Sean Kaufman Is Consistently Inconsistent

The District 5 candidate's positions are difficult to pin down over time.

“[I] am very proud to have kids in this school district. My friends from literally around the world wish they were here.”

– Sean Kaufman (August 24, 2021)

The primary runoff election in Georgia is almost upon us, and here in Cherokee County the party nominations for two of our school board seats are up for a re-match. In my voting district we have Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison vs. Dr. Ray Lynch. And in District 5 (Woodstock High School) the race is on between Erin Ragsdale and Sean Kaufman—going into the runoff at a disadvantage as his opponent was only 4 points away from winning the primary outright. If Eric Richards hadn't pulled votes away from both candidates there wouldn't likely be a runoff to discuss.

Mr. Kaufman's platform is the same as the rest of the "4 Can Do More" candidates (now down to two contenders), national GOP talking points handed down by their out-of-state sponsors at the 1776 Project PAC. The very first policy point mentioned on his campaign website is about one of the current favorite boogeymen of conservatives, Critical Race Theory:

Sean believes Critical Race Theory (CRT) can be found in our schools through third-party classroom books and assignments. His goal is to identify where CRT is, eliminate it, increase parental awareness, support and empower teachers, and hold administrators accountable for the social agendas being pushed upon our children.

He does not believe that last year's measure banning CRT in our schools was sufficient. He does not believe the recent law signed by Governor Kemp is sufficient. He is convinced that buried within the textbooks and teacher planners is this thing called CRT without once bothering to explain what he thinks it even is. He also promises to "utilize his professional experience to address gaps in CCSD emergency preparedness, behavioral challenges in our classroom, and bring innovative solutions to our county. He will fight to ensure better communication, increased openness, and more accountability for the Cherokee County School District (CCSD)."

The above are the only positions he states on his campaign site, though it uses an embedding tool to pull posts from the Facebook page. There I spot a video where Kaufman is "happy to receive several endorsements." Watching it, the candidate claims endorsements from an unknown number of unnamed teachers, parents, and local citizens who anonymously agree with his desire to remove books from school shelves, ban clubs, host an anonymous snitch website, etc. But at the beginning of the video he invites us to "Google Sean Kaufman."

Challenge accepted.

Who is Sean Kaufman?

Back on his website, Kaufman strangely mixes up his personal and professional credentials. He tells us he's lived in Woodstock for nearly twenty years and is a husband and father with children educated in local public schools.

The second paragraph on his website declares Kaufman has "worked in education for over 25-years," though his credentials refer only to side-gigs at the college level. He has no experience in K-12 public education. The only easily-found evaluation of his teaching isn't very flattering:

But even a cursory look at Kaufman's online presence reveals his primary focus, his main passion and career. I was quite surprised to learn that he is a legitimate expert on public health and biosafety. His experience is impressive:

He's the author of a book all about establishing “safer behaviors” (the name of his business) in laboratory and clinical settings. He has direct experience in dealing with SARS and MERS. I can only admire the work he did in Liberia during the Ebola crisis in 2014. Mr. Kaufman is intelligent, articulate, and a good speaker. And after having poured through his social media accounts and correspondence made available via Open Records requests, I mostly found someone who seemed quite reasonable, open to discussion, and willing to be persuaded by facts and new information … until he wasn't.

I can't speak to Kaufman's beliefs or know his heart. But what I've found is someone who is frustrating in his inconsistency, who has waffled and flipped even on positions related to life’s work. For years he held firm beliefs on medical safety in the face of dangerous pathogens, showed compassion for others, and carried himself like a nice person. His politics, the stress of the pandemic, and his recent candidacy seem to have changed him. He’s flipped and sometimes reverse-flipped on given issues. He's both hard to predict and a verifiable hypocrite. Let me explain.

Mask On, Mask Off

Just as with Dr. Lynch, it's frustrating talking about Covid-19 and pandemic precautions at this point when discussing our local school system. Cherokee County infamously was among the first school districts to reopen in August 2020. There was a movement to better protect students, teachers, and our community by following the recommendations of public health agencies, but that effort failed. Our school system clung for dear life through chaos, quarantines, closures, and crises as waves of disease came and went--all without requiring masks, not properly sanitizing the buildings, and while cramming our busses with as many children as possible. The pandemic is not over (in fact, hundreds of Americans are still dying each and every day of the disease) but the battle over policies in our school ended a long time ago.

All that said, following Sean Kaufman's journey through the pandemic is a rollercoaster of changing opinions and recommendations—plus things he no longer wants anyone to see. Please note that I can only view and comment on his public postings on Facebook and other social media.

