Part 1: Is Hillsborough County now complicit in School District cover-up?

Stacy White was failing to perform at Hillsborough County government before he ever became a candidate for County Commissioner. Your county commissioners don’t seem to be doing such a great job either. Simply go to the Council of Hillsborough County Governments page at the Hillsborough County website. Their purpose sounds pretty impressive "To study the area government problems including but not limited to matters affecting health, SAFETY, welfare, EDUCATION, economic conditions, area development."

But then you go to their latest posted agenda RECAP at http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/6151: and you can see that Stacy was AWOL. It is dated September 5, 2012; that is almost 2 years ago! And then you can read the first paragraph:

Members absent were… Hillsborough County School Board Member Stacy White.

Be sure to also note that Cathy Valdes, Chief of Facilities (transportation)  at Hillsborough County Public Schools is there with one of her closest friends- dare we say confidant?- Lorraine Duffy-Suarez, General Manager Growth Management & Planning at Hillsborough County Public Schools, and they are giving a presentation to the council. 

Keep in mind that this meeting is taking place in September of 2012. About 8 months earlier Student Isabella Herrera choked on a school bus, but the public has never heard about this yet. Cathy Valdes’ transportation department was served with a subpoena for the school bus video shortly after the tragedy took place in January of 2012. The school board has never explained why District Staff such as Cathy Valdes never told anyone.

Could this be because 2012 was a campaign year with several incumbent school board members seeking re-election AND the Republican National Convention was coming to town? Is that why the council waited 17 months until both of these events had passed and met just after the RNC ended on August 30? Were they afraid to meet earlier out of fear that the issue might come up and interfere with their primaries and Tampa's RNC debut? 

So Cathy Valdes is at this Hillsborough County council meeting which is supposed to “study area government problems of Safety and Education”. But she is not talking about horrific Safety and Education failure of the Isabella Herrera Tragedy and Stacy White is conspicuously absent. What a joke. Instead Cathy Valdes later gets promoted and now Stacy expects you to promote him to be your County Commissioner. Good luck with that!

You can see from this September 5, 2012 agenda that the previous meeting was March 31, 2011- that's more than 17 months between meetings so apparently these slackers can't even manage to meet every 12 months "To study the area government problems including but not limited to matters affecting SAFETY and EDUCATION."

You should also note that April Griffin is present at this meeting AND she is elected the CHAIR of this Council beginning September 5, 2012. And don’t forget that April Griffin also became CHAIR of the school board beginning November 2012; just 2 months later, shortly after the news of the Isabella Herrera tragedy became public on November 1, 2012. So then it would seem that April Griffin, now acting as a representative of Hillsborough County’s Council of Governments, would have the obligation to bring these matters of safety and education to the attention of Hillsborough County at this Council.

But it is now May 2014 and if the posted September 5, 2012 meeting is the last meeting then it has been 21 months since the last meeting under the chairmanship of April Griffin and 21 months of deliberate indifference has elapsed without a word about this to this inter governmental council.

Even the council bylaws say "meeting shall be held at least once a year". Their bylaws even allow for “Special meetings of the COG shall be called by the Chairman whenever deemed necessary”. Wow. Being the chair on BOTH the School District AND the Hillsborough County Council of Government April Griffin was in a better position than anyone to do something about this.

By the same token some would ask why the Hillsborough County commission would not demand a “study”/investigation in to this. Are they also being deliberately indifferent and giving the school district a free pass. So in that sense school board member candidate April Griffin- now acting as a representative of Hillsborough County’s Council of Governments- is thereby bringing it to the front door of your Hillsborough County Government and making them complicit in the coverup and failure to act in the tragic death of Isabella Herrera and later that of Jenny Caballero.

At the school board meetings, April could claim that the other board members tied her hands and wouldn't allow her to act but at the Hillsborough County Council of Governments she is chair and conceivably she could have set a special meeting and demanded that Cathy Valdes march right back in there and explain to the Council of governments why she and her department failed to act or disclose. She could have demanded Superintendent Elia, Joyce Wieland, John Franklin, etc all answer; but she didn’t. The failure of school district management and staff to act and admit arguably led to the death of 2 students.

Since April Griffin is apparently still the Chair of this Council she could still do this; but she won’t. It is a grand illusion of public service. Deliberate indifference.

Instead April Griffin arguably also concealed the problems at her School district and played cover for school district staff & management and did nothing meaningful to demand accountability from the school district staff & management who kept this tragedy a secret from her for 9 months.  In which case your Hillsborough County government is arguably also complicit in their failure to meet and STUDY THESE PROBLEMS OF SAFETY AND EDUCATION.

No wonder safety and education are such a mess in Hillsborough County.

The webpage does not even say when the next meeting is. So much for planning and public notice. Looks like Hillsborough County does not prepare any better than the school district.

You might want to write your County Commissioner and ask them why they are not immediately demanding a full investigation and accountability from the school board and school district.