BREAKING: IRC-NAACP Refuses to Vote on Unitary Status for Jennifer Idlette's School Transportation
Her father filed the 1964 civil case against the district. What is the goal of the IRC-NAACP / District Joint Equity Workgroup?
After skipping the required March meeting, the Joint Equity Workgroup of the IRC-NAACP and District representatives returned on Thursday in an attempt to find common ground under the 2018 Joint Action Plan. The two sides met for little more than an hour. The 2018 Joint Action Plan has nine areas of compliance.
During Thursday’s meeting, there were 2 discussions. The first was whether the 2 sides wanted to return to meet in person. Outside their law firm, the IRC-NAACP rarely meets on-screen. The District wants to meet in person. The IRC-NAACP prefers remote meetings. After polling, legal counsel for the District, Matt Carson, said, “We are kind of at a stalemate. We have a difference in preference about how it should take place.”
With the issue unresolved, the Workgroup moved to discussing section 8 of the 2018 Joint Action Plan, Transportation. The Director of Transportation, Jennifer Idlette, was on-hand to share about the District transportation services. She has served in that role since 2016. Her family has been significantly involved in the District for the last 62 years. The federal desegregation order is the result of Ms. Idlette’s father, Joe N. Idlette Jr., filing the initial suit. He personally recruited the NAACP to help him fund the lawsuit. A veteran of the Korean War, Mr. Idlette’s sons, Joe III and Anthony, were students named in the suit. The both of them were students in the first integrated class in Vero Beach High School.
After achieving a desegregation victory in 1969, Mr. Idlette served 20 years on the School Board beginning in 1974. In 2018, the school board renamed the Teaching Education Center in the School Administration Building after Mr. Idlette. He and his wife of 71 years, Bernice, have 6 children. Ms. Idlette described to Vero News on February 11th how important education was to the family. After her younger sister, Jody, explained how her parents expected discipline - no late notices or behavior reports were accepted even if you had straight A’s - and to make honor roll was the goal for their children, she said, “We were strongly rooted in education. Education was everything in our family.”
She and Jody, served as principals in Indian River County. Now, Jody Idlette works at an education non-profit, TRIO Upward Bound, helping students to be college ready. With such a history of fighting for equality in education, it was surprising when IRC-NAACP President, Tony Brown, shared with the workgroup that they were not ready to vote on Transportation for Unitary Status.
Instead, lawyers for the IRC-NAACP demanded to be read into the record their 12 unanswered questions. Dr. Schafte and Ms. Idlette confirmed the District did not keep the data requested. For example, question 4 “equitable application of exceptions provided under policy 8600.” Ms. Idlette answered that all students have access. Students within 2 miles of their assigned school either walk or are dropped off by parents. The exceptions are provided because of student disabilities or dangerous hazards like students having to cross US 1 which Ms. Idlette mentioned. Question 10 asked if they had analyzed “the equity” of bus stops. It said, “For data related to actual pick-up locations and equity with respect to pick-up locations.”
Ms. Idlette confirmed repeatedly that every student is served by the transportation system she oversees. In her presentation, she explicitly noted that the District goes above and beyond by providing transportation options even to all school choice participants. The District is not required to do so, but in order to super-serve families, they were directed unanimously by the school board. The state provides 45% of transportation funding based only on assigned schools. In a District with full choice, Dr. Moore emphasized the extra expense burden is on the District to allow families to take advantage of the offerings of STEM, Magnet, and the new K-8 models including the classical school offering.
The way the system works was explained thoroughly by Ms. Idlette. When a family chooses a school outside their assigned area, the student can use a “depot” bus stop to be picked-up. In some cases, the District works with Go-Line to expand the system. A student who lives in Fellsmere who wants to attend Vero Beach High School would need to get to a bus stop closest to their home address. That bus stop is in Winter Beach, according to Ms. Idlette. A parent does have the responsibility of getting their child to a depot stop when personally choosing a school outside their zoned area.
According to data provided by the District, African American students utilizing school transportation for choice and magnet programming is 46% participation in 2024. In 2023, it was 40%. IRC-NAACP Education Chairman, Kevin Browning, asked Ms. Idlette if students in Gifford were turned down in attending magnet schools. She replied that all the magnet schools were served by transportation with bus stops in Gifford. She added, “We don’t turn students down for transportation access. If they are accepted into that choice school, they are provided school bus transportation.”
Dr. Moore emphasized that Indian River County is the only district in the state to provide a depot system access for all students. Yet, the system managed by Ms. Idlette, who comes from the family that championed equal education opportunities in Indian River County, was not acceptable to the current IRC-NAACP. Recognizing Ms. Idlette’s integrity, Tony Brown attempted to separate her from her work. In discussing the new K-8 schools, he commented, “No reference to Ms. Idlette, but, when we look at the totality of what’s being done [regarding the new K-8 schools], I don’t think due diligence was done with the possible flaws in the whole process…. You have given Ms. Idlette a humongous job to try an orchestrate something that’s not been done.”
Dr. Moore replied, “I have done this probably 18 times - turning elementary schools into K- eights. There is absolutely no impact on Ms. Idlette because she is going to run the same routes to the same schools. The only difference is a 6th grader may get on the bus versus a 5th grader. There is no change in practice or behavior for the transportation department.”
IRC-NAACP team member, Merchon Green, asked about what barriers factored into their analysis of transportation. Dr. Schafte answered that funding is always a concern. Yet, she shared how the presentation by Ms. Idlette has shown her work in maximizing funding. She then commented on how bus drivers can go to private companies, like Amazon, and make higher hourly wages, while not having to deal with the stresses of kids and all the considerations. “The barriers are real, but they are not obstacles to moving forward with our transportation plan,” she said. Dr. Moore added, “I cannot think of any barriers that exist in our school system within transportation to meet what is in the [2018 Joint Action Plan].”
Then, Dr. Moore turned toward the Director of Transportation and asked, “Ms. Idlette, do you agree with that?”
With a family’s life work and her own dedicated service speaking for her, Ms. Idlette emphatically responded, “I absolutely agree. I do know that every parent that wants transportation for their students, regardless of the school they want to attend in Indian River County, is provided that access.”
For some reason, the IRC-NAACP is still doubtful. In closing, in response to wrapping up the Transportation discussion, IRC-NAACP President Brown said, “My opinion is … to say a ‘wrap up,’ I don’t concur with that.”
If the IRC-NAACP cannot concur with Jennifer Idlette’s exemplary work, is there really any hope for resolving the desegregation order?
fuggedaboutit” is the mafia style word for total agreement or never gonna’ get done. Since this is the shakedown mafia style with no end in sight, “fuggedaboutit. “ mr. Brown is nothin’ and the NAACP is nothin’ without this order still in place.
The preference of the members of the IRC-NAACP when meeting in joint session to remain digitally remote (and for several to remain unseen, voice only) removes the powerful effectiveness of face-to-face contact that is crucial to human relations and solving problems together. It denotes insincerity in dealing with the issues at hand. The motive is well noted by Nehemiah, members of the IRC-NAACP are “nothin’ without this order still in place.”