Shooting Death near RNE

One week ago, on March 7, 2021, a 14-year-old boy was fatally shot about two blocks from Richland North East High School (RNE)

WIS-TV carried two stories and no names.

RCSD reported that a 16-year-old was arrested a short time after the body of the 14-year-old was found early that Monday evening in a wooded area north of the RNE.

Was either boy a student at RNE?

WIS-TV is not releasing the name of the deceased boy, because his parents requested privacy.

The first article is here:  https://www.wistv.com/2022/03/08/14-year-old-killed-richland-county-shooting/

The second article, on March 9, including a WIS-TV interview with Sheriff Lott, is here:   https://www.wistv.com/2022/03/09/sheriff-leon-lott-addresses-teen-gun-violence-richland-county/

That article has been considerably shortened since last Wednesday.

I have not been able to find any follow-up stories.

Is gun violence among teens now so common in Richland County that media are no longer informing viewers and readers of key information?

Richland 2 was instrumental in forming a coalition of eight area school districts and tagged BeSMART to be involved. I heard that BeSMART had been involved with Richland 2 for two years to produce this effort. 

Well, just exactly what is the plan here? Will this just be another program that is "All Talk and No Walk"?

Having programs at schools and passing out gun locks is not going to solve the problem that has been allowed to grow for years - many years! The problem is that empty space between two ears of so many kids.

Sheriff Lott offered one answer to parents in the TV interview. "Be nosy" in your kid's life. Know who his (her) friends are. Know where he is. Know what he is posting and reading on social media. Know what's on his phone. Know what's in the book bag. 

I'll add: Know how he is doing in school. Or if he is even in school. Recognize his language and attitudes. Know where he is at night.

That area may be on of the most dangerous in Richland County. At a community meeting several years ago, I heard a parent say that she put her young children in the bathtub at night, hoping the tub would stop any bullets fired in drive-by shootings.

[EDITED 3/15/22] WACH.TV reported that the 14-year-old who died on March 7 was Trevion Fuller. Still trying to learn what school he attended. Read the 3/15/22 article here.

[EDITED 3/16/22] WACH-TV pulled their story and it is no longer available. An obiturary is posted on the website of Pressley Cares Mortuary Services. It currently reads that Trevion "peacefully transitioned on March 7, 2022." The WACH-TV print story included a reference to a Columbia anti-gun violence effort. The original GoFundMe, organized by a woman in Orangeburg, cannot now be found. A different GoFundMe has been started.

R2 Teacher Being Disciplined for Cursing Student?

At the March 8, 2022 school board meeting a 14-year-old student addressed the board about the January 25, 2022 uproar that occurred in the board room just prior to the 5:30PM start of the meeting.

Watch this 3½-minute segment of the March 8^th board meeting. It begins with the introduction of the second speaker that evening. Tap this link: https://www.vibby.com/v/myUDgOZ2n

Shortly after he begins, you'll hear trustee-elect and Chair Teresa Holmes interrupt the him to say "No names"; the speaker had not mentioned a name, only a title. NOTE: Board Policy BEDH does not prohibit the use of names or titles by a speaker, but Holmes continues to admonish speakers who do mention names and titles.

As the student continued and related to the board what a Blythewood High School teacher had said to him on January 25th, Trustee Manning interrupted and said he felt that the topic was a personnel matter that was being addressed by Administration. Is it really?

Then Trustee McFadden spoke about letting the student continue, and her opinion prevailed.

Now, are the profanities uttered by Pamela Davis at the January 25, 2022 actually being addressed by Richland 2 School District as a personnel issue? 

Does anyone on the planet think that the HR Department will investigate and make a finding that the wife of the superintendent disrupted the meeting and conducted herself in a manner unbecoming that of a teacher? Will the HR Department recommend a suspension or termination? And will the HR Department find against the superintendent?

Seriously?

If I were the superintendent, I would direct HR to make a complete investigation and report, and I would insist on honesty and transparency. I would have their report released to the public. And there would be no retribution or retaliation against those who performed their jobs responsibly and thoroughly.

