In its Regular Meeting on March 31, 2020 your Richland 2 School Board suspended Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings. Its action was to suspend this policy temporarily until April 30, 2020.
You'd think by now that suspension of BEDH would have been notated somewhere on the District's website, so that the public would be duly and legally informed of this action. A good place to notate that would be right in the Policy itself.
You might want to read Board Policy BEDH. It describes the conditions of speaking publicly at Board meetings and also described how you, the public, can initiate items for a future Board agenda. Go to the District's website; read it. When you do, it will look like that policy is in effect today. It is not.
Those privileges vanished, temporarily, on March 31, 2020. But only until April 30, 2020.
Then, on May 12, 2020, with BEDH out from under its temporary suspension, the Board acted on BEDH again. This time the Board suspended BEDH.
Not temporarily, as Amelia McKie said at the meeting.
Not until the end of summer, as Monica Elkins-Johnson wanted.
Not until the end of the state of emergency, ambiguous as that is.
Not until the end of the pandemic.
The Board SUSPENDED Policy BEDH. Period. As in, a done deal. As in, permanently.
This is your School Board - working hard on your behalf - muzzling you, the public.
If you disagree, contact the Board by phone and in writing. And post your objection here. Write to The State newspaper; call your TV stations; write to The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County.
Sending it to the board (only) means that your request will disappear into the Black Hole.
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Friday, May 15, 2020
Special-Called Meeting - Tues., May 19. 5:00PM, Zoom?
The District has announced a Special-Called Board Meeting for Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 5:00P.M.
The purpose of the meeting is FY 20-21 General Fund Budget Update.
Budget Updates have traditionally been preceded by a period of public participation. The Board nixed the entire public participation aspect of board meetings earlier this week. And the Agenda for the meeting provides no means for the public to provide input about the budget for the next school year.
At Tuesday's Board meeting this week Trustee Lindsay Agostini mentioned that the City of Columbia City Council provides a public access portal. Why can't Richland 2 do the same?
READ HERE how the City of Columbia accommodates the public. "You may also register at this site to post comments about items on the agenda. Comments posted about specific agenda items prior to 2:00 p.m. will be read during the Public Comment segment of the meeting."
WHAT? They will read comments from the public AT the public meeting? Really?
If the Richland 2 School Board was really interested in the opinion of members of the public, it would do this. But it doesn't. Trustee Agostini would favor this, I'll bet. So would Trustee Elkins-Johnson. The rest of them? Probably not.
According to the Agenda, the meeting will be held "Electronically via Zoom".
If you were lucky enough to see the Press Release by the District, you would know that the meeting will not be on Zoom. It will be broadcast on www.richland2.org/livestream
State law requires the District to publish the location of the meeting. If it is to be broadcast only on the internet, then the URL for the meeting should be shown on the agenda.
I can't figure out what part of that is so difficult for someone at Richland 2 to understand. I mean, these are people with degree and certificates and PhD's and (you name it). Does no one think to ask, "How will the public find this meeting?"
As of right now (5/15/20, 6:35PM, there is no message on the District's homepage that provides the location of the meeting. Maybe that will change on Monday. Maybe not. Anyone looking at the Agenda, where the location is supposed to be shown, will be out-of-luck.
The purpose of the meeting is FY 20-21 General Fund Budget Update.
Budget Updates have traditionally been preceded by a period of public participation. The Board nixed the entire public participation aspect of board meetings earlier this week. And the Agenda for the meeting provides no means for the public to provide input about the budget for the next school year.
At Tuesday's Board meeting this week Trustee Lindsay Agostini mentioned that the City of Columbia City Council provides a public access portal. Why can't Richland 2 do the same?
READ HERE how the City of Columbia accommodates the public. "You may also register at this site to post comments about items on the agenda. Comments posted about specific agenda items prior to 2:00 p.m. will be read during the Public Comment segment of the meeting."
WHAT? They will read comments from the public AT the public meeting? Really?
If the Richland 2 School Board was really interested in the opinion of members of the public, it would do this. But it doesn't. Trustee Agostini would favor this, I'll bet. So would Trustee Elkins-Johnson. The rest of them? Probably not.
According to the Agenda, the meeting will be held "Electronically via Zoom".
If you were lucky enough to see the Press Release by the District, you would know that the meeting will not be on Zoom. It will be broadcast on www.richland2.org/livestream
State law requires the District to publish the location of the meeting. If it is to be broadcast only on the internet, then the URL for the meeting should be shown on the agenda.