Back in February Sean Kaufman posted a podcast episode online, one of many such shows he used as a tool for his campaign. He called the episode a "Mecast," a chance for voters to get to know their candidate a little better on a personal level. The Saturday topic was his Journey in Public Health. "I've had my battles over the last two years. In fact, first I had my battles when people were trying to say that this was a bad, bad situation." He backpedals a moment, admitting that the virus has killed a significant number of people—but immediately qualifies the statement by leaving a question hanging over his opinion:

“In my opinion [Covid-19 has] killed a significant number of people because of the way we've handled it, but we don't have to talk about that here.”

He explains that he disagrees with every major public health agency in the United States, including the CDC, which has cost him the majority of his business. "I don't support a mask mandate and I never will. I don't believe in them." He is also against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and the testing of asymptomatic individuals, "ever" — even in the middle of a global pandemic that killed over a million Americans, almost a sixth of the deaths in the entire world in a country with only 4.25% of the global population. So Kaufman simultaneously believes that the measures taken by our government to protect the population were too extreme while also claiming they somehow made things worse without clarifying exactly how.

All of this alone might give some people pause based on what we know and what we've all experienced through the pandemic. But it's stranger in context when you look at Kaufman's public statements about the coronavirus. Let's jump back in time.

January 17, 2020

Kaufman announced the completion of a two-year long project and "bucket list" item with the publication of Prepare and Protect: Safer Behaviors in Laboratories and Clinical Containment Settings, the cover showing a menacing pathogen I assume as seen under an electron microscope. The video promo for the book opens with ominous news about "the coronavirus" before showing us footage of lab professionals wearing lots of PPE or full biohazard suits. While I haven't read the book, I'm confident it's well-written and accomplishes its goals. I've seen no reason to doubt that Kaufman is very competent in his original career. What I have are serious reservations about the goals of his political career.

January 21, 2020

News and fear of the spreading virus would seem to be good for business as a biosafety expert with a brand-new book on shelves, and offers Kaufman the chance to spread information that could be of genuine help to people during a difficult time. On January 21st he shared an article on his LinkedIn profile, but strangely the article can no longer be found.

A week letter Kaufman promoted "Clinical Containment," a training seminar hosted by his company Safer Behaviors open only to healthcare professionals. Next was a talk titled "Understanding and Minimizing Outrage Related to the 2019 Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)" which he said would allow people to "strategically communicate."

February 27, 2020

At the end of February Kaufman appeared in a video from a local real estate agent, who presumably hosts regular talks to share information within our community. After two years of the pandemic most of what Kaufman says sounds very basic and familiar, but at the time there was a lot of fear and uncertainty and his message of rational precaution was very much needed. Kaufman also had something to say about vaccines: "I am a big vaccine proponent. If you've got diseases and you've got good, sound, effective vaccines that demonstrate worth, definitely vaccinate yourself." 

March 18, 2020

March 19, 2020

Through March Kaufman continued to promote seminars and share information. On the 19th he posted videos on his YouTube account: “Covid-19: Fake News,” “Covid-9: Unknown Death Rate,” and "COVID-19: Confronting the Monster Under the Bed." All of these videos have since been made private.

Kaufman posted an example of “unconscious incompetence” related to Drive-Up Covid Testing in a YouTube video that has—you guessed it!—since been made private so we cannot see what he actually said. The same day he posted another titled “Covid-19: The Strategy of Risk Communication” that is also no longer available. The next day: “Covid-19: Numbers of New Cases Will Surge” (no longer available) and “Covid-19: What Happens Following the Surge?” (no longer available). The day after: “Covid-19: Doffing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)” (no longer available).

March 23, 2020

Kaufman appeared on Facebook live with Dr. Hudson Garrett, Jr. to discuss the pandemic. One of Kaufman's comments involved testing for the virus:

"When we start testing communities, and when we start throwing tests like we are -- I mean, keep in mind, never in the history, not in my years -- I'm 47 years old. Never since I've been born have we tested for any infectious disease the way we're testing for this. So the fact that we're looking for more, we'll see more. The fact that we're listening, we'll start to pick up things in the community -- and this is a good thing, it's not a bad thing. It means we'll be able to track the disease better, we'll be able to get ahead of it better than we were before."

Kaufman was discussing the availability of PPE when he made another comment, but one that comes across more like personal prophecy in hindsight: "We're gonna be expecting all sorts of changes -- there's gonna be changes, left, rights, there's so much. Be patient."