The Board ducked its obligation and responsibility to investigate the totality of the January 25th disruption, when The Core Four on the board (the majority: Holmes, McKie, Caution-Parker, Manning) would not support a Motion to investigate. Holmes based that on the decision by the Richland County Sheriff's Department not to file charges.

Isn't there still a law about Disruption of Schools? Isn't there still a law about Disorderly Conduct? Isn't there still a law about Assault? 

I can assure you that Gus Philpott and Gary Ginn did not break any laws that night. And, if the actions of Pamela Davis and Baron Davis had been charged, it's very likely that plenty of witnesses would have been available to testify about their words and actions. Did the sheriff's department even seriously consider charges against the Davises?

Sheriff Lott on Gun Violence

Sheriff Lott 3/9/2022

Watch this interview on WIS-TV with Sheriff Lott.

https://www.wistv.com/2022/03/09/sheriff-leon-lott-addresses-teen-gun-violence-richland-county/

A 16-year-old has been charged with murdering a 14-year-old on March 7. The body was found near 2400 Kneece Road, only a couple of blocks north of Richland North East High School (through a wooded area). Were they students at RNE?

OK, Richland 2. You announced BeSMART. What's up with that? Is anything going on at all?

Is it just another plaque on the wall? Another program of "Talk, No Walk"?

I wanted to volunteer (that was before I was banned from school property until July 1) and get involved. I was a deputy sheriff (reserve) in Colorado for almost eight years. I've been handling guns safely for many years. I wanted to know what Richland 2 is actually going to do about preventing gun violence.

What did Supt. Davis recommend? Join BeSMART. Give me a break!

BeSMART is part of the Michael Bloomberg Everytown for Gun Safety and MOMs Demand Action crowd. Those groups talk about gun violence. My opinion is that they are mostly anti-gun, and their idea of stopping gun violence is to get rid of all privately-owned guns.

Will that happen in the USA? Not likely. What if every citizen in Ukraine had had a gun? How far would the Russians have gotten?

Sheriff Lott is right. You have to get into the heads of the kids (and adults) and convince them that banging away is not the right step.

Is there any anti-gun violence group in Columbia or Richland County that is doing more than just talking about it???

In Memory of Mike Royko (1932-1997))

This morning I was thinking about the late Mike Royko, long-time columnist and humorist for the Chicago Tribune and other Chicago papers and 1972 Pulitzer Prize winner.

I lived in Chicago from 1965-1970 and enjoyed his columns. His targets were politicians, lawyers, bad cops, tow truck drivers and anyone else who cheated the public. 

When I was preparing to move from Chicago in 1970, I called Mike. He answered his phone with a gruff, "Yeah?" I told him that I had enjoyed his columns and was moving to Denver, where I probably would no longer find his columns. At the time I thought he sounded like an old man; he wasn't. He would have been about 38, only a few years old than I. 

I remember thinking that Mike sounded close to tears at the end of my call. I doubted then that very many people had ever called to thank him.

Perhaps I'll finally buy his book and learn whether some of my blogposts might get close to his writing style.

Trustees fail to acknowledge Complaints

This week I filed three complaints with Richland 2 school board trustees under Board Policy KE. That's the policy that directs trustees to forward complaints to the superintendent. I had previously filed other complaints.

KE also gives the Complainant the right to file a complaint with the Board, if the superintendent's decision is unsatisfactory.

Then the Board MUST schedule a Grievance at the next Regular Board Meeting or at a special-called meeting.

IF YOU ARE ABOUT TO FILE A COMPLAINT, DO SO IMMEDIATELY, because the Board is about to revise Policy KE and take the public's teeth out of it.

What were my complaints, and to whom did I submit them?

3/8/2022 To Teresa Holmes. Against Marq Claxton for improperly banning me from ALL Richland 2 properties, instead of just from R2i2, contrary to (Administrative Rule) AR KI-R Visitors.

