Two Broward School Board members face touching allegations; chair calls for investigation
.jpg "Broward School Board members Brenda Fam of District 6 and Allen Zeman, who holds the countywide at-large Seat 8, are facing allegations of inappropriate touching. Broward School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff is seeking the board’s approval to hire an independent investigator.")
The Broward School Board will consider hiring an independent investigator following separate accusations of inappropriate touching by two newly elected board members, according to official documents.
The claims are against board members Brenda Fam, who holds the District 6 seat, and Allen Zeman, who holds the countywide at-large Seat 8, the board’s April 11 meeting agenda packet shows. They were both elected to the School Board in November.
If the board votes “yes” at Tuesday’s meeting, it would authorize Interim Superintendent Earlean Smiley and the district’s General Counsel Marylin Batista to hire an outside investigator. An affirmative vote would also allow School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff to submit a written notification to Gov. Ron DeSantis “pending the outcome of the investigation and if misconduct is found,” according to the agenda item.
The agenda item also would authorize Alhadeff to “highly recommend both school board members restrict their attendance at school district and community events to school board meetings, public hearings and workshops pending the outcome of the investigation.”
The allegations were brought to the attention of Alhadeff, according to the agenda item. Alhadeff did not respond to the Herald’s request for comment.
In the case of Fam, an 18-year-old student allegedly told the district that she touched him on the buttocks during an event on March 27 at the Signature Grand in Davie, the Sun Sentinel first reported. Fam told the newspaper that she “inadvertently brushed against someone” with her hand at an awards banquet, but didn’t specify where on the body it was.
Fam, in an email to the Miami Herald Tuesday evening, said she respects the call for an investigation.
“I will cooperate and look forward to conclusion of the investigation, as the full story and truth is revealed,” she said.
In the second incident, a male employee told then Superintendent Vickie Cartwright in December that Zeman had hit him on the buttocks, the Sentinel reported. The employee told the newspaper in February that he made Cartwright aware of the situation and informed her he didn’t wish to file a complaint.
Zeman told the Herald in a phone call Tuesday evening that “every complaint needs to be heard and every complaint with credibility needs to be investigated,” but said that the Broward Schools employee involved in the alleged incident, which he called a “nothingburger,” hasn’t filed a complaint.
“The other participant in what was alleged was not offended, did not feel like anything was inappropriate or improper,” he said. “So much so that he did not file a complaint.
“In fact, he has made it clear that he does not intend to file a complaint,” he added.
This story was originally published April 4, 2023 at 7:33 PM.