The very same day he posted a video on his YouTube channel about sending virtual hugs while maintaining social distance, another titled “Covid-19: What You Can Do Now,” one titled “Covid-19: Protect Our VIPs,” and another: “Covid-19: A New Way of Listening.” The videos are no longer available.

March 24, 2020

The string of Covid-focused YouTube videos continued the very next day:

• COVID-19: 5 E's for Parents at Home with Kids (no longer available)

• COVID-19: Tips for Online Meeting and Training Leaders (no longer available)

• COVID-19: 17 Days - NO WAY! (“Finding RNA of a virus is far different than finding a viable virus capable of infecting human cells. Know the facts and not the fear. This virus does not live on surfaces for 17 days - that is FAKE NEWS.” (The video is no longer available.)

March 25, 2020

We can only guess the conversation that prompted Kaufman's passive-aggressive Facebook post, but if I had to guess it might relate to the flurry of YouTube videos and social media posts criticizing the very public health agencies that Safer Behaviors took contracts.

"I have promised by beautiful wife that I would no longer post things on Facebook specific to our work - even if it could reduce anxiety among those I love and care very much about."

Three days later he promoted another seminar and in April resumed posting YouTube videos about Covid-19, though at a reduced pace. None of the videos are available to view.

April 12, 2020

Mr. Kaufman wrote a letter Dr. Hightower, the Cherokee County school superintendent, offering to lend his expertise to our district.

"... if you need anything from a risk assessment, to risk mitigation behaviors, to strategies and plans, or even teacher, parent, or student communication sessions – I would be more than happy to assist – FREE OF CHARGE.

"As you know – I have three kids (two at Woodstock Highschool and one at Woodstock Middle) – and can provide additional insights and strategies which we are implementing on movie sets, at wedding halls, and in health clinics to add additional safety strategies for those who are gathering in specific locations."

May 4, 2020

With Georgia beginning to reopen businesses, Kaufman began marketing his company’s “Infectious Disease Threat Reduction Program” and posted a marketing video to advertise these services a few days later. We can actually watch this one!

May 22, 2020

Kaufman posted a YouTube video on his Facebook account: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a report stating COVID-19 is not easily spread by contaminated surfaces. What does this mean for you?” (The video is no longer available.)

August 15, 2020

A YouTube account called “Deaf Director” featured Sean Kaufman as an expert from Studio Health & Safety Solutions — a company that apparently no longer exists — where he gives his opinion about Covid safety.

"... What we can do is make it absolutely as safe as possible ... we're sanitizing hands and people are wearing masks -- they're staying compliant, because you really, truly are only as safe as your weakest link."

He is seen in the video giving temperature checks with an infrared thermometer, wearing a full face shield, and liberally dosing masked film crew with hand sanitizer.

September 8, 2020

In September things took a solid turn toward the right when Sean Kaufman posted the trailer for a documentary film titled Liberty Lockdown on his Facebook page, proudly declaring that in addition to participating in the film he submitted "multiple legal delcarations [sic] as a public health expert to cease the restrictions on schools, churches, and businesses in the state of California - I continue to hope leaders will begin to address this pandemic threat strategically - using science rather than science fiction to guide thier [sic] public health policy making."

The video listing for the trailer claims that "Full length interviews from this film are available at LibertyLockdown.com" but that URL just directs you right back to the Vimeo page to rent or buy the film. A Google search for the interviews revealed nothing.

October 12, 2020

Kaufman took to social media to rail against Covid lockdowns. “We suffer from a pandemic of absentee leadership - that's the sad truth!”

November 3, 2020 

Kaufman posted a video titled "10 Facts about SARS CoV-2 that a President Can't Change." I will fact-check as we go through the list.

1. This novel virus will spread and people will die. [No fact check needed. This was obviously true.]

2. Almost every person will survive an infection. [Fact Check: He goes on to declare a 99.9% survival rate for the virus--which would be a Case Fatality Rate of 0.01%. The Case Fatality Rate here in the United States was 2.49% on the date Kaufman posted his video. Even today with a majority-vaccinated population and better medication options the Case Fatality Rate is 1.18%—more than 100 times what Kaufman claims in this video. Those small percentages sound small when you think about them as personal odds, but when you apply them to large populations it translates into a lot of death.]

3. A truly effective vaccine is not coming any time soon. [Fact Check: On Dec. 11, 2020—less than six weeks after this video was posted—the FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization for the first Covid-19 vaccine.]

