Still No Trespass Letter!

As of mail delivery today Richland 2 still has not provided me with a written Trespass Notice. 

Without it I do not know the details,;which properties, if any, I can enter; how long the Notice lasts; and, most importantly, what the appeal procedure is.

They may think they are leaving me in limbo - in no-man's land. But they are wrong.

Earlier today I emailed the Board of Trustees that security director Marq Claxton was not replying to my emal about a Trespass Notice; also that Supt. Baron Davis was not replying to my email.

Why wouldn't Claxton or Davis have the professional courtesy to respond?

I can think of several reassons; 1. they know they blew it by issuing a verbal Trespass Warning to me on January 25, and they are afraid to put it in writing; 2. they are being discourteous and unprofessional by snubbing me by remaining silent; 3. they can't find the operations manual that provides the instructions for dealing with trespass issues; 4. the District can't afford ink and paper to print out one trespass letter; 5. the District can't afford the postage ($0.58) or $5-6-7-8 to send a Certified Letter with return-receipt requested. 

Today I requested an immediate hearing with the full school board, so that I can defend myself and seek a retraction of the verbal warning. I asked for a hearing with all the witnesses present, including Pamela Davis. And without Supt. Davis. 

I want to hear Pamela Davis accuse me of whatever misdeed she perceives happened. Now I know what happened. I was there.

Her story, as told on WIS-TV, doesn't hold water. The Richland 2 security guards who first responded will testify to her outburst, her shouting. 

Who told her to say she felt intimidated? Afraid? Targeted? What? By a polite greeting? 

If she was so afraid of those two white men she had seen at many meetings, why did she sit down inches from where I was standing? Sorry. The victim role doesn't work with me.

Within a day or two I'll have the written report from the Sheriff's Department. I was told there is only one report. There should be a minimum of two. Two deputies were present when Marq Claxton issued the verbal trespass warning. Each should have written a report. 

Apparently, I can get Pamela Davis' and other statements only by subpoena. So be it. Then subpoenas will follow. And then I'll know exactly what Pamela Davis told the deputies.

Richland 2 Security Department should have reports from all of its security officers. The two who first came over, attracted by Pamela Davis' shouting. The two who came into the hallway, while I was talking with deputies. The two who walked out with me, assuming they have remembered their names. Claxton should have written his own report. 

Will the school board respond to my request for a full hearing? 

Is Keith Price back?

Has anyone ever read the RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE RICHLAND LIBRARY SANDHILLS AND RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT TWO?

Do you suppose anyone is in charge of reviewing and updating them? How long ago did Keith Price leave Richland 2? He became Superintendent in Georgetown, S.C. in June 2020.

See Rule No. 26 "Richland Two Security and staff will assist in monitoring that all abide by these rules and regulations.  The Assistant Superintendent for Schools, Mr. Keith Price, will handle all disciplinary issues in the building."

Would this mean, if Price is no longer with the District, that no one is in charge of disciplinary issues?

Rule No. 22 is "Any person who has been put on trespass notice at any Richland Two facility is not allowed at R2i2." The Richland County Public Library is "at" R2i2. 

Is not the school district unlawfully restricting my access to the library through this rule? The library is a taxpayer-supported, public entity. I'll bet my lawyer will task Richland 2 to task for applying this "rule" to property it leases to the library.

Too bad Keith Price is not Superintendent of Richland 2. I'll bet things would be a lot different - and calmer.

Demand an investigation

Should the public demand an investigation of the chaos just before the school board meeting started on January 25?

To whom would a demand be made? The Superintendent of the South Carolina Board of Education? The South Carolina Ethics Commission? Chief Justice of the Richland County Magistrates' Courts? Chairman of the Richland County Council? Speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives? President of the S.C. Senate?'

Definitely not any officer at the South Carolina School Boards Association!

Board Chair Holmes, herself an illegitimate member of the school board, has announced that there will not be an investigation.

Why won't there be? A valid reason is NOT because the Sheriff declined to file charges. 

It would take a decision by "the board" to launch an investigation. "The board" means a majority of the seven-member board. Three legitimate members (Agostini, Scott, McFadden) want an investigation. 

