Among the allegations which she denied included sharing pictures of nude men with staff members and that she had an inappropriate sexual relationship on the school campus.
The words of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I have a dream” speech echoed throughout Citizens Field Monday as people gathered in the stands for the King Celebration 2021 National Holiday Kickoff.
The event, held by the MLK Commission of Florida Inc., recognized the life and activism of King, as well as local leaders and activists and a musical performance by the Florida Fellowship Gospel Super Choir.
Community leaders took the stage to honor the late minister and activist, including District 20 state Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe, Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson Jr., County Commissioner Ken Cornell, interim schools Superintendent Carlee Simon, Alachua County School Board member Dionne McGraw and Property Appraiser Ayesha Solomon, among others.
Among the options the public school board is weighing: Move a couple of hundred students from Idylwild and Wiles Elementary, or shut down Terwilliger Elementary on Northwest 62nd Street and shift those students to the new school on the west side.
The latter idea is expected to save $11.6 million in facilities improvements tapped for Terwilliger, and allow the district to complete a more comprehensive rezoning in the next two to three years.
Opposition to closing Terwilliger
Many Terwilliger teachers and parents opposed the idea of closing the school, though for very different reasons.
Several of the school’s teachers and surrounding community members lamented closing a school that many families rely on a fact that was not lost on the five elected school board members.