The top stories last week

Anna Fusco, president, Broward Teachers Union

Kudos to the Broward County School Board for taking a bold but necessary stand against the Legislature’s continual assault on public education. By unanimous vote, the board issued a challenge to the constitutionally of the controversial HB 7069, a bill constructed behind closed doors at the 11th hour and signed into law by the governor after thousands of emails and phone calls opposing it. It is admirable that the board said “enough is enough” and is sending a message that public education is important and should not continue to be raided by for-profit, private corporations coveting public tax dollars.

Steven Ronik, CEO, Henderson Behavioral Health

A tech worker’s email about requesting sick days for mental health blew up the Twitterverse this week. And why? Because of the elegant and thoughtful response of her CEO. Essentially, the CEO understood that mental health conditions are the same as physical health conditions. Mental health is health. And we need more leaders to set these examples, and more Americans to demonstrate vulnerability, as this tech employee did so gracefully. The only way to eradicate stigma surrounding mental health conditions is to have more and more of these occurrences.

Ina Lee, president Travelhost Elite of Greater Fort Lauderdale

Amidst all the serious issues we are facing both globally, domestically and locally, it was refreshing to be inspired by the story of the 80-person human chain who rescued a nine-member family caught in a riptide in the Panhandle. Yes, there are good people out there. And yes, we need to be cautious and educated about the dangers of riptides.

Robert Weinroth, council member, Boca Raton

July marks the 40th anniversary of the all-volunteer army. I remember the dread I felt waiting for my lottery number as U.S. soldiers were engaged in Vietnam. The ability of our armed forces to maintain adequate recruits is essential to our ability to defend our country and the cause of freedom throughout the world. This week 15 Marines and a Navy corpsman died in the worst crash since 2005. We owe a debt of gratitude to the thousands of men and women willing to place their lives on the line every day to protect our democratic way of life.

Wael Barsoum, M.D., president, Cleveland Clinic Florida

Last week, Cleveland Clinic Florida completed its 500th transplant since receiving approval to perform adult liver and kidney transplants in 2013 and heart transplants in 2014. The growth of the program is indicative of the need for transplant services in South Florida. The patient who received a kidney was just 21 years old. At any given moment, close to 120,000 people are on a waiting list for a vital organ. While our entire team has been exceptional in caring for these fragile patients, life-saving surgeries cannot be done without organ donors. We are grateful for their gift of life.

Sheldon Harr, founding rabbi emeritus, Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El

As if it hasn’t been clear in the last number of decades, it becomes more and more obvious that the United Nations is clearly anti-Israel and, in fact, anti-Semitic. UNESCO declared the traditional tomb of Judaism’s three Biblical Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) as a Palestinian Heritage Site. It obviously was irrelevant that those tombs have been part of Jewish heritage for thousands of years, extending back to Biblical times, and not just a couple of decades. The U.N. lost its way years ago. That’s a shame: it could have been an effective tool toward peace and understanding. It clearly is not.

Ted Deutch, member, U.S. House of Representatives

We cannot allow Russian interference in the 2016 elections, a flagrant attack against our democracy, to go unpunished. While the Senate passed a sanctions bill 98-2 weeks ago, Speaker Ryan continues to block a vote on this overwhelmingly bipartisan bill in the House. Especially in light of the revelation about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with Russians during the campaign, these sanctions would prevent the president from unilaterally waiving or weakening sanctions. Speaker Ryan must bring this bill to the floor immediately, allowing America to respond forcefully against Russian attacks without potential weakening of sanctions by the White House.

Anthony Abbate, Florida Atlantic University, associate provost, Broward

Ironic isn’t it? Those elected to shake things up and reduce government intrusion in our lives are asking for our personal information and creating a massive data base containing our birth dates, social security numbers, criminal conviction, military service data and voting records. Federal open record laws require all information turned over by the states to be accessible to the public. Without a clear understanding about what — exactly — the purpose of this “Commission on Election Integrity” is I would rather not have my information included. But then I don’t have much of a say in the matter.

Norm Kent, publisher, South Florida Gay News

Major League Baseball hosted the All-Star Game in Miami, allowing the sports world to shine a national spotlight on South Florida, creating an opportunity to recognize our community’s Latin heritage and ties, and permitting us to celebrate our hometown’s rich diversity. And for one or two nights, our stadium was filled with fans.

Tom Shea, president, Right Management

Our state faces plenty of complex challenges, but news that its fiscal condition ranks first in the nation is significant to Floridians — and to companies choosing where they’ll invest and grow. The 2017 George Mason University ranking shows Florida number one for fiscal condition based on cash on hand, budget solvency and other key factors. No doubt there will be intense, future Florida Legislative budget battles on education, healthcare and more. Having our financial house in order, though, is good news.