I can't figure out what part of that is so difficult for someone at Richland 2 to understand. I mean, these are people with degree and certificates and PhD's and (you name it). Does no one think to ask, "How will the public find this meeting?"
As of right now (5/15/20, 6:35PM, there is no message on the District's homepage that provides the location of the meeting. Maybe that will change on Monday. Maybe not. Anyone looking at the Agenda, where the location is supposed to be shown, will be out-of-luck.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Bring back open meetings
The Richland 2 School Board could meet in open sessions. All it would have to do is arrange seating at a decent interval.
Pretty simple, eh? And seat the trustees at six-foot intervals at the front of the room. That would eliminate side-conversations that distract them from paying attention to business.
Email the trustees now. Their email addresses are here.
And ask them to rescind the suspension of Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings. Your voice is important and needs to be heard.
Public Participation at school board meetings is not just sending them an email.
Pretty simple, eh? And seat the trustees at six-foot intervals at the front of the room. That would eliminate side-conversations that distract them from paying attention to business.
Email the trustees now. Their email addresses are here.
And ask them to rescind the suspension of Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings. Your voice is important and needs to be heard.
Public Participation at school board meetings is not just sending them an email.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Public Speaking at Board Meetings? Forget it.
At last night's (May 12, 2020) Regular Meeting of the school board, Board Chair James Manning remarked that traditionally the Richland 2 Board has provided two public speaking times at its meetings. He followed that up by saying that not every school board allows the public to speak at meetings.
Who was that comedienne who always said, "Isn't that nice?" Lily Tomlin?
I was waiting for him to say that the public ought be darned thankful that the board lets them speak.
Lindsay Agostini was the only trustee to speak up on behalf of the public and to place value on what the public has to say.
He also said that the public can send email to the board and administration of the district, as if he equates that to standing up in front of the board and saying what's on your mind for three minutes.
Former Board Chair Craig Plank was good about saying at the beginning of Public Participation segments that the board would not respond that night to comments made by the public but that a member of the staff would get in touch with the speaker.
It was nice to hear. It was nice of him to say that. It didn't happen, but it was nice to hear.
In February 2018 I addressed the Board and requested a survey of teachers, staff, parents and community members on the topic of arming teachers. That meeting was two weeks after the shootings at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Did anyone contact me? No, not until I followed up with Craig. The the superintendent called me to tell me there was not going to be any survey.
Of course, I wondered when the board had considered my request and made a decision. It hadn't. The superintendent decided.
Then I requested the District to apply for a grant from the NRA School Shield Safety Program. The money is given with no strings attached, to be used to analyze safety at schools and improve it. Again, no response until I followed up with Craig. Then the superintendent called to say the district would not apply for such a grant. The Board never considered it or decided. The superintendent said No. Richland 2 seeks grants all the time. Why not ask for $10,-15,-20,000 and see what happens? If it had been from the Brady bunch or MOMs Demand Action, they would have run toward the money. But from the NRA? Are you kidding? Take money from the NRA?
But now no member of the public will be able to speak up at board meetings to ask questions. You won't be able to ask when Amelia McKie is going to pay her $51,750 judgment owed to the S.C. Ethics Commission. You won't be able to ask when Amelia McKie and Teresa Holmes will finally take the oath of office and begin legitimate members of the school board. And you won't be able to submit suggestions to the District for items to be included on the agendas for meetings.
What you CAN do is call your favorite board member and try to persuade him or her to make a motion to add an item on the agenda. But board members are already having problems getting items on the agenda. It is the Board Chair and superintendent who set the agenda.
You know those bobbleheads on car dashboards - the ones that move when the car hits a pothole or bounces over railroad tracks? That's our board, except Lindsay Agostini and Monica Elkins-Johnson.
But they don't get any support from the other five board members, when it comes to using common sense. So they could make a motion for some really good idea and, if The Squad didn't like it, you can bank on four trustees voting No.
Too harsh? Just watch the May 12, 2020 board meeting. You may need to pull the timer back to 0:00 for the start of the meeting. To view the part where you lose, move the timer to 19:11.
Who was that comedienne who always said, "Isn't that nice?" Lily Tomlin?
I was waiting for him to say that the public ought be darned thankful that the board lets them speak.
Lindsay Agostini was the only trustee to speak up on behalf of the public and to place value on what the public has to say.
