai Vitti should be fired and another allegedly mocked his dyslexia, saying “special ed in action.”
Board members came together Monday for a special meeting focused on those text messages and tense relations between board members and the superintendent.
Board member Jason Fischer called for Hall to resign during the meeting.
“I have family members with disabilities, I have constituents with disabilities. I think she should resign from the school board,” said Fischer.
Hall was the only board member who did not go to the meeting.
“Dr. Hall had a previous engagement that – she could not attend,” said school board chairman Ashley Smith Juarez.
“I wish she would have been here today because I wanted to tell it to her face-to-face,” said Fischer.
During public comment, Betty Miller wanted to make sure the board knew she wanted Hall to stay.
“We elected her to speak for us. Who the hell are you to say who can represent us and who can’t?” said Miller.
Vitti remained silent during Monday’s meeting, but met up with Action News Jax later in the afternoon. We asked whether he’s still considering taking legal action against Hall.
“That’s still something that I’m considering,” said Vitti.
Board member Scott Shine said Hall’s full comments almost didn’t get brought to light.
“There was an effort with the public records release with Dr. Hall’s texts to actually take that back and remove some of the records that were in it. So this is a culture of what I believe is secrecy and isolation,” said Shine.
Shine also proposed during Monday’s meeting that the board fire school board internal auditor Michelle Begley, who was on the receiving end of Hall’s controversial text messages.
The board did not take any action on that.
The board voted to have another meeting about the texts so Hall can be present, but has not set a new date.
Cox Media Group
