'Parents rights' activist challenges 7-year school board member in August. What to know

WEST PALM BEACH — An outspoken "parental rights" activist is running to unseat a seven-year incumbent of the Palm Beach County School Board to represent coastal West Palm Beach and eastern Delray Beach.

Erica Whitfield, known for her support of school district leadership, will face Angelique Contreras, who has been vocal in her desire to upheave both the district's leadership and its curriculum in favor of parents' rights, aligning with the policies of Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

The two candidates will face off in the nonpartisan primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 23. 

District 4 is unique because one of the two candidates will win a majority of votes and decide the race that day.

The qualifying period for the school board elections closed June 17. Board members serve four-year terms and are elected on a rotating basis.

Four districts – 3, 4, 6 and 7 – are up for grabs this year, and all Palm Beach County voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote in the school board elections as long as they live in the district being decided.

The Palm Beach Post performed a criminal background check on every candidate for school board, including the incumbents. The Post is reporting any criminal charges filed and the outcome of the cases since January 2012, even when they did not result in a conviction. 

The candidates below are listed in alphabetical order, using the names that will appear on the ballot. 

More on 2022 elections:Who is running for Palm Beach County School Board? Inside the crowded August races

FL school boards:With Ron DeSantis stoking culture war issues, school boards emerge as major Florida battleground

About Angelique Contreras 

Age and residence: Angelique Contreras, 32, lives in unincorporated Palm Beach County just south of Palm Springs.

Platform: Contreras’ top campaign priorities include codifying parents' rights in education, removing "anti-American" materials from the curriculum and equipping police officers to protect schools.

“I believe that a child’s education should be free of anti-American concepts such as the promotion of ‘equity’ instead of our constitutionally guaranteed right to ‘equality,’” she wrote in a response to a candidate questionnaire circulated by The Post.

“My passion is driven by the fact that my family lost their home and their entire livelihood due to the Communist takeover in Cuba. Since 1962, my family has cherished the freedoms and opportunities that the United States of America offers.”

Professional history: Contreras is a certified insurance broker who refers to herself as a homemaker and who has three children ages 12, 5 and 2.

Education: Contreras holds a high school diploma from Fort Pierce Central High School.

Children in the district: None of Contreras’ three children attends school in the district. She began homeschooling them in 2020.

Social media presence: Despite at one time seeking former President Donald Trump’s endorsement for school board, Contreras uses her social media profiles to advocate for herself and highlight the race for District 4 as a nonpartisan contest. 

She responded publicly on Youtube to a viral Reddit post that showed her presence at the violent insurrection Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.

State and federal court records show she has never been charged with any crime in connection with the insurrection, and Contreras has told local media that she did not enter the building.

Criminal history: None

Notable media coverage: Contreras is known for vocally denouncing Palm Beach County commissioners' mask mandate in 2020. 

In March 2021, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office visited Contreras’ home to investigate “possible threatening” comments she made online that alluded to her dumping trash on County Administrator Verdenia Baker’s front lawn.

Her comments were made in reference to a story by The Post about maskless residents being able to participate in County Commission meetings only from a separate building from commission chambers. 

The visits to Contreras’ home resulted in no legal action.

Endorsements: Despite at one time receiving an endorsement from the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association, the police union revoked its support of Contreras on April 19.

In a letter to Contreras, the PBA explained it would no longer endorse her because she referred to sheriff’s deputies as the “Gestapo” when they visited her at her home in March 2021 regarding the comments she made toward county administrator Baker. 

The PBA called her comments “embarrassing and disappointing.”

Finances: As of May 31, Contreras had raised $33,579 and spent $2,520 on her campaign, mostly on credit card processing fees, campaign T-shirts, food and drinks for campaign events and travel and luggage fees.

Donations to her campaign include a $2,000 check from the Republican Party of Palm Beach County. 

Both Contreras and Amanda Silvestri (a candidate for school board in district 6) received $500 donations from Trent Leisy, a Colorado-based plant seed company owner who supports conservative school board candidates across the country. 

Despite the national media attention Contreras has received for her political stances on issues such as face masks and the Jan. 6 insurrection, most of her donors listed Florida addresses on their donation forms. 

About Erica Whitfield 

Age and residence: Incumbent Erica Whitfield, 44, lives in Lake Worth Beach.

Platform: In her run for re-election, Whitfield’s top campaign priorities are financial responsibility, making sure students and teachers are safe at school, addressing student homelessness, supporting student and staff mental health, and improving literacy.

“Although our school district has made serious strides in terms of increased funding, higher standards, updated technology, improved efficiency and increased teacher pay, we have a lot more to do,” she wrote in a response to a candidate questionnaire from  The Post.

Professional history: Whitfield is a seven-year veteran of the school board. She was the wellness coordinator for the school district's food department and a former employee of the Palm Beach County Health Department.

Education: She holds a master's degree in public health from Emory University in Atlanta and a bachelor’s degree in health science education from the University of Florida. 

Children in the district: She is the only sitting school board member with a child who goes to school in the district, and Whitfield frequently references her daughter's school experience in explaining her policy decisions and preferences. 

Social media presence: Both her personal and campaign social media accounts mostly deal with her business as a school board member. She posts photos of awards ceremonies, public meetings and other board-related business online.

Criminal history: None

Notable media coverage: During her time on the board, Whitfield has remained the most supportive of district leadership. With a background in health, she takes a special interest in student mental health concerns, which led her to be an early advocate for reopening in-person schooling during the pandemic. 

She is also a vocal advocate for LBGTQ+ students. Last year she succeeded in a years-long campaign to get the school district to ban requiring male and female students to wear differently colored caps and gowns at graduation.

Endorsements: Whitfield is endorsed by multiple labor organizations, including the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union and local politicians such as Boynton Beach Mayor Ty Penserga, Lake Worth Beach Mayor Betty Resch, Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Chelsea Reed and Palm Beach County commissioners Mack Bernard and Melissa McKinlay. 

Florida Sens. Tina Polsky, Bobby Powell and Lori Berman, as well as Reps. David Silvers and Joe Casello have also endorsed her, according to a list published by Whitfield's campaign Sunday. 

Finances: As of May 31, Whitfield had raised $47,611 for her campaign and spent just $3,345, mostly on a campaign event put on by Cornerstone Solutions and online donation processing fees. 

Donors to her campaign include government officials such as Palm Beach Gardens Vice Mayor Rachelle Litt and Palm Beach Town Council member Lew Crampton.

She received $500 from George Elmore, vice chair of the district's committee that oversees the $1.3 billion brought in by one-cent sales tax increase approved by voters in 2016. 

Whitfield also received $500 from Gunster PAC, LLC, a political action committee formed by the West Palm Beach law firm Gunster, and $500 from Kate Arrizza, CEO of the Cox Science Center.

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering Palm Beach County education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work, subscribe today!