Holmes, McKie, Manning and Caution-Parker do not want an investigation.

BUT what if the two illegitimate members of the board couldn't vote? What if Holmes and McKie, both illegitimate members of the board since November 13, 2018, could not vote?

Then five members of the board would make the decision.

Agostini, Scott and McFadden would vote in favor of an investigation.

Manning and Caution-Parker would vote against it.

If a Motion were made to investigate and if that Motion were made to the five legitimate board members, you can bet your bottom dollar that one of them would walk out. That would leave four, which is not a quorum, and business could not be conducted. Who would beat the other out the door? Place your bets in the Comments.

Holmes and McKie would have to sit on their hands and watch, preferably from the peanut gallery like the rest of us.

The vote would be 3-2. Motion passes. Launch the investigation. Just imagine the whining and gnashing of teeth. 

It would be proper to get investigators from outside the District to conduct the investigation. Investigators who are fully independent and impartial.

Parking Permits? Really?

Why would Richland Two go to the expense of issuing Parking Permits to school board members?

Is this Board Member Privilege? Why? Who made that decision?

Do they get special parking privileges on school grounds? Can they pull up at the curb and park in prohibited zones or firelanes? Can they park in handicap parking spots without getting $500 tickets? Can they park and block the chargers for electric vehicles? Can they pull into a Principal's parking spot and make him walk from the Back Forty?

Board members, uperintendents, principals, managers, etc., are no better than anyone else. When they arrive at work, they should get the next closest parking spot - not a special spot up close to the door, protected by a sign with their title on it. 

And they certainly should not be entitled to park illegally.

So, what's up with the Parking Permit?

Aren't they worried that some truant or kid they kicked out of school might vandalize their vehicles? Or maybe some "domestic terrorist" might damage their cars because of their opinions on mask mandates, Critical Race Theory or bullying tactics at board meetings?

I'd think they would want their vehicles to be as anonymous as possible.

More Witnesses Wanted. Please call

Were you at the January 25th board meeting?

I'm looking for more witnesses who were there at the time I introduced myself to "that woman" in the front row. You know, the one who turned out to be Mrs. Davis.

When I spoke with her, all I said was, "Hello, my name is Gus Philpott."

What she shouted was, "I KNOW WHO YOU ARE! DON'T TALK TO ME! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

If you saw this interchange or know anyone who did, please let me know. Thanks.

gusphilpott@gmail.com

847.971.7083

Is this what she saw, when she looked at me? I even asked this question that night, before I left. Not to her, of course.

Holmes, step down

Below is an open letter to the Richland 2 school board, asking Teresa Holmes to step down as Board Chair.

Members of the Board and trustees-elect Holmes and McKie,

Trustee Agostini's suggestion that the Board learn how to handle the removal of items from the Consent Agenda was exactly correct. The supt. knows. Manning should know. McKie as Board Secretary (sort of) should know.

Teresa's statement that things were done properly was exactly WRONG.

Result? You (Holmes, McKie, Caution-Parker, Manning) failed in your fiduciary duty and approved Minutes with major errors. Why would the Board Secretary McKie let you approve Minutes that are not accurate?

The Minutes are supposed to reflect correctly what happened at the previous meeting. How many of you didn't even read the Minutes? If you had, you would have seen that the recording secretary left the "boilerplate", as I called it last month, in the draft Minutes. These Minutes, and the Minutes of the December 14th meeting, should be corrected at the next meeting.

Mrs. Agostini said, "I move ..."

Teresa asked Lindsay if she was making a motion. Please explain to Teresa that "I move ..." and "I make a motion" mean that the Trustee is making a motion. And after all the disorder, ask Teresa not to ask then "Is there a motion?" That makes her look totally incompetent.

If Teresa had been listening to Mrs. Agostini, she would have heard, "I move ..."

I urge you to elect a competent Board Chair for the remainder of the term to June 30, 2022. You're running a billion-dollar business with a $300,000,000+ annual budget. Teresa should step down for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that she is not even a legitimate board member. When she previously (and illegitimately) served as Vice Chair, she should have mastered Robert's Rules of Order and learned how to conduct board meetings.

Gus Philpott

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