Julia Coccaro, a high school senior in Spanish Fort, went before the Baldwin County School Board Thursday wanting answers about a complaint she filed last month alleging a "culture of bias and discrimination" existing at the school.

The complaint stemmed, in part, from a controversy in June over a summer reading list produced by an AP Government teacher that was filled with works by various conservative political heroes and right-wing firebrands.

"It's been over a month and I've received no acknowledgement on this issue," said Coccaro. "Your silence on the issue, thus far, has spoken volumes. It says you are not concerned about the environment at Spanish Fort High School."

The seven-member board could provide few answers. The matter is a legal one, most of the board members said, which prevents them from speaking about it in public.

"There are legalities that you have to follow because you are dealing with many individuals and there are lawsuits involved, "said board member Tony Myrick. "We cannot comment on it."

Said board member JaNae Dawson: "We are bound to follow the legal process and in that process, there are times when we may speak and times when we cannot. It's a process that must be followed. I do not think that our silence should be interpreted in some general terms."

'Call to action'

But comments from board president Shannon Cauley, the only representative from Spanish Fort, sparked concern from Coccaro, her parents and the supporters who showed up at the meeting in Bay Minette to support the student.

Cauley said Coccaro had implicated school employees in her complaint including Superintendent Eddie Tyler, who "has to be removed from anything going on" related to its investigation. She said the board has hired an independent investigator to consider the matter.

"We cannot go out and put everyone on leave because people complained about them," said Cauley. "I have children at Spanish Fort High School. I make sure things are taken care of there."

Coccaro is scheduled to be in the AP Government class hosted by Gene Ponder, the teacher who produced the controversial summer list that included authors such as Michael Savage, Mark Levin and Ann Coulter.

Coccaro is chairwoman of the Alabama High School Democrats.

"I'm excited you are going to take AP Government class," said Cauley to Coccaro. "I hope you do some research and know you don't have the rights you (think you) do when it comes to free speech. You ought to look it up. I'm sorry."

Coccaro, later after the exchange during the meeting, said she felt Cauley had been "extremely patronizing."

"She acted as though my presence (at the board meeting) and filing of the complaint was a burden rather than a call to action," said Coccaro.

Coccaro's complaint included detailed accusations about censorship of the school's yearbook related to a mentioning of a student "coming out of the closet," a driver's education teacher spending an entire class period discussing his religious beliefs, and Tyler's statement that he made in June regarding Ponder's reading list.

She also said that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender topics were prohibited from being discussed within meetings held by the Spanish Fort High School Democrats Club.

Coccaro has also alleged that Ponder's classroom instruction Power Points are filled with racially insensitive depictions of minorities and generalizations about Republicans and Democrats.

I have filed a formal complaint with the Baldwin County Board of Education regarding issues of bias, discrimination, and... Posted by Julia Coccaro on Tuesday, July 11, 2017

The summer reading list was pulled by Tyler in June, not because of its content, but because Ponder hadn't followed a school system procedure calling for the list to be submitted to a review committee.

Tyler, in an interview, said he'd be interested in reading some of the books on Ponder's list, although he didn't specify which ones.

Bullying and assurances

On Thursday, Tyler said he would not tolerate bullying within the school system.

"If anyone knows anything about me through the years, it's that I'm not one to turn the other cheek and walk away and let things go," he said. "I'm not going to make accusations about other people unless I don't have solid evidence. So for the county to be painted as turning the other cheek when bullying is going on, that concerns me. If evidence is brought forth, I'm willing to address it."

Some board members, meanwhile, said they planned to take Coccaro's concerns seriously. However, they all said it could take "some time" before the investigation is completed.

"I assure you that this board member will look at it real hard, your concerns," said board member David Tarwater. "I appreciate hearing from you today about your concerns.

Board member Angie Swiger said Coccaro's appearance before them during a public meeting "takes a lot of guts," adding that "there are people much older than you are that do not have the fortitude to do that."

"It's important for us to get it right," said Swiger. "We are affecting people's lives and livelihoods."

Said board member Cecil Christenberry: "I want people to know that we take bullying seriously. It makes me sick to think a child doesn't feel welcomed at a school."

Myrick was the only board member to speak specifically about the authors on Ponder's list.

"I never read a book from Michael Savage or Mark Levin," he said. "I listen to them. They act like preachers. They are trying to sell books and things."

'Due diligence'

Coccaro wasn't the only person to go before the board to express concerns about the reading list or the alleged Power Point displays.

Amber Selman-Lynn, a Daphne resident and parent of a child entering kindergarten in Spanish Fort this school year, said the AP Government class appears to be "the world according to Gene Ponder." Ponder has not publicly released a statement nor has he made comments since the reading list controversy surfaced in June.

Selman-Lynn said she grew up in a conservative area in Georgia, and that she can never recall knowing about the political leanings of her teachers. "The fact that it's come up so often in Spanish Fort High School is a really big concern," she said.

Richard Whiting, a Spanish Fort resident, said he hoped the school board would give Coccaro's complaint "due diligence."

"A lot of people, me included, feel that if the situation was reversed (and the summer reading list) included a book about Christianity and conservatism being a mental disorder or some other sacred cow of the South, there would be a lot more direct anger," Whiting said, referring to Savage's 2006 book, "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder," which was included on Ponder's list. "I want the board to prove me wrong."

Coccaro said she's unsure what to expect when she returns to school on Monday. She said she has not been threatened this summer, but has faced social media harassment for bringing forth the complaint.

"I don't regret it at all," she said. "There is hard evidence in this case, the list and the complaint which is legitimate and the Power Point slides. I've listed each occasion where policies were violated."