SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A judge denied a temporary injunction Tuesday to stop the Seminole County School Board from moving forward to make Serita Beamon the district’s new superintendent just hours ahead of the school board meeting.
An injunction was filed in Seminole County civil court March 9, seeking to stop the Seminole County School Board from continuing negotiations with Beamon to become superintendent.
Attorney Philip Kaprow filed the injunction on behalf of his clients, a Seminole County mother and an educator.
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The complaint claims the board violated its own bylaws during the Feb. 23 meeting when they voted to rescind their previous vote selecting Chad Farnsworth as the new superintendent. The board then voted March 1 to select Beamon to become the new superintendent.
The complaint asked the court to step in and stop Beamon’s contract negotiations. On Tuesday, Circuit Judge Michelle Naberhaus denied the temporary injunction allowing the school district to continue with Beamon’s contract negotiations. A school board meeting took place Tuesday evening.
Naberhaus explained “a temporary injunction is an extraordinary remedy which should be granted sparingly” and in order to obtain one the petitioner “must also show likelihood of irreparable harm, absent the entry of an injunction, a lack of an adequate remedy at law, and that injunctive relief will serve the public interest.”
The judge said Kaprow and his clients “have generally alleged that they will be affected by the school board’s actions. They have not allege how they will be affected.”
“It is true that many people in Seminole County are affected by the actions of the school board. But as it relates to this case the petitioners’ allegations of injury are purely speculative and hypothetical,” Naberhaus said.
Naberhaus heard both sides over a Microsoft Teams virtual meeting Monday morning. She then took the night to review case law before making her decision during another virtual hearing Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.
The case remains open from a technical standpoint, according to the judge, because this was a temporary injunction.
During the meeting Tuesday evening, school board members voted 4-1 to move forward with Beamon’s contract. Board member Amy Pennock was the sole vote against Beamon, saying an in-depth investigation surrounding the board’s actions were necessary before moving forward
“We may not all agree. We can agree to disagree all day long or you may feel I’m wishy washy or whatever. I don’t care anymore,” school board member Abby Sanchez said.
At least one parent said she wished Beamon would have spoken.
“You know what would have been fantastic to see is for her to come to this meeting tonight and for her to get up there and speak to all of us (about) who she is, what she is about and what she is going to do,” Christine Krstolic said.
Kenneth Bentley, a grandparent, said he’s glad to see Beamon taking over.
“It’s time and she is qualified. It’s not a quota system, she is not lucky, she didn’t win a lottery. She is qualified to be the superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools,” he said.