3 November 23-29, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ MIAMI-DADE SCHOLASTIC SHIFT MOMS FOR LIBERTY-BACKED CANDIDATE ELECTED VICE CHAIR OF COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. BY ALEX DELUCA D espite losing big in recent school board elections across several states, the culture war agenda pushed by self-described paren- tal rights group Moms for Lib- erty appears to be prevailing in the 305. On November 14, days after Moms for Lib- erty saw resounding defeat among its en- dorsed candidates in high-profile races in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and elsewhere, Moms for Liberty-backed candidate Monica Colucci was elected vice chair of the Miami- Dade County School Board. Both Colucci and Maria Teresa Rojas, who was re-elected chair, won via a 5-4 vote by the board. “Humbled and honored to have been elected as the vice chair of the School Board,” Colucci said. “It is a privilege to be entrusted with such a role. I am committed to continue working alongside my colleagues to improve education and ensure a brighter future for our students.” Their victories once again reflect a conser- vative majority on the board. In November 2022, Colucci was elected to represent the school board’s District 8 as a DeSantis-endorsed candidate who pledged to prioritize “parental rights” and stamp out “socialist curriculums and ideologies in our schools.” She won following an endorsement from the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a group that has led a nationwide culture-war crusade by spearheading the drive for school book removals and campaigning against criti- cal race theory. In a June 2022 Instagram post, the Miami chapter of Moms for Liberty (@momsforlibertymiami) endorsed Colucci for the District 8 seat. “Change is upon us,” the caption reads. “Please vote for these conservative candi- dates who will fight for the kids and for our parental rights.” Following Colucci’s win in August 2022, Moms for Liberty announced the victory on social media. “Miami Dade County School Board now has a conservative majority! Congratulations Moms for Liberty-endorsed candidates Mon- ica Colucci & Robert Alonso! #YearofthePar- ent,” the post reads. Founded by former Florida school board members Tiffany Justice and Tina Descov- ich, Moms for Liberty has grown into a prom- inent force in Christian conservative spheres and education politics in the two years since its formation. A Brookings Institute study found that candidates backed by Moms for Liberty won 45 percent of sampled school board contests in the 2022 election cycle. (Researchers noted it was difficult to discern whether the victories were directly attribut- able to the group’s endorsement.) The Southern Poverty Law Center re- cently included Moms for Liberty on its list of extremist groups, saying the organization op- poses “LGBTQ+ and racially inclusive school curriculum.” Colucci has not responded to an email ask- ing whether she still welcomes Moms for Liberty’s endorsement. Colucci has served as a Miami-Dade edu- cator since 1994. After more than two de- cades as an elementary school teacher, she ran for public office to “serve as a strong ad- vocate for parental rights,” according to her school board biography. She’s a personal friend of Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, whose ad- ministration enlisted her as a special assistant between February 2019 and August 2020. She previously told WLRN that she be- lieves religion should play a larger role in public edu- cation. (“A woman of faith, Ms. Colucci believes strongly in each student’s God- given potential,” her school board bio reads.) “I think that there’s always a greater role for faith in schools,” she said. “Obviously respecting the faith of each indi- vidual family, because I have a profound re- spect for all faiths — but yes, I do.” The longtime teacher’s policy positions and public statements have fallen in line with Moms for Liberty’s rhetoric, stoking fear that children are subjected to radical indoctrina- tion in schools. Colucci told voters last year that she would combat “extreme liberal agen- das that harm our kids.” “As an educator and daughter of a Cuban immigrant, I am keenly aware that these dan- gerous ideologies run contrary to our coun- try’s fundamental founding principles,” she said in her 2022 campaign profile. During her first year on the board, Colucci pushed for the implementation of the conser- vative-backed “classical education curricu- lum model” in schools. In her swearing-in speech last year, she stated she has an unwav- ering stance on education policy. “I will never settle for being politically correct, but rather morally correct,” Colucci said. “When it comes to children, I pledge to protect their minds, hearts, and spirits, and in turn protect their innocence, which all chil- dren have a right to.” | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Mari Tere Rojas (left) and Monica Colucci Miami-Dade County Public Schools photo ▼ BOCA RATON CASE CLOSED SOUTH FLORIDA ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH FATHER’S MURDER FOUND DEAD IN JAIL CELL. BY ALEX DELUCA A Florida attorney accused of killing his dad was found dead in his jail cell on November 16. Brandon Labiner, a suspended Boca Raton lawyer facing a first-degree murder charge in the July murder of his 68-year-old father, died in an apparent suicide after hanging himself in his Palm Beach County jail cell, according to the Sun Sentinel. Fire rescue pronounced him dead after deputies’ unsuccessful attempts to revive him. On the afternoon of July 1, surveillance foot- age allegedly captured the then-34-year-old University of Florida graduate arriving at the parking garage outside of his father’s Boca law office on a bicycle, removing a box from a drawstring bag, and pulling out what appeared to be a gun. Police claim Labiner paced around the ga- rage for several minutes before coming face-to- face with his victim — his father Paul Labiner — and fatally shooting him in the head, upper chest, and twice in the lower body outside the building off North Federal Highway. Brandon La- biner was arrested the following day at his sepa- rate law office nearby. As previously reported by New Times, an ar- rest affidavit revealed how Labiner’s family im- mediately pegged him as the alleged killer, noting his souring relationship with his father and a recent legal dispute between them. “They suspect Brandon is the suspect be- cause Brandon and [the victim] had a bad rela- tionship due to a legal battle they have been involved in regarding their law firm,” the affida- vit states. “They also noted that Brandon has been under a lot of stress because his unborn child died...and he is going through a divorce from his wife.” In February, Labiner announced the death of his unborn son in a Facebook post, saying, “I am at a loss writing this, trying to figure out how we can move forward.” In April, the Florida Supreme Court sus- pended his law license after his father filed a law- suit and a bar complaint against him, alleging that he had stolen roughly $450,000 from a family trust account, of which he was a trustee. Court documents show that the father-and- son dispute was heating up shortly before the murder. Among other developments, the elder Labiner accused his son of filing a bogus docu- ment to dismiss the lawsuit while masquerading as the plaintiffs in the case. Brandon Labiner was indicted last month for the murder and was scheduled to appear in court on November 28. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or Lifeline website can of- fer help and connect you with a trained coun- selor. Text or call 988 or visit the website at 988lifeline.org. [email protected] COLUCCI TOLD WLRN THAT SHE BELIEVES RELIGION SHOULD PLAY A LARGER ROLE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION.
