SEA AND WEA: DUE PROCESS IS NOT IMMUNITY. DEMOCRACY IS NOT OPTIONAL.

As of this update, over 1,021 reported signatures have been counted—after months of unanswered questions.  A membership still waiting for accountability.

For months, SEA and WEA have invoked due process, privacy, and confidentiality while members have struggled to obtain clear answers about their own presidential recall petition.

Let us be clear:  We are not demanding privileged communications between an employee and her union representative. We are demanding explanations for decisions made by SEA and WEA concerning our petition, our elected leadership, and our democratic rights.

These are fundamentally different matters.

President Ibijoke Mitzi Idowu has reportedly been on administrative leave for approximately ten months.  She has undergone an SPS investigation, received written notices, and had access to union and legal representation. She has also continued to occupy the SEA presidency.

Due process has been afforded. It does not follow that every legal proceeding is complete, but neither does it follow that union democracy must be placed on hold.

Meanwhile, members have faced unanswered correspondence, disputed signature verification, procedural uncertainty, and newly adopted recall rules.

And now another question demands attention.

ROBERT'S RULES—OR RULES THAT PROTECT THE PRESIDENT?
SEA operates under Robert's Rules of Order while also employing Special Rules announced at meetings.

Special rules can be legitimate parliamentary instruments.  But their legitimacy depends on proper adoption, consistency with governing documents, and fair application.

Who adopted these rules?  When?  By what authority?  And have they been used to prevent members from challenging the president's leadership?

A presiding officer should not be able to determine the limits of accountability to which that same officer is subject without meaningful procedural safeguards.

WHAT ABOUT A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE?
SEA must explain whether its Representative Assembly can consider a recorded vote of no confidence, what procedures apply, and whether any Special Rules restrict that possibility.

The recall process and a vote of no confidence are distinct mechanisms.  Neither should be obscured by procedural ambiguity.

THE QUESTION SEA AND WEA CANNOT KEEP AVOIDING
Who protects the democratic rights of members when the elected leadership itself is the subject of their challenge?

Privacy protects legitimate confidential information—not every institutional decision.

Due process protects procedural rights—not an elected officer from scrutiny.

Robert's Rules protect orderly deliberation—not arbitrary control of dissent.

SEA and WEA must answer the membership with documented decisions, governing rules, and meaningful accountability.

A union that demands accountability from employers must be prepared to practice it within its own leadership.