(LPS Board Chair Piyush Srivastav/ Picture credit John Gage)
LINCOLN — Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) Board Chair Piyush Srivastav, in an interview with The Plains Sentinel, refused to disavow controversial comments made by the district’s LGBTQ+ advocate Alma Cerretta. Srivastav said on Tuesday evening that he needed more “context” for Cerretta’s remarks, where she stated that she “kind of” wants men to be raped, as well as a picture of her in a shirt celebrating Luigi Mangione, who was convicted this summer of murdering a healthcare CEO.
When asked about Cerretta’s remarks, Srivastav initially denied having read them before The Plains Sentinel handed him a copy of the social media posts. Cerretta wrote in 2018 during the Kavanaugh confirmation controversy that she “kind of” wished men had been sexually assaulted “because it may teach them empathy.” In another social media post, she wore a shirt with a picture of Mangione on it with the words, “But Daddy, I love him.”
Srivastav then admitted he had seen them, saying he had read the emails The Plains Sentinel had sent him earlier in the week which contained the comments.
(Picture credit Alma Cerretta)
“I did see that,” Srivastav said. “I’ll have to know what context these are in. Is there some story behind this?” Srivastav quickly clarified the context he needed was, “How is this connected to LPS?”
When The Plains Sentinel explained Cerretta was an employee of the school district, a fact that was mentioned in the email Srivastav said he read, LPS communications director Mindy Burbach tried to end the interview: “Piyush just said he needed more context and that is all he is going to say today.”
The interview continued on for another minute, but was abruptly ended by Burbach after The Plains Sentinel asked Srivastav “if this is someone who should be mentoring kids in LPS?”
“We are going to stop right there,” Burbach said. “He’s done. He’s done now.”
Srivastav promised The Plains Sentinel he would read the publication’s story and return a lengthier comment following his reading. On Wednesday evening, Srivastav sent an email in response to 1) whether he agreed with Cerretta’s rape remark and her support of Mangione and 2) whether he believed the comments were disqualifying for someone mentoring kids in LPS.
He stated:
“Lincoln Public Schools and the Board of Education are dedicated to maintaining a safe, supportive, and respectful learning environment for all students. As an individual board member, I have no personal knowledge regarding this specific employee or the district's hiring decisions, and state privacy laws prohibit board members from accessing or commenting on personnel matters.”
He added in response to the second question:
“While it is true that the Lincoln Board of Education cannot comment on personnel matters, I wanted to share that past cases in the U.S. Supreme Court support the protection of First Amendment rights of teachers and other educational staff in regard to comments made outside of the workday on social media. In what I’ve seen online, I think that you also support people’s First Amendment rights.”
The Plains Sentinel had sent an email requesting comment to all seven board members. Srivastav is the only one to reply. The district’s communications team has also refused to answer questions from The Plains Sentinel regarding Cerretta’s remarks.
District Hired Activist
The fallout comes after LPS hired Cerretta to fill its LGBTQ+ Advocate position — a job title that Governor Jim Pillen had previously called “woke garbage.” Cerretta’s role as an advocate is “supporting” success for LGBTQ+ students in LPS.
Before her time as an advocate, Cerretta worked for OutNebraska, a LGBTQ+ nonprofit. In her role, she testified against a bill brought by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth to limit biological men from accessing women’s locker rooms as well as a bill brought by State Sen. Dave Murman to limit minors from attending public drag shows.
Cerretta has also testified in support of other progressive priorities and against Republican bills. In 2022, she was one of the most outspoken small business owners in Nebraska to support raising the minimum wage — she owns Mana Games Cafe in Lincoln. She has also testified against Governor Jim Pillen’s recent biennium budget.
LPS’s student advocate team is paid for by nearly a million dollars in funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Title IV-A program.
State Senators Slam Hire
Both Kauth and Murman, whose bills Cerretta has criticized, responded to the remarks she made about male rape and Mangione.
“Shame on the school district for hiring someone with such a poor record of public awareness,” Kauth told The Plains Sentinel.
Murman said citizens should “stand up and demand better!”
“Individuals who celebrate cold-blooded murder on a public sidewalk and wish assault on others deserve no place in a classroom with our children,” he said. “Parents, community members, and taxpayers expect and deserve that every school employee is a professional focused on ensuring student success. When school districts such as LPS hire extreme woke activists, they fall woefully short of our expectations. Educational outcomes would improve if Schools focused on performance and merit rather than divisiveness and harmful ideas.”
State Senator Rob Clements, whose district includes part of Lincoln, called Cerretta’s comments “outrageous” and questioned why the district was still employing her.
“It shows how disconnected public education is from Nebraska values.”
— John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.