3/8/2022 To Cheryl Caution-Parker. Against Marq Claxton for denying me access to the Sandhills Public Library.

3/8/2022 To Amelia McKie. Against the District for too-broad, vague, indefinite language in Administrative Rule KI-R and using end-of-school-year as a duration for many Trespass Notices, rather than tailoring the length to the specific incident.

3/7/2022 To Manning. Against Pamela Davis. Forwarded my Feb. 1, 2022 complaint (originally sent to Matt Sherman, Principal, Blythewood High School). 

3/1/2022 To Holmes. Against Claxton for denying access to attend the public press conference at R2i2 about the new SROs.

The lack of acknowledgement causes me to believe that the Board Member may not have forwarded my complaint to the superintendent. If that's true, then the Board Member violated Board Policy KE.

The District employs a Special Assistant to the School Board. That position was, I believe, advertised as a $45,000/year executive assistant to the board chair. At the time I wondered why the District would provide a secretary to the board chair. When a board member receives a complaint, all s/he has to do is forward it to the executive assistant, who then documents it and forwards it to the superintendent. That executive assistant should calendar for a follow-up, in case the superintendent doesn't handle it promptly. 

Remember, the superintendent is accountable to the school board. He works for them; not vice-versa.

Is that how it works? Shouldn't the Complainant be informed of the superintendent's decision and action?

Service Solutions donates $25,000, but ...

At the March 8, 2022 board meeting everyone got all excited about a $25,000 donation from Service Solutions. Service Solutions has been contracting with Richland 2 for 28 or 29 years; no one was sure which.

Now the reason this may not be such a big deal, or worthy of a photo opp with the trustees and the superintendent, is that the $25,000 was not an unrestricted gift. The staffer called it "a BIG check", and Holmes referred to it as "a big deal".

Yes, $25,000 is a big deal - maybe. But it losts its luster for me, when it was explained that $20,000 of that amount is for ten $2,000 scholarships and $5,000 to the R2 Ready-to-Read program. Will Anderson clarified that the scholarships go to students of employees of the custodial staff (Service Solutions' employees). Will said they are given priority.

Thanks to Will Anderson for injecting truth and transparency into the presentation!

So, in other words, Service Solutions, rather than awarding the scholarships directly to employees' dependents, funnels $20,000 through Richland Two on the condition that it go back to children of its employees.

Is that a "donation"? Really?

Manning attacks Agostini

At the March 8, 2022 board meeting there was a COVID-19 Update. Following that update, Trustee Agostini thanked the staff. She also expressed disappointment that the majority of the board had not supported Trustee McFadden's request on February 8th for the update.

Then Trustee Manning just had to have his say. He commented on a logic class he had taken in college, where he learned the term "poisoning the well". He explained what that meant. Listen to this.

Tap this link to play that segment of the 3/8/2022 meeting: https://www.vibby.com/v/m1e6uRt3s2

Keep in mind that this board just spent hours in TWO workshops titled "Executive Coaching and Parliamentary Procedure". Those workshops were supposed to begin the healing of the chaos, discourtesy and disrespect on the board. Manning's body was there.  Both workshops. You can see it in the videos. But ...

So what did Manning do? He attacked Trustee Agostini for "poisoning the well".

Maybe, instead of logic, Manning's time in college would have been better spent in a class in Professional Courtesy.

Plus, his comment was a violation of Board Policy. He was disrespectful toward another trustee.

His comment about "poisoning the well" had absolutely nothing to do with the presentation! His comment should have been only about the presentation and not about a comment made by another member of the board.

Perhaps he feels safe from board discipline because he is part of The Core Four. If a complaint were filed against Manning, the board would hear it. Then the board would vote. The result of that vote would continue to secure Manning's seat, because it would be

Motion to censure Manning

Yes: Agostini, Scott, McFadden (3)

No: Holmes, McKie, Caution-Parker, Manning (4)

Motion would fail.

But November 8th draws closer every day.