Parents Removed From School Board Meeting

 

Some parents attending the Tuesday January 25th, Richland 2 School Board Meeting were tossed out of the public event and charged with ‘Trespass’ while at the meeting. A series of events left some parents wondering whether their rights to attend and participate in open meetings of the School Board will be curtailed now as a part of regular action of the current board. Meeting video.

The meeting—or rather, pre-meeting events—turned into what some describe as a ‘free for all’ situation where apparently three citizens were removed from the premises by security personnel, leaving them wondering what their rights are and consulting support groups and legal advisers on the issues and grounds for their removal.

A Richland County district employee called the Sheriff’s department about a verbal altercation that was taking place in the building. When Richland County Sheriff’s deputies arrived the altercation was over. The deputies gathered statements from all parties involved and was then taken to the Fifth Circuit Solicitors office. the solicitor decided that no charges would be filed.

Debra McCown wrote in The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County:

The accounts of multiple witnesses say the melee occurred in the audience involving Pamela Davis, the superintendent’s wife, who is a teacher at Blythewood High School, and a 14-year-old student, a school board member, a parent, and another member of the audience.

It was also reported by witnesses that District Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis physically confronted a parent, at which time others, including Richland Two school board members and security personnel as well as Richland County Sheriff’s Deputies, intervened to restrain him.

The Voice article also quoted the 14 year old student:

“Oh gosh, what a disaster,” said the Richland Two student who said he was there to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting to bring the board’s attention to student issues such as cafeteria overcrowding.

“It was crazy,” he recalled. “I go to a school board meeting expecting to hear peoples’ concerns and opinions… not to get cussed out. Ugh!”

The 14 year old student said the woman verbally assaulted him calling him a a vulgar name.

 

Gus Philpott told The Standard, that a parent seemed to be at the center of the original controversy that evening. He stated that events seemed to center around his simply saying “Hello” before the meeting began to a lady seated nearby where he was standing.

“I was standing close to the lady, chatting with two men and a 14-year-old Ridge View High School student, who often speaks at meetings. That’s when I noticed the lady and turned toward her, saying, ‘Hello, I’m Gus Philpott,’” said Philpott. “At that point, she turned away, shouting, ‘I know who you are. Get away from me! Don’t talk to me!’ I was stunned.”

Philpott stated that he did not know who she was, but he was moving away from her when “she also yelled at the men and youth I had been speaking to, saying “Don’t talk to me!” for they were trying to understand why she was shouting at me,” he added.

Philpott then stated, two security officers approached him saying, “Calm down! Calm down!” He said “I was not upset so I don’t know why they were saying that.” His friend, Gary Ginn, who was manning a table at a distance to sign citizens up to speak at the meeting then approached and asked Philpott to sit down—which he states he did.

“A female deputy came over and said to me “Let’s talk outside,” said Philpott. “So, I went with her into the hallway” he continued.

He said that’s when “two security guards came toward me as if I were going to hurt the deputy.” He said that’s when he asked for both their names as well as the name of the lady inside. “That’s Mrs. Davis, the Superintendent’s wife,” they said. Philpott said “I was shocked.”

At that point, the deputies—who Philpott said refused to share their names—told him he had been “placed on trespass notice by security” and had to leave the property immediately. “I was totally shocked,” said Philpott. He added “I had done nothing wrong.”

“A second gentleman—Mr. Ginn—who came to the aid of the 14-year-old youth who was being verbally attacked by the same lady was likewise escorted from the meeting also under a “Trespass Notice”, Philpott said. “From reports, there were actually two more requested to leave besides myself. The whole thing was ridiculous.”

Philpott said he was not there for the actions after he was escorted out, but that he had spoken with reliable witnesses of the events.

“The most shocking part is when Superintendent Davis came toward Mr. Ginn and the others who were speaking with [Superintendent Davis’] wife in heated conversation. This took place after I left,” stated Philpott. “It turns out that security personnel responded to restrain the superintendent himself at this point.”

“In fact, my sources said that the lady in question should not have used derogatory words to the student—no cursing,” added Philpott.

 

Results of the Meeting

Following the events of this meeting of the school board, actions took place on the part of private citizens involved as well as administration of the Richland Two School Board.

Gary Ginn told The Standard that he could not comment on events at the meeting per instructions of an attorney he had secured. Gus Philpott stated he also is speaking with legal counsel, in addition to news media who have covered the event and posting information on his blog.