4. Masks alone do not protect you. [No fact check needed. This was obviously true.]

5. You don't die from COVID-19. You die from complications related to COVID-19. [Fact check: This is true of countless diseases, but doesn't remove the fact that the virus is the catalyst that leads to a patient's death.]

6. Public Health Leadership will awaken and begin to own this pandemic. (He predicts "Public health will finally tell the politicians to stay away from public health, and contact tracing and testing will flourish, and we will get ahead of this pandemic with Public Health Leadership.") [I'll let the reader decide if that's something that happened or not.]

7. The risk of this virus is not equivalent for all people in society. [No fact check needed. This was obviously true.]

8. The testing system is currently flawed. (In the audio Kaufman criticizes testing because it doesn't distinguish between those who are infected and those who are actively contagious.) [He's not factually incorrect here, but the implication seems to be to disregard the tests instead of the incredible value in knowing who is infected.]

9. Healthcare workers need more training. [By an amazing coincidence Safer Behaviors and Sean Kaufman provide just such training!]

10. Public Health needs more funding. [This is an opinion that I happen to agree with, though I'm curious why Kaufman then supports a president who trashed our country's existing pandemic response program.]

"Public health will assume a leadership role. And together we will beat this pandemic situation. We are safer together, and that's exactly what it's going to take. We will have to work together to protect those who are most vulnerable to this disease. We'll have to work together to test, and do contact tracing, and to practice good social behaviors to minimize the effects of this pandemic situation. Together we are always safer. I wish you and your families the very best during this pandemic situation. Take care, and God bless."

December 9, 2020

Kaufman provided an expert opinion in a legal case challenging outdoor dining. Only a month after praising Public Health, he rejects the notion that a CDC study should be taken into account when making public health decisions.

August 24, 2021

Kaufman sent an email to board member John Harmon, heaping praise upon the board:

 Some readers might remember John Harmon as a key figure in the drama surrounding defeated school board candidate Cam Waters. It wasn't long before Kaufman's praise of the board (including his friend) would come to a screeching halt.

September 2, 2021

Kaufman emailed the entire Cherokee County school board, offering his services a registered mediator in the state of Georgia. "Sooner or later there is going to be a need for mediation specific to issues which may have occurred as a result of this pandemic. I am local and available. I have attached my CV for your review – as I have over 25 years of experience serving public health primarily with infectious diseases."

September 30, 2021

Kaufman shared a story on Facebook regarding Covid testing:

December 7, 2021

In December Kaufman was "honored to be included in the fight for eliminating the unconstitutional OSHA vaccine mandate." He states the opinion that workplace vaccine requirements "are far worse than a virus which shares the overall mortality rate of season influenza among low risk individuals." (As a self-proclaimed public health expert one might expect Kaufman to that Covid-19 has been shown to be up as 10 times more lethal than seasonal influenza, as published by Johns Hopkins University.)

Kaufman the Candidate

In January of this year that Sean Kaufman announced he was considering a run for the school board seat representing the Woodstock High School area.

January 11, 2022

Kaufman emailed CCSD chief of staff Mike McGowan to announce his candidacy for the District 5 school board positions and to discuss “how things have been working, and what we hope could be done moving forward.” The meeting is scheduled for the 19th.

January 14, 2022

Kaufman emails a teacher at Woodstock Middle School, requesting a meeting:

"I hope this email finds you doing well. I have declared my candidacy for the 5th District School Board Position – and I was wondering if I could take 30 minutes – meet you – and discuss some ideas and thoughts you may have which could really help me during this run. [CHILD] has identified you as one of her favorite teachers so I thought I would reach out.

 "Everything – including this request would be strictly confidential – as would anything we discuss."

He apparently didn't realize that any email sent to an official school email account is available to the public via open records request. This email was request was sent to more than one teacher at the high school.

On the 18th a Lit-Comp teacher replied: "Unfortunately, I will have to excuse myself from being able to meet with you on this due to guidance in place about teachers meeting with potential candidates."

February 18, 2022

Now a prospective school board candidate, all of a sudden Kaufman has never-before-displayed concerns about school assignments:

March 4, 2022

Kaufman again emailed the principal of Woodstock High School troubled about an assignment his child received at school:

“What are the academic benefits obtained by journaling personal heartache, troubles, family, crushes, and regrets? Yet again, out of all things which could be journaled--why is my child being asked to provide his teacher this information much of it considered very personal.”

