January 20, 2026
Public Comment on Sarasota County School Board Agenda Item 11.1: Affirming Full Cooperation & Coordination with ICE.
As many of you already know, I’m a US Air Force veteran and mother to two kids in Sarasota County public schools.
I am attending the Sarasota County School Board meeting today to speak on Agenda Item 11.1. I’m not here to debate politics, but to advocate for the fundamental safety and focus our students deserve.
Serving alongside diverse comrades showed me our strength was in our shared mission. Seeing this resolution tells me we’re forgetting that lesson here at home.
As individuals in positions of power in this community, it is the duty of our elected School Board members to model understanding and trust, not ignorance and fear. There are other important priorities for the Sarasota School Board, and I believe that cultivating a culture of fear should not be one of them.
Sarasota students need stable schools that are not facing closure threats; consistent teachers who are well paid for their public service; classrooms protected from charter disruption; and reliable transportation, nutrition, disability, and counseling services despite funding shortfalls.
I am calling for the School Board to publicly recommit to policies that make all students feel safe, welcome, and able to focus on their education.
To Bridgette Ziegler and the rest of the board: your job is to educate and protect all students, not to participate in political theater. I ask you to take this resolution off the table and replace it with a real plan to address the actual crises in our school system.
Our children’s future is too important for anything less.
Andrea N. Buscemi 