The move won’t change much, but public comment was abundant—and highly critical.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Sarasota School Board member Bridget Ziegler got her way: Her proposed resolution pledging full cooperation with ICE and other law enforcement riled up a lot of people. It triggered a protest, more than four hours of public comment at yesterday’s school board meeting and a narrow vote in favor of the resolution. Ramon Lopez reports.
Ramon Lopez: Nearly 150 students, parents and others spoke out Tuesday at the Sarasota County School Board. The issue? A resolution from Board Chair Bridget Ziegler affirming full cooperation with law enforcement agencies, including ICE.
A rally ahead of Tuesday’s school board meeting mobilized more than 200 protesters. At the meeting, people lined up for more than five hours of public comment. Photos by Ramon Lopez
The meeting lasted seven hours before the board passed the resolution three to two. It broke down along party lines, with Tom Edwards and Liz Barker casting the nay votes.
Found most troubling is a portion which states that “no school board member, or employee shall impede, obstruct, or interfere with the lawful actions of any law enforcement agency, including ICE.”
“Any such conduct shall subject the individual to disciplinary action up to and including termination, as well as referral for criminal investigation if warranted.”
But the largely symbolic resolution does not change school policy, which already is to cooperate with all law enforcement, including ICE, if a warrant is presented. We hear from School Superintendent Terry Connor.
Terry Connor: Nothing changes. Regardless of the discussion here on this dais today, tomorrow or a year ago, those are the things that will continue to be the operational stance of our schools.
RL: The matter was raised by Ziegler in response to fellow school board member Tom Edwards’ participation in a protest against ICE. His remarks drew condemnation from Karen Rose, who lost her seat on the school board to Barker but was restored by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to fill out the term of Tim Enos, who is now the school district’s top cop.
The Republican Party of Sarasota wants Edwards off the board. It said he was recklessly urging members of the public to violate federal law and disrupt federal law enforcement officers.
For over five hours, nearly all of the public condemned the resolution after a protest took place outside. The rally was led by Zander Moricz, founder of SEE Alliance.
Zander Moricz (right)
Zander Moricz: Today, this is the greatest attendance for any Sarasota County School Board meeting that I have ever seen in my life. Give it up for that.
[Crowd applauds and cheers]
Crowd: Out!
ZM: Keep ICE…
Crowd: Out!
ZM: Keep ICE…
Crowd: Out!
ZM: Keep ICE…
Crowd: Out!
RL: Only six speakers favored the resolution. Here’s a sampling of the pros and cons—overwhelmingly con.
Speaker 1: The presence of ICE on campuses spreads fear instead of understanding.
Speaker 2: To push to bring ICE into Sarasota schools is not about safety or the law. It is a political play designed to excite an extremist base, and Bridget is the architect of it.
Speaker 3: Your resolution is total trash. We’re trying to educate our children, not traumatize them.
Speaker 4: Keep our education nonpartisan, negate this policy and show your constituents that you serve them, not your political ambition.
Speaker 5: Having children feel afraid and unsafe seems cruel to me.
Speaker 6: Reject this unnecessary, discriminative and fear-based resolution and get back to doing the job you were elected to do while you still have it.
Speaker 7: And that puts this district at risk, Mr. Edwards. Our law enforcement feels unsupported in our schools, right back in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Speaker 8: This resolution protects the districts from exactly the kind of chaos we see in Minnesota, where their leadership is openly inciting riots.
Speaker 9: I urge you to reject the board chair’s proposed resolution and focus on education instead of fear and division.
RL: It then got to be time for the board members to weigh in on the controversial resolution. First up at bat was Bridget Ziegler.
Bridget Ziegler
Bridget Ziegler: This resolution strengthens that foundation, putting education and protection first, and ends the lies that are polarizing and actually can create the dangerous environments that we are sadly seeing in states like Minnesota, California and Illinois. I don’t want to see that in Sarasota. I want to stop it dead in its tracks, to make crystal clear, because clearly there are some misunderstandings out there, and it is dangerous.
RL: Karen Rose used her time to verbally attack Tom Edwards.
Karen Rose: In my opinion, Tom Edwards is giving permission to not follow the law by openly defying federal laws and law enforcement as well as promoting disruption in this board room and in our schools. This is Tom Edwards, board member in his well-funded and organized takeover of the narratives in this board room with the help of the media.
RL: We next heard from Robyn Marinelli, Barker and Edwards, in that order.
Robyn Marinelli: ICE is not in our schools. They haven’t come in our schools. So please stop spreading the lies. It’s just a shame. It’s just really a shame that this is going on.
Liz Barker: This resolution changes nothing. This is a blatant act of political theater.
Tom Edwards: Since I have been on this board—and you’ve heard it in public comments today—there is a political ideology that supports the will of this board that I am not part of and won’t be part of. I will not be supporting this resolution.
RL: Ziegler closed out the discussion, saying the resolution was largely ceremonial. She said the resolution’s passage would not lead to ICE agents running rampant at county schools.
BZ: This resolution in no way infers that our students, staff or community should anticipate ICE raids.
RL: This is Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.