It’s Official:  Carroll Board of Education Members Battaglia and Sivigy Not Hateful or Bigoted

This article has been brought to you by Informed Carroll County.

A 6 months long investigation into Carroll County BOE members Tara Battaglia and Donna Sivigy conducted by the Maryland State Board of Education into accusations of hate and bigotry concluded that the BOE members are, in fact, neither hateful or bigoted.

The investigation was sparked by a formal request from unidentified Carroll County residents seeking to remove the board members for “misconduct”, “willful neglect of duty” and “incompetence”.  The complaint alleges Battaglia and Sivigny fostered a hostile environment for the LGBTQ community and their allies, discriminatory policies as it pertained to the removal of the transgender pride flag from classrooms, and bias in the Family Life Council (FLC) subcommittee that led to the removal of gender identity topics from elementary and middle school curriculum.

The issued opinion from the state concluded, “For all of these reasons, we find that the request for removal is not factually or legally sufficient to support removal charges.” and was signed by the state board of education members, including president Clarence Crawford.

The identities of the citizens who initiated the complaint are unknown, but Informed Carroll has been informed that one of the citizens enjoys knitting and has an affinity for cats. 

A Carroll County citizen pleads with the state board to take action against Carroll County.

Tara Battaglia recently started her second term and was the top vote getter in the recent election.  

Donna Sivigny is serving out the remainder of her second term which concludes in 2024.

Former BOE member Ken Kiler was originally included in the complaint but was dropped from the investigation when he left his post for the commissioner board.  As stated in the complaint:  “Because Mr. Kiler is no longer a member of the local board, we have found the request to be moot.”  

Accusations of bigotry, hate and discrimination have been endlessly hurled at the BOE from social media antagonists and failed BOE candidates, often misconstruing statements made by the board members.

Social media activist and advocate for LGBTQ+ children demands Tara Battaglia provide an inclusive environment.

Failed BOE candidate Amanda Jozkowski misconstrues statements made by board member Tara Battaglia regarding students with disabilities.

With Battaglia and Sivigny passing the acceptance and inclusivity test, and Carroll County Public Schools appearing in the top 5 counties in the state across all proficiency scores for all demographic groups (as reported by the Carroll County Observer), many in the community now feel this proves CCPS is safest, most accepting and inclusive school environment in the state of Maryland.

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