He also said that the public can send email to the board and administration of the district, as if he equates that to standing up in front of the board and saying what's on your mind for three minutes.
Former Board Chair Craig Plank was good about saying at the beginning of Public Participation segments that the board would not respond that night to comments made by the public but that a member of the staff would get in touch with the speaker.
It was nice to hear. It was nice of him to say that. It didn't happen, but it was nice to hear.
In February 2018 I addressed the Board and requested a survey of teachers, staff, parents and community members on the topic of arming teachers. That meeting was two weeks after the shootings at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Did anyone contact me? No, not until I followed up with Craig. The the superintendent called me to tell me there was not going to be any survey.
Of course, I wondered when the board had considered my request and made a decision. It hadn't. The superintendent decided.
Then I requested the District to apply for a grant from the NRA School Shield Safety Program. The money is given with no strings attached, to be used to analyze safety at schools and improve it. Again, no response until I followed up with Craig. Then the superintendent called to say the district would not apply for such a grant. The Board never considered it or decided. The superintendent said No. Richland 2 seeks grants all the time. Why not ask for $10,-15,-20,000 and see what happens? If it had been from the Brady bunch or MOMs Demand Action, they would have run toward the money. But from the NRA? Are you kidding? Take money from the NRA?
But now no member of the public will be able to speak up at board meetings to ask questions. You won't be able to ask when Amelia McKie is going to pay her $51,750 judgment owed to the S.C. Ethics Commission. You won't be able to ask when Amelia McKie and Teresa Holmes will finally take the oath of office and begin legitimate members of the school board. And you won't be able to submit suggestions to the District for items to be included on the agendas for meetings.
What you CAN do is call your favorite board member and try to persuade him or her to make a motion to add an item on the agenda. But board members are already having problems getting items on the agenda. It is the Board Chair and superintendent who set the agenda.
You know those bobbleheads on car dashboards - the ones that move when the car hits a pothole or bounces over railroad tracks? That's our board, except Lindsay Agostini and Monica Elkins-Johnson.
But they don't get any support from the other five board members, when it comes to using common sense. So they could make a motion for some really good idea and, if The Squad didn't like it, you can bank on four trustees voting No.
Too harsh? Just watch the May 12, 2020 board meeting. You may need to pull the timer back to 0:00 for the start of the meeting. To view the part where you lose, move the timer to 19:11.
The public lost on May 12, 2020.
This afternoon I watched the first 28 minutes of yesterday's (May 12, 2020) Regular Board Meeting.
If you want to see how a meeting should not be conducted, watch it. Take notes. Try to follow what was going on.
The result of the suspension of Board Policy BEDH is that you, the public, the voter, the taxpayer, have lost your privilege to speak at Board meetings and to suggest agenda items to the Board.
Mrs. Agostini solutions and suggestions for allowing the public to continue to participate. She argued for a deadline to the suspension. Her suggestions were ignored by the other six board members.
Mckie interrupted and spoke without being recognized by the Chair. McKie said the suspension was temporary. IT IS NOT.
Elkins-Johnson first said she wanted it only through the summer. Then Manning confused her and she apparently gave up on what she wanted.
Manning said that this board does not intend to squash public participation. YET THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID.
Manning said the public can send emails to the board and administration. That is not "participating."
If you hurry, you can still read and print Policy BEDH on the District's website. I urge you to do so.
Last night's discussion did not include mention of the future of Policy BEDH. Will it remain on the website but just be marked "Suspended indefinitely, 5/12/2020"? Or will it be removed?
It should not be removed. The policy was suspended, not rescinded. Policy BEDH is still a Board Policy. Let's see what happens.
If it vanishes but you want a copy, request it by sending an email to the District. If you don't get it, email me at gusphilpott@gmail.com
The public should demand restoration of Policy BEDH. Now.
I could write a book about what was wrong with the way the Board handled last night's discussion and decision. Instead, go to the District's video-recording of the meeting and watch it from 19:11 on the timer. It's a three-ring circus. It's a disaster.
If you have a really sharp eye, you'll spot that the screenshot of the website meeting announcement is in error. It reads "Public session begins at 5 p.m." The public session actually began at 4:30 p.m. After an executive session, the Public session was scheduled to re-convene at 5 p.m.
Lastly, the pecking order of images on the Zoom/Livestream presentation of the board meetings should not put the superintendent's screen at the top left. That position ought to be reserved for the Board Chair, who conducts the meeting. Then the other board member's screens should be shown, and the superintendent's screen should be at the bottom right.
