Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco said Wednesday she plans to file a lawsuit against School Board Chair Sarah Leonardi and others, alleging her First Amendment rights were violated when she was removed from a board meeting in Tamarac. Fusco was escorted out of Tuesday’s meeting after repeatedly speaking in support of Jennifer Andreu, a district administrator whose firing the board approved during the meeting. School board members and Superintendent Howard Hepburn said Fusco disrupted the proceedings and warned her several times before ordering her removal. “We’re taking swift action today legally,” Fusco told reporters Wednesday. She said the board did not give the union time to speak and failed to answer questions she raised during the meeting. The district disputed Fusco’s characterization. Chief of Staff John J. Sullivan said the board welcomes public participation and differing views, but enforces meeting rules to maintain order and conduct public business. Fusco was removed after multiple warnings for repeatedly disrupting proceedings, Sullivan said, adding that the decision was based on conduct, not viewpoint. The dispute arose as the board considered Andreu’s firing. She served as the district’s executive director of operations, procurement and warehousing services from October 2023 until early 2026. The Broward Office of the Inspector General found that Andreu mismanaged a district contract involving about 80,000 laptops and misled the board, according to findings described by the district. Fusco questioned the investigation and said she did not trust its conclusions, arguing that she lacked information about how witnesses were selected and why the district’s internal investigative procedures were not used. The reported findings and Fusco’s criticism put the administrator’s dismissal at the center of a dispute over both district oversight and public participation at board meetings. Fusco also rejected the suggestion that a lawsuit could distract from a school funding referendum Broward voters will decide in November. She said voters understand the measure would benefit students and educators.