Principal to fight probe into field trip
School parents in Wilton Manors rally with support
After becoming the target of online hate and hostility, the community of Wilton Manors is rallying to spread a message of love and acceptance.
About a dozen parents at Wilton Manors Elementary visited the school Friday and made clear that complaints about the atmosphere at the gay-owned Rosie’s Bar & Grill, the site of a field trip this past week, don’t reflect their views or anyone they know at their school. Also, attendees of a meeting with a state investigator reviewing complaints said they were optimistic the investigation wasn’t going anywhere.
Wilton Manors is a city that has been considered a gay mecca for a quarter-century, believed to have one of the largest percentage of LGBTQ residents in the U.S. Marginalized communities who feel ostracized in other cities have found solace here. Residents and tourists flock to Wilton Drive to eat, shop and party. Rosie’s Bar & Grill has been a core part of that for 19 years.
‘Diverse and tolerant’
A short distance away on a less busy Northeast 26th Street is Wilton Manors Elementary, a school popular with parents of samesex couples and others
from nearby cities who say they seek a welcoming atmosphere for their children.
“We are about compassion, kindness and love here,” parent Carrie Fricker said.
The parents said they are fed up with many parents and other social media users, none of whom they say have children at the school, describing the school’s relationship with
Rosie’s Bar & Grill as untoward.
“Rosie’s is a place that’s open and all-inclusive. It’s diverse and tolerant,” said Ted Quiroz, parent of two Wilton Manors Elementary students. “Those are the values we preach in our family, as well as at this elementary school, which we love so dearly.”
The school, the restaurant and School Board member Sarah Leonardi, who chaperoned the trip, have reported receiving numerous voicemails and emails with vitriolic and sometimes threatening
messages.
The trip to Rosie’s was to learn how a restaurant operates and to reinforce math skills like calculating a bill and counting money. The field trip has happened for a decade, but went largely unnoticed until this week, when Leonardi posted photos on social media saying she was honored to chaperone it.
That led to a social media firestorm.
Facing a backlash
Critics accused Leonardi of taking students to
a “gay bar.” Many posts included false information, such as a photo of a sexually suggestive sign that no longer exists, and a photo of a double entendre-filled menu that children never saw. They said she should be removed, arrested or even killed. The co-owner of Rosie’s reported receiving numerous vile messages, some containing veiled threats of harm.
The backlash is outrageous, school supporters say.
Rosie’s “is a community institution thriving in the heart of a city with one of the U.S.’s largest LGBTQ populations,” said Joe Saunders, senior political director for Equality Florida, which advocates for LGBTQ rights. “Characterizing a lunch field trip by Wilton Manors Elementary School students to this landmark neighborhood restaurant as if it was a trip to a nightclub is an ugly appeal to anti-LGBTQ fear and bigotry.”
Rosie’s co-owner John Zieba said Thursday, “We got some really nasty calls and emails, but today, almost every call is so positive.”
Complaints about the field trip led to a visit from a state Department of Education official Friday to see if an investigation is warranted. The office wouldn’t comment on the outcomes, but two attendees said it went well and they’re optimistic.
The investigator “did indicate he did not see any apparent violations of state law or school board policy,” said Lisa Maxwell, who represents Principal Melissa Holtz through the Broward Principals’ and Assistants’ Association.
She said Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton, who also met with the investigator, “did a phenomenal job” explaining what the field trip was about.
“The whole thing was very innocent,” Newton said after the meeting. “They were there to learn what is life like when you do something on your own, and for what this turned into for these vile people is just disgraceful. They did exactly what they should do. Teach them about life and not just the books.”