If you want to see how a meeting should not be conducted, watch it. Take notes. Try to follow what was going on.
The result of the suspension of Board Policy BEDH is that you, the public, the voter, the taxpayer, have lost your privilege to speak at Board meetings and to suggest agenda items to the Board.
Mrs. Agostini solutions and suggestions for allowing the public to continue to participate. She argued for a deadline to the suspension. Her suggestions were ignored by the other six board members.
Mckie interrupted and spoke without being recognized by the Chair. McKie said the suspension was temporary. IT IS NOT.
Elkins-Johnson first said she wanted it only through the summer. Then Manning confused her and she apparently gave up on what she wanted.
Manning said that this board does not intend to squash public participation. YET THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID.
Manning said the public can send emails to the board and administration. That is not "participating."
If you hurry, you can still read and print Policy BEDH on the District's website. I urge you to do so.
Last night's discussion did not include mention of the future of Policy BEDH. Will it remain on the website but just be marked "Suspended indefinitely, 5/12/2020"? Or will it be removed?
It should not be removed. The policy was suspended, not rescinded. Policy BEDH is still a Board Policy. Let's see what happens.
If it vanishes but you want a copy, request it by sending an email to the District. If you don't get it, email me at gusphilpott@gmail.com
The public should demand restoration of Policy BEDH. Now.
I could write a book about what was wrong with the way the Board handled last night's discussion and decision. Instead, go to the District's video-recording of the meeting and watch it from 19:11 on the timer. It's a three-ring circus. It's a disaster.
If you have a really sharp eye, you'll spot that the screenshot of the website meeting announcement is in error. It reads "Public session begins at 5 p.m." The public session actually began at 4:30 p.m. After an executive session, the Public session was scheduled to re-convene at 5 p.m.
Lastly, the pecking order of images on the Zoom/Livestream presentation of the board meetings should not put the superintendent's screen at the top left. That position ought to be reserved for the Board Chair, who conducts the meeting. Then the other board member's screens should be shown, and the superintendent's screen should be at the bottom right.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Passive-Aggressive Behavior at board meeting
I missed the first part of this afternoon's board meeting, because I drove a neighbor to the ER at the V.A. Hospital.
By the time I could join the Zoom meeting, it was about 5:35PM and the agenda item about suspending Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings was underway. There was a motion pending to approve the suspension, and Trustee Lindsay Agostini was making a secondary motion to put a time-limit on the suspension.
Her motion needed a second, but Trustee-Elect (and Board Vice-Chair) Holmes was recognized and stated that the state-of-emergency was over. Finally, the Chair, James Manning, interrupted her and said he was waiting for a second to Agostini's secondary motion.
Manning should have cut Holmes off immediately with a Point-of-Order, but he didn't. He let her say what she wanted to say.
Then he asked again for a second to Agostini's motion. A second to her motion would have opened up discussion on her secondary motion.
What response did Manning get to his request for a second?
The Board Vice-Chair (Trustee-elect Holmes) ,who had spoken out of order, said nothing.
The Board Secretary, Caution-Parker, said nothing.
James Shadd said nothing.
Monica Elkins-Johnson said nothing.
Trustee-elect McKie said nothing.
Even the Board Chair (James Manning), who could have seconded the motion, said nothing.
So the secondary motion died for lack of a second.
This is one worthless board. The secondary motion should have received a second, so that it could be discussed. And this is not the first time that Mrs. Agostini has made a motion and failed to hear a second.
Later on, McKie was vociferous in her ongoing praise for the superintendent. You'd think she worked for him. She can talk and talk and say nothing. She has been on the board for 5½ years and even served a year as Board Chair, and still she won't support another board member with a simple "Second".
Certain of the board members (McKie, Holmes, Caution-Parker, Shadd) are blind followers of any that the S.C. School Boards Assn. suggests. The suspension of BEDH was recommended by the SCSBA. As elected school board members in this district, they are responsible to this district, not to the SCSBA.
Then the primary motion - to suspend BEDH indefinitely - was voted on. The vote was 6-1.
Such an agenda item, with its resulting vote, is TOTALLY against the best interests of the school district. Now you, the public, cannot speak at board meetings. You cannot suggest items for the board to consider. Just sit there, keep your mouths shut, pay your taxes and be good little boys and girls.
That is what your school board told you tonight.
