District's Toothless Warning

Late in each week prior to a board meeting, the District puts out a long notice about do's and don't's of attending a board meeting. In other words, Be good, boys and girls.

Read this paragraph:

"In an effort to effectively maintain a safe environment, any person attending the meeting who is out of order, loud, disruptive, making inappropriate comments, and/or a safety concern will be asked to be seated or leave by a security officer. If the person does not comply, a Richland County Sheriff Deputy will escort them off the property."

Then recall the February 8th board meeting.

That was the meeting when Craig Khanwell was allowed to go on a three-minute rant, threatening members of the audience and those at home. Missed it? Go to livestream.com/richland2  Feb. 8, 2022 meeting. Start at 1:46:30

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Ask Teresa Holmes and Baron Davis:

Was a safe environment maintained?

Was Khanwell "out of order, loud, disruptive, making in appropriate comments"? Was he a safety concern?

There was no doubt about that. All of the above.

How did Holmes and Davis respond? Not a peep out of them. Not a peep out of any board member. Not a peep out of Marq Claxton. Not a peep out of even one Richland 2 security officer.

Holmes mentioned recently there was an elephant in the room. There sure was. A black elephant.

If I had expressed myself, or if any white person had expressed himself, as Khanwell did, we would have beene face-down on the floor. Arrested for threatening behavior in a school. Jailed.

I am not going to be bashful about talking about race here. 

Holmes and Davis permitted Khanwell to spew his vitriolic hatred because all three are black. 

Convince me I'm wrong.

You Are Invited: 2/22/22 6:30PM

The next school board meeting will, hopefully, be calmer than the February 8th meeting. If that loud guy shows up again, security or RCSD should shut him down if he threatens the audience as he did on Feb. 8th.

What's up for Tuesday night?

The Board is scheduled to consider my grievance about the Jan. 25th Trespass Notice in executive session. I have presented a Witness List with ten names on it. Then the board will vote on my grievance in public session, right after Public Participation.

I'm all for having the entire grievance discussed in public session. Why would the board not want to do that? (Shall I list the reasons?) Then the public would have the whole story.

We'll see how it goes. I expect the board members to do their duty and be fair. What do you think? Will they be fair? 

The stumbling block right now is access to R2i2. If I cross the property line without written Access Authorization from Mark Claxton, I'll be arrested for Trespassing. Should I be intimidated by that? 

Monday is a school holiday. That leaves only Tuesday for the District to produce written Access Authorization and get it to me in time for me to be in the board room by 5:30PM, when the executive session starts. 

Surely, the board would not attempt to "consider" my grievance without hearing from me, would it? Or without hearing from the witnesses on my list?

If you want to speak during Public Participation, be sure to get there before 6:15PM. Sign-up starts at 5:31PM.

Revision of Board Policy BEDI - Media

On Tuesday, February 22, 2022 a revision to Board Policy BEDI will be introduced for first reading. No action will be taken that night.

Who dreamed up this one? Did a board member propose that BEDI be re-visited? Or did Administration (meaning the superintendent) come up with this?

This is a blatant attempt to muzzle Trustees. As you read the following, pay close attention to the wording in the proposed revision: "...assumes personal legal responsibility..." Those four words will have a chilling effect on the free speech rights of board members.

On the other hand, maybe this revision should have been passed before Holmes and Manning stepped into the spotlight in the courtyard at R2i2 on January 28th and spoke in front of the WIS-TV camera. When the Chair and the Vice Chair stand on school property in front of R2i2, is there any doubt that both of them are speaking on behalf of the board?

Here it is. If you were a Trustee, what would you say to this?

"Policy BEDI News Media Services At Board Meetings Issued 9/17 

"The board believes that one of its paramount responsibilities is to keep the public informed of its actions. Therefore, the press and public are welcome to attend board meetings. 

"The superintendent or his/her designee will send a copy of the agenda in advance of all official board meetings to members of the working press who request it. In the event that representatives of news media are unable to attend a meeting, they will be provided a summary of important board actions upon request. 

"When individual board members receive requests from news media representatives for information about board meetings meeting content, members will refer the information-seekers to the board chairman. The board chairman is the official public spokesman for the board (except as the board specifically delegates this responsibility to others). Individual board members may speak to the media so long as they are not speaking on behalf of the board. When speaking as an individual, the board member will express such to the media and assumes personal legal responsibility for his/her media statement."

         indicates changes

Underscore indicates added content

 

It is already adequately covered in Board Policies that trustees, by themselves, do not speak for the board.

If Administration proposed these revisions, why does the superintendent want the hammer - the threat - of "personal legal responsibility" added to the Policy? 

Trustees should vote on this revision at the next following meeting. And the vote should be 0-7!!!

$2,700 Ethic Fine - paid

Hilton Head Island's current deputy town manager found himself in the crosshairs of the S.C. Ethics Commission and settled with them, including paying a $2,700 fine.

According to an article in the Island Packet (2/18/2022), in 2018 he set up a $24,000 consulting contract with himself (two violations) and received an $820 gift that he failed to disclose on his 2017 Statement of Economic Interests Report (SEI). 

Why am I writing about something like this? Because he PAID the fines and administrative costs.

Source: https://www.islandpacket.com/news/politics-government/article258519878.html

His example should be followed by some local folks. 

Write to your S.C. Representatives and Senators and ask them stop cooling their heels on S.188, a bill that has been languishing in the S.C. Senate for over a year. You can write to the full Senate Judiciary Committee with one click.

This bill, when it passes and becomes law, would prohibit a person from filing a statement of intention to run for office, is s/he owed outstanding debt to the state Ethics Commission. It would apply to public officials, including school board trustees, and to S.C. Representatives and Senators.

