Nicholas D. Caruso, Jr. wrote on the the AASA School Superintendents Website that: “Board members are role models and their behavior reflects on the entire school district. Most board members take that responsibility seriously and their behavior is exemplary. However, a few believe they can get their way by publicly challenging their board colleagues…They ensure the community will have little respect for the entire board.”
We quickly found that the Los Altos School District’s civility policy, adopted in 2007, encourages positive communication and discourages volatile, hostile or aggressive actions. The policy defines unacceptable behaviors by any individual who “harasses staff with frequent and abusive emails” [now it would be Facebook or Twitter posts] or “speaks in…a rude, insulting and/or demeaning manner.”
Based on remarks at the School District of Indian River County School (SDIRC) School Board meeting on 8/14/18 by Board Member Charles Searcy, Mr. Frost apparently operates under his own civility policy.
School Board Member Charles Searcy: “The other [item] is not a real pleasant thing but this is the place I know to bring it up. We sit as a collegial body up here…and an issue has come up that the Chairman of the Board [Shawn Frost] has on his [Facebook platform] made some very very very negative comments about two school board members, and I’m hurt by them…We are supposed to…work together as a team and it just bothers me that this..[Facebook] is used to criticize other folks.
And I’m here tonight to say I accept the fact that you don’t agree with what I do; there’s some stuff out there we’re “out of touch board members.” That’s, that’s hurtful.
And I am going to forgive you for saying that…that’s hard for me to do. This is unfair to me; its unfair to the other board member you used in your thing [Facebook post] and it just hurt.”
At that, rather than civilly saying “Thank you, I appreciate your concern,” or “Thank you for expressing how you feel,” Mr. Frost condescendingly said: “Alrighty then, someone’s learning how to use Facebook.”
At the Taxpayers Association of Indian River County, FL meeting on 8/15/18 I approached Mr. Frost and introduced myself. He said “Yes I know you. What do you want from me?”
I asked if he was the one who sent the anonymous email from Switzerland, which “meddled” in CWA Union meeting and the School District of Indian River County school board race.
The email was sent from a site in Switzerland from which “No personal information is required to create your secure email account. By default, we do not keep any IP logs which can be linked to your anonymous email account. Your privacy comes first.”
That email meddling in the election is referenced here:
Mr. Frost replied “Why would I do that?” Then he said everything I have written about him is “Lies.” I said “if they were lies why don’t you refute them?” He questioned our non-profit status (and wrote in a recent post on Indian River Patriots there may be an investigation) and said something to the effect that you have a two-bit blog and you are “irrelevant.”
If we are irrelevant, how come, as of now, 2,243 people have already clicked on these articles, roughly 12% of whom read our Spanish translations.
Related Article:
Vero Communiqué 
I saw that board meeting and was completely disgusted by Mr. Frost’s flippant attitude. If he is incapable of conducting himself in a professional manner, he should be removed.
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I’m saddened to see the school board being led this way. I’m also disappointed by the contentious nature of the school board races. People are using character assassination against those who don’t support their favorite candidates. Like, Frost, another locally elected official is using Facebook to push lies and attack others. In the end, their reputations are diminished in the eyes of the community.
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