Hours after Broward Schools Superintendent Peter Licata praised the contributions of the school district’s volunteers, his police department arrested a former “Volunteer of the Year” in the middle of a raucous meeting and charged her with a felony.
The Tuesday arrest of Debbie Espinoza on a charge of battery on a law enforcement officer has stunned many in the district, including some School Board members. They questioned whether the charge was warranted, and why the district’s police force, known as the Special Investigative Unit, was unable to de-escalate tensions before a longtime volunteer with no history of issues was handcuffed.
Licata has directed Jaime Alberti, chief of safety and security for the district, to review the matter, district spokesman John Sullivan told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The arrest followed a heated exchange Tuesday between Espinoza and conservative activist Deidre Ruth over a new sex education policy the School Board was approving. In addition to the battery charge, a third-degree felony, she was charged with disrupting a School Board meeting, a misdemeanor. Ruth was not charged.
Some School Board members say they don’t believe any physical contact Espinoza had with Police Detective John Mastrianni was intentional, and they would like to see the charges dropped. But since there’s already been an arrest, that decision will be up to the State Attorney’s Office, officials said.
“Prosecutors will review all of the facts, circumstances, and evidence (when that is presented to our office) before making any formal charging decision,” Paula McMahon, a spokeswoman for the State Attorney’s Office, said in an email to the Sun Sentinel.
Espinoza, 61, is a Cooper City parent of three grown children and a longtime volunteer. She’s been a fixture both at her children’s former schools and on the District Advisory Council, an influential group that makes recommendations to the School Board. She chaired the council during 2020-21 and was named the district’s Volunteer of the Year in 2020.
“I’ve only ever known Debbie Espinoza to be a really incredible volunteer and advocate for students, and I have real concerns about the message this sends to our volunteers,” Board member Sarah Leonardi said.
Board member Nora Rupert said she “was aghast” when she heard about the arrest.
“There was a lot of drama going on that day, but to be clear: It would not have been my call,” she said.
Chuck Harper, a Parkland parent who chairs the District Advisory Council, said, “To put her in handcuffs, that whole dynamic is a little excessive. I know Debbie can be boisterous. That’s pretty much where it ends.”
The incident happened at the same School Board meeting where Licata had earlier thanked volunteers who serve on district advisory groups.
“Time is something we never get back in this life, and they spend a lot of time working to make sure we have checks and balances, and I appreciate everything they do,” Licata said at the meeting.
But before the meeting was over, Espinoza was sitting in jail, where she stayed for more than 24 hours before being released on her own recognizance Wednesday night.
The officer involved, Mastrianni, 63, is a veteran police officer who has worked as a detective for the district’s Special Investigations Unit since 2016. He has led some of the district’s school safety training, appearing in a 2021 active assailant training video.
A probable cause affidavit Mastrianni prepared misspells Espinoza’s name and includes details of the meeting that conflict with videos shared, such as an assertion that Espinoza refused to leave the boardroom when asked.
As for what Espinoza did that may have constituted a battery, that’s unclear, and different district officials have offered varying accounts. Mastrianni’s affidavit said she “lunged her body into this officer, creating body contact and causing this officer to backpedal.”
Alberti, chief of safety and security, told the Sun Sentinel on Tuesday afternoon Espinoza pushed the officer; and a police detective told a Sun Sentinel reporter Tuesday night that she elbowed him.
School police officers don’t wear body cameras, and while one meeting attendee got a video of her being handcuffed, there’s no public video showing the alleged battery. The school district declined a Sun Sentinel request for surveillance video, saying it’s exempt under Florida law, unless ordered by a subpoena.
Espinoza declined to comment when reached by the Sun Sentinel, saying she was seeking legal counsel. Her close friend, Carolyn Krohn, who was at the meeting but didn’t witness the incident, said Espinoza told her she lost her balance after reaching for her sandals in a tote bag.
“She said, ‘I fell backwards. I didn’t even know he was there,’” Krohn said.
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Krohn and Espinoza were both part of a District Advisory Council subcommittee that helped rewrite the district’s sex education policy to become compliant with new state laws. They attended the meeting to speak in favor of the new curriculum.
During her comments, Espinoza refuted claims by some previous speakers that the sex ed curriculum “teaches anal sex” to students. The secondary curriculum mentions anal sex, as well as oral and vaginal sex, but mostly in the context of how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
Audio and video of the meeting reveal that Ruth, a parent and conservative activist who was waiting in line to speak, made several remarks challenging Espinoza’s public comments, leading Chairwoman Lori Alhadeff to warn, “Quiet in the audience.”
After Espinoza finished, Ruth and Espinoza had an inaudible exchange. After a security officer instructed them to stop talking, Espinoza replied, “She’s accosting me and telling me I wasn’t on the subcommittee” that drafted the sex ed policy.
Alhadeff recessed the meeting due to the interruptions, and after an officer told Ruth she would have to leave, she made a series of loud outbursts. Espinoza was also asked to leave and appeared to comply. The video shows one police officer following Ruth out and Mastrianni shadowing Espinoza, who can be heard telling him in an angry voice, “Don’t push me! Don’t push me!”
“While attempting to escort the arrestee out of the building, she became agitated and resistant,” Mastrianni wrote.
Board member Torey Alston told the Sun Sentinel the whole incident troubled him.
“While I strongly support advocacy and public comments, I remain concerned about the decorum during our meetings,” he said. “Passion is good, but inappropriate comments and physically touching others is out of bounds and can’t be the norm. We must promote our views but in a civil manner.”
Board member Debbi Hixon said a lot of meetings have become heated, but none have led to district police arresting anyone. She said the incident shows a need for better training of school district police officers.
“I don’t understand how we got to that level,” Hixon said. “We need to make sure that we’re de-escalating conflicts and not feeding into them. I do not agree she should have been arrested. The fact that she spent the day in jail breaks my heart.”
School Board meetings in Broward have become increasingly heated in recent years, first over masks and COVID-19 protections and more recently over sex ed, book challenges and resolutions in support of Muslim and LGBTQ students.
Ruth has been ordered to leave at least three previous School Board meetings due to outbursts over such topics. But while Espinoza was being arrested, Alhadeff allowed Ruth, who hadn’t yet made her public comments, to come back in and speak to the board, angering Espinoza’s friends and supporters.
“I was unaware of the arrest when I determined Ms. Ruth could return if she calmed down,” Alhadeff told the Sun Sentinel. “Staff stated that she was calm. Ms. Espinoza had already spoken on the item.”
Alhadeff and other School Board members say the district needs to take steps to avoid these kind of issues in the future.
“I have asked the Superintendent to review our safety and public participation protocols for School Board meetings and workshops to ensure we are providing a safe, secure and welcoming environment for all,” Ahadeff said.