Free Speech: Can’t yell ‘fraud’ in school district

Last week, the PSJA ISD Board of Trustees voted to extend the superintendent’s contract for another year and also voted to adopt an update to its board operating procedures.

Does the vote to change operating procedures infringe on a trustee’s right to free speech?

No, but what it does do is stop a trustee from going online, tapping into a social media platform, and then toss around words like “fraud, FBI, corrupt, etc.”

All aimed at the very district they have sworn to represent.

In the old days, even if a trustee voted against an agenda item, argued against it in executive session, things changed after the vote was taken.

Even if they lost, the standard was that they still supported the majority board decision after the vote was taken. Or, if they didn’t have anything good to say about it, they just said nothing. Or in modern times, wrote nothing inflammatory on social media.

Why did PSJA ISD’s vote last week to update board operating procedures make sense? Here are just several reasons:

Legal Liability for Defamation: When trustees post “untruths” or gossip about employees or other board members, they expose themselves and the district to potential lawsuits for libel and defamation.

Erosion of Public Trust: Constant social media conflict creates a toxic governance environment that undermines community confidence, potentially leading to lower voter support for bond issues or district initiatives.

Impact on Staff Morale: Publicly criticizing district employees by name or implication can create a hostile work environment, leading to higher staff turnover and difficulty in recruiting high-quality educators.

The new PSJA policy specifically targets “negative, inaccurate, harassing or otherwise harmful online content” to ensure trustees are held accountable for their digital footprints.

If you follow PSJA ISD board actions, then you know which two trustees are responsible for last week’s action on the part of the board majority.

If I named them, then I would have to call them for comments — “My free speech has been taken away” — and I’m just not up to listening to it because it’s not true, and the older I get, the lower is my tolerance for bull….

They are intelligent women. They know what they’ve been doing, and it’s not free speech. You can’t run down your own district, spread malicious gossip disguised as legitimate concerns, facts, and expect no repercussions. Not without any solid evidence in hand.

This whole social media thing has gotten out of hand.

A side note — any and all elected officials uploading exercise vids of themselves pumping iron, doing yoga, leg lifts, squats please just stop.

The narcissism is difficult to digest.