Now in the state’s crosshairs is the Superintendent of Education.

Florida School Board Chairman Tom Grady said last week that he was not satisfied with the response of Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Vicki Cartwright to the recent grand jury report.

Grady also brought back the issue of mask mandates as a reason to urge the Broward Board of Education, a five-member majority appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, to remove Cartwright.

In July 2021, with the pandemic raging, the school board voted 8 to 1 to pass mask mandates, with only board member Lori Alhadev voting against.

Cartwright supported the board’s wishes, and Grady said Cartwright’s decision at the time was the basis for his dismissal.

“So I was a little surprised. It was resolved a long time ago, so I don’t know why he’s bringing it up now,” school board member Sarah Leonardi said.

Al-Hadeh said he would “hire and fire superintendents” rather than states.

NBC 6 asked Alhadeff today if he had any reason to fire Cartwright.

“At the moment, definitely not. Dr. Cartwright is doing a good job,” Alhadev said.

Alhadeff supported the governor removing four former colleagues and replacing them with four men. But she says she doesn’t understand why anyone at the state level isn’t targeting Cartwright. She called it a distraction from her job of educating students.

“Indeed, it’s very distracting and it honestly takes us away from the positive things we try to do for student achievement,” Al-Hadef said.

Leonardi agrees.

“This state has a habit of meddling in local affairs that is contrary to our state constitution and the idea of ​​local and local government, and I want it to end immediately,” she said. said.

Of the board members appointed by the governor, only the new school board chair, Torey Alston, responded to my inquiry for comment today. “Student performance remains our number one priority,” Alston said. We must hold accountable the Superintendent, General Counsel, and Chief Auditor who manage the day-to-day operations of the district.”

You will find that Alston’s statement stands neither in favor of Cartwright or not.

The school district issued a statement that Cartwright and the school board complied with the law in 2021, saying Cartwright took swift action to comply with the grand jury’s recommendations. She was not part of the school district when it allegedly took place.