Specifically the assignment was to write 1 to 2 pages in MLA format: "What are some invisible battles you struggle with?" or "Has someone told you that you are inferior in some way? How did you react? What can you do the next time someone speaks negatively about you?"

This would not stand for Mr. Kaufman:

But while fishing for campaign opportunities in his son’s homework, Kaufman seems to have reason to worry he was upsetting his son’s teacher, as he explained in an email with the subject “Additional Clarity”:

“Please know – you are a favorite teacher for all of our children. I mean a favorite. I am not in any way questioning you – I am just questioning the reasons behind the assignments being given. I hope you can forgive me for any offense I may have caused you. It is not my intent and trust me – this has nothing to do with you as a teacher. I hope you know that as I cannot convey that enough.”

March 7, 2022

Kaufman emailed his son's teacher once again with concern over an assignment--this time over a group assignment titled Who Stays in the Shelter. "... I have asked for the academic relevance and/or benefit of asking children who gets to live or die in a Zombie Apocalypse. Thank you very much for your attention to this matter." 

He posted it to his campaign Facebook page as more evidence of nefarious assignments:

The teacher answered in extremely patient detail, explaining: “The survival assignment was a formative grade that we did to tie in with a powerpoint in class and a class discussion to introduce I Am Legend, the novel, which was written by Richard Matheson in 1954 about Richard Neville being the only human survivor in a world of vampires.”

On the same day Kaufman emailed his son's Homeroom teacher with concern about "several PowerPoint files in Homeroom specific to SEL lessons."

May 13, 2022

A Woodstock High School teacher angrily commented on social media regarding one of Kaufman’s podcasts that implied the school district was pressuring teachers to vote a certain way in the upcoming election. In an email to his son’s teacher, Kaufman stated the teacher “publicly stated discord.”

May 7, 2022

Kaufman dog-whistled his political loyalty through his campaign Facebook page by promoting the widely-discredited documentary 2000 Mules by Dinesh D'Souza (himself guilty of campaign finance fraud) that claims to prove massive, widespread voter fraud during the 2020 election. The “4 Can Do More” candidates went on to claim "irregularities" in their own primary elections and protest the certification of the election.

May 16, 2022

The “Preserve Cherokee” Facebook group posted an endorsement of all the “4 Can Do More” candidates:

”We the People MUST stop the radical Biden anti-American socialist agenda from infiltrating our schools curriculum and indoctrinating our children. Elect those to our School Board that have the will and determination to eliminate this radicalization and indoctrination of our children. Our schools need to concentrate on basic educational curriculum preparing our youth for the future.

“Preserve Cherokee Proudly Endorses the 4 Can Do More Candidates.”

The group claims it was created “to help those in Cherokee County stay informed regarding rezoning cases and other county matters,” but looking at recent posts it crosses over as a politically-focused group supporting far-right conservatives. Sean Kaufman gratefully accepted the endorsement, which continues the disturbing trend of accusing our local educators of the “radicalization” and indoctrination” of our children in the name of a “socialist agenda.”

Conclusion: Don’t Vote For Sean Kaufman

I could make this article twice as long with many more examples, but at this point you get the idea. While Kaufman claims (like the rest of his coalition) that concerns over student assignments began in 2020 when students were forced into digital learning and parents had more visibility, he did not begin the barrage of writing teachers and the principal until this year—when he planned to run for political office. While railing against his children being named in open records requests revealing his communications with our school district, he also used his son as part of the political campaign and made him a podcast guest.

I edited the photo—the original post includes name, face, and future school.

Because Kaufman the candidate is consistently inconsistent. He claims he will fight for teachers while vaguely implying they are grooming and indoctrinating our children.

He is angered by doxxing but then published his opponent's personal cell phone number, claims to be about the issues but has grown comfortable slinging mud. He will loudly fight against Covid health measures in our schools but will cheerfully enforce them on a film set. He will praise our schools as the envy of the world but claim they are harming our children once he runs for office. The 4 Can Do More campaign imply our elections are rigged but Kaufman still wants your vote—whether by mail-in, early voting, or on the day.

There is a lot to admire when looking back on Sean Kaufman's earlier life. But covering the timeline of his public life reveals someone who has shifted and compromised ever since his career and politics became at odds during the pandemic. Now he's focusing on his new identity as a right-wing voice. If I was forced to sum up my feelings about Sean Kaufman into a single word, I would choose Disappointing. He could have been, and should have been, so much better.

If you live in Cherokee County in District 5 (Woodstock High School) I urge you to vote against Sean Kaufman in the runoff election on June 21st.

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