Pasadena Unified School District (Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net)
On Friday, November 19, 2021, Pasadena Unified School District Board Member Tina Fredericks withdrew her lawsuit challenging PUSD Board protocols as unconstitutionally restricting her right of free expression.
By News Desk
The withdrawal followed the unanimous vote of the Board on Thursday, November 18, 2021, to change the challenged protocols to make them optional rather than obligatory.
Fredericks’ lawsuit arose from her advocating a vaccine mandate by PUSD. In July, she began urging that PUSD adopt a vaccine mandate, but a majority of the PUSD Board refused to put the discussion on the calendar. Fredericks began marshaling public pressure on the Board for a special meeting to vote for such a mandate; the public pressure included an op-ed, a press conference with Mayor Victor Gordo, a community petition to Board Members, and other outside activities.
Fredericks hired civil rights attorneys Dale Gronemeier and Elbie J. Hickambottom and demanded that the Board rescind its pre-publication restraints on outside expressive activities by Board members on the ground that such restraints violated her free speech, free petition, and free press constitutional rights. A lawsuit was filed by Fredericks on October 20, 2021.
On November 21, 2021, Fredericks stated that “The Board at last Thursday’s meeting made the protocols optional and thereby granted me all the relief I could get in court. My attorneys, who acted pro bono, probably could have gotten tens of thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees, but they’ve agreed to forgo seeking them. As a result, there was no cost to PUSD. I’m pleased the Board has belatedly removed these unconstitutional restrictions, thereby protecting the constitutionally-protected expression rights of all PUSD present and future Board Members.”
As a PUSD parent of an elementary age student who was unvaccinated and about to enter a school of about 500 students all unvaccinated, I was very glad that Tina Fredericks as my elected PUSD board member representative spoke up and alerted the community of gaps in PUSD’s reopening plan re vaccines and testing which were not in compliance with either the state, county, or city’s public health guidance at the time schools reopened.
As the CA PTA advises:
“Protecting the health (both physical and mental) and wellbeing of our students and staff is of *prime* importance whether schools implement in-person, hybrid or exclusively distance learning. ”
Rather than Board members disciplining her, in my view Fredericks should be thanked for highlighting such a critical safety need.
I was actually deeply troubled that Board members would seek to discipline Fredericks for keeping me as a constituent informed and for speaking up and voicing concerns held by me and so many other PUSD parents on such a critical issue affecting the health and wellbeing of elementary age students which make up almost half of all PUSD students.
These restrictions are not unconstitutional and she is nothing more than an entitled i****.
i completely agree with you. she is a dangerous person