Bridgeport school board votes to resume in-person meetings

BRIDGEPORT — The city school board will once again meet in person after parents, teachers and other community members pushed the often-dysfunctional body to end months of virtual meetings.   

The full board last gathered together in late May and have conducted the last seven meetings remotely, frustrating some who say the practice of online meetings curbs the public’s ability to participate. 

But the board this week voted unanimously to hold future public meetings in person amid mounting pressure from residents and some board members, though it is not yet clear when the first one will take place. 

Board Chairperson Christine Baptiste-Perez said in a statement Thursday that she chose to hold meetings virtually in recent months due to what she described as safety concerns facing the board, including physical threats directed at members. 

She claimed the threats and other allegations of harassment were incited by a four-member faction on the board that has criticized her tenure as chairperson, but she did not cite specific examples.   

“I want to go back to in-person meetings, but I’d like not to have innocent children’s rights and safety threatened, especially by public officials who took an oath to serve the children of Bridgeport,” Baptiste-Perez said. “Furthermore, I’d like board members’ persons, property and family not to be threatened or harassed.”

In her statement, Baptiste-Perez said she plans to speak with Mayor Joe Ganim’s office about hosting upcoming meetings in the council chambers at City Hall. She described the venue as the safest option due to its close proximity to the police department’s headquarters.  

“I look forward to working with the mayor’s office and staff to resume meeting at that location once it is available,” she said. 

Baptiste-Perez did not reveal if she expects the upcoming regular meeting scheduled for Sept. 23 will be held at City Hall. The board has not yet posted a notice or agenda for the meeting.  

The board’s vote came after residents and some members complained the virtual meetings, which are held over Microsoft Teams and streamed on YouTube, were not as productive as in-person ones.  

The battle over the board meetings has also taken place as teachers have sharply criticized the school administration and the school board for not properly planning out the start of the year. At a rally on Tuesday, union officials claimed the lapses have led to staff shortages and a lack of classroom resources, among other issues. 

Aaron Newcome, a city resident, was among the members of the public who urged the board to resume in-person meetings earlier this week. He suggested the virtual arrangement created a barrier between the public and the board. 

“These online meetings are rife with technical glitches and delays and sometimes member’s (microphones) and cameras just stop working,” Newcome said during a meeting on Monday. “All of this leads to meetings that are hard to follow and these meetings are more important than any other for the public to be able to follow.”

Ganim even weighed in late last week, saying he has received numerous calls and messages about the issue. In a statement, he said he agreed with parents and others who believe the meetings should be held in person at accessible locations. 

“I ask that the Board of Education consider making this change to allow as much participation from parents, staff, and other members of our community as possible,” Ganim said. 

Before the board voted to resume in-person meetings, members Joseph Sokolovic, Robert Traber, Willie Medina and Albert Benejan had supported a proposal to hold future meetings at the Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture Science and Technology Education Center, but the board blocked that recommendation. 

The four-member group, which often votes in opposition to motions supported by the board’s leadership, have claimed that their computer microphones and cameras have been remotely disabled during virtual meetings. 

Baptiste-Perez, meanwhile, has accused the group of encouraging threats, vulgar language and boisterous conduct during meetings — allegations the members have repeatedly denied. 

“Their conduct ultimately harms the district, causes dysfunction during board meetings and most importantly, distracts and ignores our elected duty to Bridgeport Public School students,” she said. 

Traber, a former teacher union president who has clashed with the chairperson, accused Baptiste-Perez of manufacturing excuses for not meeting in person, noting police officers attend the gatherings. 

He said local taxpayers and district employees should have the right to look their elected officials in the eye and observe how they make decisions to hold them responsible for their actions.  

Baptiste-Perez “doesn’t want to be criticized in public. She can’t handle it,” Traber said. “She is avoiding accountability and she is avoiding her responsibilities as chair.”