SIGN TO SUPPORT MS WATTS!

This petition is being posted to replace the original one created by a Gainesville High Student. Unfortunately, that one was taken down due to UF Spanish teacher Crystal Marull threatening legal action against an underage GHS student for exercising her FREE SPEECH.

The purpose is to save GHS teacher Ms. Lauren Watts' job after Marull and state officials decided to go into their time machine and bring up an issue from two years ago.

On August 20, Marull spoke to the Florida state board of education where she accused the Alachua County School Board of creating a "toxic environment" and "discriminating against conservative children." She claimed her son is being called a "Naziphile" simply because he is interested in history and ROTC. He was voted by his classmates for a "Most Likely To Become A Dictator" Award in 2023 when they were in Ms. Watts class.

Marull is a frequent complainer to the School Board. She tries to ban books regularly for their LGBTQ topics instead of simply signing a waiver that prevents her own child from checking them out. 

Students at GHS have shared their perspectives online about her son and have said he has made comments in class about wanting to be a dictator, maybe jokingly. He even recently posted it again on social media. This is not a one time comment by this kid.

It's interested that the topic she spoke on was about if local white nationalist and antisemite Jeremey Clepper had his First Amendment rights violated by the School Board for being allowed to speak for two minutes at a July 31 meeting. After he disrupted the meeting multiple times, he was very briefly asked to be escorted out but eventually was given the option to stay at the meeting. He chose to leave. The state considered that a First Amendment violation.

The next day, on August 21, our lovely Education Commissioner Stasi Kamoutsas, who is only interested in political theater and making headlines, posted a letter on X that demanded the teacher (Ms. Watts) be fired and said that her teaching license will be nonrenewed.

This is the second time in August this small minded man has used his power in office for political retribution against people in Alachua County without so much as looking into the facts of an issue. This is his attempted authoritarian rule done in the name of Governor Ron Desantis.

Since the letter was posted, before it was ever given to the school district or the teacher involved, Marull has successfully buried the white nationalist story and taken the mantle of the newest conservative victim. She has appeared on Fox News and elsewhere to demand action, and also is complaining that her son is now being bullied - probably because of her own actions.

She threated legal action against a brave GHS student for her free speech and advocating for Ms. Watts because she didn't like other kids calling her or her son out for their statements.

The facts are: Marull never notified the school board of this issue in 2023 when it came up. She spoke to the principal. She then reached out to a single board member who she considered a fellow conservative ally, Kay Abbitt, who is no longer on the board. Kay Abbitt then gave this information to Superintendent Shane Andrew, who is also no longer with the district.

It is unclear where the ball was dropped or if it was ever looked into.

This is not the first time it's happened. Also that year, a mother of a student complained when her son was racially profiled for being Black. He was hand selected with others to join a new club with other Black students that discussed stats with poor outcomes for Black men. This complaint went nowhere with the principal and superintendent as well. Republicans did not care that the mother had her Parental Bill of Rights violated. 

Now, we have the Alachua County Republican Party calling for Ms. Watts job. Even though Marull and Republican Chairman Tim Marden have strongly advocated for Kay Abbitt and Shane Andrew. Marden also endorsed former Board Member Diyonne McGraw, whose daughter led the club at GHS.

THE STATE HAS MADE IT CLEAR - THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT YOU IF YOU ARE A  CONSERVATIVE. RULES AND LAWS ONLY PROTECT THOSE PEOPLE.

Andrew, Abbitt, and the GHS principal are all gone from the School District and work at charter schools. 

Marull and the State want to make this a "School Board" issue even though the Board doesn't make decisions on suspensions or punishments or trainings for teachers. They don't handle bullying or control what kids do outside of school hours. The State knows this and does not care.

If Crystal Marull and Tim Marden and Stasi Kamoutsas are REALLY upset with the dictator award, they should ask the boy why he keeps making public comments about wanting to be a dictator and they should demand answers from their political allies Andrew and Abbitt.  Their friends are still in positions where accountability can happen.