What would it mean locally? Amelia McKie would be unable to run for re-election in November 2022. Of course, she might win the Lottery and pay off her debt to the Ethics Commission. Is she buying Lottery tickets instead of making payments on her fines?

The bill is sitting in the S.C. Senate Judiciary Committee and not getting any attention at all. One of the members of that committee is Mia McLeod, State Senator for our area here in Richland 2 and a good friend of McKie.

Contact McLeod. Urge her to push for passage to move S.188 to the full Senate for a vote. Ask her where she stands. Will she put her friendship with McKie above her duty to her state office? Email: mia@scsenate.gov and 803.212.6016   Do it now.

I hope she replies to your email or return your phone call. She doesn't to mine.

Will the Board Apologize?

Will the Richland 2 School Board apologize to the public for allowing Craig Khanwell to rant and rave, yell, shout and threaten the audience in the room and online during Public Participation on February 8, 2022?

In case you missed it, his rant is on livestream.com/richland2   Feb. 8, 2022    Starting at 1:46:30

People are still telling me that they felt threatened by Khanwell.

Don't just tell me. Tell the Board. Email them. Their email addresses can be found at   https://www.richland2.org/School-Board/Members

Or, for your conveience, just copy-and-paste:

ameliamckie@richland2.org, cherylcautionparker@richland2.org, docholmesschoolboard2@gmail.com, jamesmanning@richland2.org, lashondamcfadden@richland2.org, lindsayagostini@richland2.org, puttingstudentsfirst2012@gmail.com, 

Plus write your Letters to the Editor at The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County, The State, Post and Courier, and any other local newspapers. Write to your favorite reporters at the TV channels.

And if it ever happens again, don't just sit there quietly. Even if you are in shock, stand up. Say, "Stop this." If they don't, walk out.

Teresa Holmes violated Board Policy is a huge way by not interrupting Khanwell and shutting him down.

Philpott Grievance on 2/22/2022 Agenda

My appeal of the Trespass Notice was denied by the Superintendent of Richland 2 School District, through his designee. I had requested that the Notice be rescinded as of the issue date (January 25) and that all documentation be removed from District records.

The next step is to exercise my rights under Board Policy KE. KE is listed under Board Policy K - School-Community-Home Relations.

Policy KE Public Concerns and Complaints reads,

"Complaints to one or more board members against any action of any employee of the district or against any administrative rule or board policy will be referred to the superintendent.

"If the matter cannot be resolved satisfactorily by the superintendent, the complainant may register the complaint in writing with the board chair, setting forth the facts on which the complaint is based.

"The Board, at its next regular meeting or at a special meeting, will then consider the grievance of the complainant and dispose of the matter according to its best judgment."

After I received the denial by the superintendent's designee, I emailed my complaint to the Board Chair to register it.

"Grievance" appears on the Agenda for the February 22, 2022 board meeting. It is listed as Item 2.4 in the executive session and as Item 8.2 in the regular, open session.

Today I shall submit my Witness List, which will include Pamela Davis, Baron Davis, Marq Claxton, Security Officers Stinney and Brown, and at least four others. All will need to be available to testify during the executive session and during the open session. I will ask that their statements be given under Oath.

The next step is to secure Access Authorization from Marq Claxton, Director of Security and Safety, so that I can be present at R2i2 for the hearing on my Grievance.

I requested the grievance be heard only by the five legitimate members of the board. These are Trustees Agostini, Caution-Parker, Manning, McFadden, and Scott. Holmes and McKie are not legitimate members of the Board, because they have never taken the oath-of-office legally. (If they take the oath before the February 22nd meeting starts at 5:30PM, they will become legitimate board members.) 

Any board member who has made disparaging comments toward me should recuse himself (herself) from the consideration of my grievance and from the vote during Item 8.2

The vote on my grievance will be taken at Item 8.2 on the Agenda. No decision can be made in the executive decision. No agreement can be made in the executive session on how they will vote. Will the Board be fair in "its best judgment"?  

Supt. Davis should be excluded from the grievance hearing, because he played a material role in the events of the evening.

Watch Khanwell again. Consider Board Policy BEDH

One more time, before a race war breaks out in Richland 2 school district, watch the February 8, 2022 school board meeting on livestream.com/richland2  Start at 1:46:30

You'll be subjected to three minutes of vicious, vile ranting by Craig Khanwell.

 

Set his remarks against Richland 2 Board Policy BEDH. Ask yourself - what action should Teresa Holmes, who acts as board chair (illegitimately), have taken. And since she failed to act, should James Manning have interceded? Or Supt. Baron Davis? But wait; it seems that he is a fraternity brother of Khanwell. And if they didn't, what action should Marq Claxton have taken? And if he took none, what about the RCSD deputies in the room?

Why didn't even one Trustee stand up and shout: "POINT-OF-ORDER"?

Board Policy BEDH - Public Participation at Meetings

- civil and professional manner

- No gossip, defamatory words, or abusive [emphasis added} or vulgar language.

- Board has the right to terminate any presentation not adhering to guidelines.

- Orderly conduct

- Speakers may offer objective comments on school operations and programs.

- no expression of personal complaints about anyone connected with the school system.

- any topic over which the board has jurisdiction

The chair (Holmes) allowed Khanwell to turn to and address the audience. Khanwell was allowed to yell at the audience. Khanwell was allowed to point his finger at and threaten the audience. Holmes allowed him to verbally assault the audience. How was that okay?

Compare that outburst by Khanwell with "Hello, I'm Gus Philpott", spoken politely on January 25 to a woman I did not know. I got kicked out and put on Trespass Notice through June 30, 2022, and the chair thanked Khanwell.