Sharon Schmidt, teacher
Prepared Remarks to the LSC
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
[Reporter’s note: I did not use the teachers’ names during public participation.]
As you may know, I organized a Go Fund Me page to help with legal costs, as well-regarded teacher reps Mr. Caputi and Ms. Szulkowski have sued MSG Davis for defamation.
Way back in November 2022, a petition, signed by 50 staff members was presented to this council. It demanded that MSG Davis’ false accusations stop. But he didn’t stop. He continued telling lies about my colleagues through his fake flyers, fake email accounts, and false statements. These lies have damaged them and our whole school so much.
It’s bad enough that he is spreading lies to adults, he’s also harming students. In December, a student was in my room leafing through a yearbook. She saw a picture and said, “That’s the teacher who uses the n word.” I asked her who said that. She said, “Sargeant.”
This is an outrage. Like the dozens of faculty members who signed the petition, I know my friends never use racist language and are not racist. To lie and say that is utterly damaging.
Look, it’s Ramadan and Lent, and at this time some of us focus on fasting, giving, and prayer; also love — the basis of everything. All of us in this room can be loving people: we love our families, we care about our students. Lefty is leading community circles to help us connect more with each other. That’s loving.
But please don’t confuse loyalty with love. In this, Dr. Vilchez’s first experience as a principal, she’s closely aligned herself with MSG Davis. She’s loyal to him, but so unloving as she uses his lies to go after our teachers.
Where are the consequences? The principal is accountable to you.
I ask you to put aside ideas of loyalty and consider that using lies and elevating those who lie is unloving and bad leadership.
School Truth 
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