 

Citizens Speak Out

Area citizens have been quick to speak up about the event that seems to be an ongoing occurrence at Richland District Two:

Local citizens have spoken out about the Superintendent or his wife “cursing” at a student and “attack[ing]” a parent. Another called the Richland 2 School District incident a “shameful outburst at the circus we call board meetings” and accused the board of “favoritism shown to particular employees” coupled with a “lack of leadership and terrible management”. Other citizens voiced their concern over a Richland Two teacher showing “prejudice” and unable to “control her temper” and a “Superintendent who shows biases and can not show restraint”. Still others have noted that publicly paid employees refuse to identify themselves.

Rumors are circulating that Superintendent Davis is being asked to resign.

School District Two board candidate Joe Trapp stated on his website that he is “concerned and disappointed in the school districts administration. The statement issued was missing important details that reflect poorly on the superintendent.” Candidate Trapp also challenged the district’s response on his Facebook page stating “the district’s response must be challenged.”

When Trapp announced for the Board in January, he was quoted as saying “The majority of our board has given our superintendent dictatorial power over them. They let him do what he wants and they just rubberstamp what he wants.”

 

No Security Cameras or Recording of Meeting

Security officers of District Two stated on the Richland County sheriff’s report that video surveillance of the event is not available because there is none. It seems that security surveillance cameras are everywhere except the school boardroom. Why not? What is so secret that official board meetings are not recording what happens in a publicly paid for space for the public or officials to see?

Another interesting occurrence and the lack of transparency is that the sheriff’s deputy report says that the deputy’s body camera was “off”. Those body cameras are for recording emergency, disaster, confrontations with the public, and other incidents like the board meeting. These events are recorded so conduct can be analyzed later. Why were sheriff deputy body cameras off?

 

Board Press Release

The School Board for Richland 2 District posted a news release on its website regarding the event. Richland’s School District Two says it disputes any statement that Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis was the aggressor or instigator in the incident.

The school board continued by claiming that the two adults involved who were put on trespass notice “have a history of outburst disruptive and adversarial behavior at and following school board meetings.” The release also states that before the meeting, one of the individuals approached Mrs. Davis and she firmly declined to engage in conversation. Their release states that he continued to try to engage Mrs. Davis and the second individual then joined in, prompting security to ask them to leave.

However, Philpott disputes this version of the events. Also, this version does not gel with reports of parents involved. School Board security confirmed that Superintendent Davis had to be restrained, according to The State newspaper posted January 27th, in an article titled “Incident at Richland 2 School Board Meeting Prompts Police Involvement.”

While the Richland 2 School District states that “parents and community members have a right and are encouraged to be active partners, to ask questions and to express their concerns” according to their release on these events, it is unclear based upon events of the meeting whether this statement is true.

Individuals involved who were required to leave the meeting and grounds, state that they did not act inappropriately, did not harass anyone, and are in fact being slandered by school personnel.

Recent incidents with the School Board had also shown instances of similar “discord” at meetings in the past on several occasions.

Richland 2 School District stated January 27, that there will be no charges placed against the public members who were asked to leave the meeting. Gus Philpott has also reported that as the No Trespass order was only for that meeting, he will plan to return in the future to voice his opinions to the board.

According to Philpott, he is a former volunteer member of the “Posse Squad” in Colorado where he said he spent many years assisting the sheriffs there as a sworn deputy. He states that he is a firm believer in the right of citizens, working within the law and not participating in non-peaceful “protests”–to express their points of view to government.

The next scheduled District 2 School Board meeting is February 22, in the Conference Center at R2i2 located at 763 Fashion Drive, Columbia, 29229. The Board website says that “Due to the restrictions on public gatherings related to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there will be a limit to the number of people who can attend the meeting. In case the capacity is reached and to provide members of the public the ability to watch the meeting from the safety of their home…” Should interested citizens want to watch the meeting from home, the meeting will be  streamed: http://www.richland2.org/livestream.

 

Lisa Carol Rudisill, M.T.S., is a magna cum laud graduate of NC State University and Liberty University where she earned a Master of Theology. She writes novels about her family history during the Civil War in North and South Carolina. She is a freelance writer, editorialist and a contributor to The Standard newspaper.

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