What can you do about it? Contact the board members. Tell them you do NOT approve. Demand that they vote again and, next time, rescind their decision to suspend the Public Participation at Meetings decision.
By the time I could join the Zoom meeting, it was about 5:35PM and the agenda item about suspending Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings was underway. There was a motion pending to approve the suspension, and Trustee Lindsay Agostini was making a secondary motion to put a time-limit on the suspension.
Her motion needed a second, but Trustee-Elect (and Board Vice-Chair) Holmes was recognized and stated that the state-of-emergency was over. Finally, the Chair, James Manning, interrupted her and said he was waiting for a second to Agostini's secondary motion.
Manning should have cut Holmes off immediately with a Point-of-Order, but he didn't. He let her say what she wanted to say.
Then he asked again for a second to Agostini's motion. A second to her motion would have opened up discussion on her secondary motion.
What response did Manning get to his request for a second?
The Board Vice-Chair (Trustee-elect Holmes) ,who had spoken out of order, said nothing.
The Board Secretary, Caution-Parker, said nothing.
James Shadd said nothing.
Monica Elkins-Johnson said nothing.
Trustee-elect McKie said nothing.
Even the Board Chair (James Manning), who could have seconded the motion, said nothing.
So the secondary motion died for lack of a second.
This is one worthless board. The secondary motion should have received a second, so that it could be discussed. And this is not the first time that Mrs. Agostini has made a motion and failed to hear a second.
Later on, McKie was vociferous in her ongoing praise for the superintendent. You'd think she worked for him. She can talk and talk and say nothing. She has been on the board for 5½ years and even served a year as Board Chair, and still she won't support another board member with a simple "Second".
Certain of the board members (McKie, Holmes, Caution-Parker, Shadd) are blind followers of any that the S.C. School Boards Assn. suggests. The suspension of BEDH was recommended by the SCSBA. As elected school board members in this district, they are responsible to this district, not to the SCSBA.
Then the primary motion - to suspend BEDH indefinitely - was voted on. The vote was 6-1.
Such an agenda item, with its resulting vote, is TOTALLY against the best interests of the school district. Now you, the public, cannot speak at board meetings. You cannot suggest items for the board to consider. Just sit there, keep your mouths shut, pay your taxes and be good little boys and girls.
That is what your school board told you tonight.
What can you do about it? Contact the board members. Tell them you do NOT approve. Demand that they vote again and, next time, rescind their decision to suspend the Public Participation at Meetings decision.
T.A. at Windsor Elementary arrested
You have to read all the way to the last paragraph in this story to find out that Windsor Elementary is a Richland 2 school. https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article242654606.html
A 35-year-old teaching assistant, Anna Valeria Howard, was arrested on May 8 and accused of giving a prescription pill to a six-year-old student.
The story indicates that courthouse closures resulted in delays in the arrest, "... as well as Howard’s willingness to cooperate with the investigation." I wonder whether the reporter meant "unwillingness".
The story doesn't report the outcome of her arrest. Was she just cited for "unlawful neglect of a child" or was she jailed? If so, how much was the bond? Is she still in jail?
Windsor Elementary is located at 9800 Dunbarton Drive (29223). For those who don't know, that's on the west side of Sesquicentennial State Park, between the Park and Two Notch Road.
The story in The State includes "However, the 6-year-old later tested positive for amphetamines, and investigators discovered Howard had an amphetamine prescription." It doesn't report how much "later" nor whether the amphetamine in the child's blood was the same as Howard's prescription.
Can we expect this case, in the hands of a good lawyer, to implode?
A 35-year-old teaching assistant, Anna Valeria Howard, was arrested on May 8 and accused of giving a prescription pill to a six-year-old student.
The story indicates that courthouse closures resulted in delays in the arrest, "... as well as Howard’s willingness to cooperate with the investigation." I wonder whether the reporter meant "unwillingness".
The story doesn't report the outcome of her arrest. Was she just cited for "unlawful neglect of a child" or was she jailed? If so, how much was the bond? Is she still in jail?
Windsor Elementary is located at 9800 Dunbarton Drive (29223). For those who don't know, that's on the west side of Sesquicentennial State Park, between the Park and Two Notch Road.
The story in The State includes "However, the 6-year-old later tested positive for amphetamines, and investigators discovered Howard had an amphetamine prescription." It doesn't report how much "later" nor whether the amphetamine in the child's blood was the same as Howard's prescription.
Can we expect this case, in the hands of a good lawyer, to implode?
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