Fusco was escorted from the meeting Tuesday after Leonardi warned her multiple times to stop calling out from the audience. The union livestreamed the removal. At a news conference Wednesday, Fusco said she would challenge the decision in court.

“I didn’t disrupt the meeting,” Fusco said, arguing she sometimes blurts out brief comments when she cannot return to the podium to respond. She said the dispute reaches beyond her own treatment, contending it could affect union and labor rights for district employees.

The district said Fusco was removed after repeated warnings and that the decision was based on her conduct, not her viewpoint. Leonardi told Fusco it was her first warning after she called out, then issued a second warning after another objection. After a fourth warning, Leonardi ordered her removal.

The confrontation came during a board discussion of the district’s procurement director, Jennifer Andreu, whom board members voted 6-3 to fire. The Broward County Office of the Inspector General had found that Andreu mismanaged a contract and misled the board about it, according to the district’s account of the investigation.

Fusco said the process for firing Andreu was improper. Andreu, who is not a BTU member, told local television she plans to appeal the dismissal and disputes the findings, saying she did not mislead the board or mishandle the process for a laptop purchase.

The dispute puts public-meeting rules and speech protections alongside a consequential personnel decision at the county’s public school system. The union says it will pursue a lawsuit against Leonardi; no court filing was reported Wednesday.