Look at this nonsense on Facebook from former Richland 2 school board member Teresa Holmes. This tripe is posted on her Facebook page titled "Dr. Teresa Holmes, School Board Member Richland Two" and it was published December 1, 2022. That's after her term on the board expired!
Thanks to the citizen who provided this to me. Teresa's page is locked as private, and she has blocked me from reading it.
Teresa is fully entitled to spew whatever she wants about staying "woke"
First of all, she should not be posting anything after November 21, 2022 that refers to her as a school board member.
In Teresa's world there is her truth and your truth. What she has never acknowledged is that there is The Truth.
It was Teresa and her crew in the "Core Four" that created the chaos and disorder of the last four years. That time has passed. They are gone. I wished her well in the last election, hoping she would come in no worse that 12th (in a field of 12 candidates for the four positions). Thank goodness, she came in a a clear Fifth and not good enough to make the cut.
Richland Two is being asked to direct Teresa to cease making any reference to current school board membership and to indicate clearly on any media pages that she is a former school board member.
Amelia McKie is no longer a school board member. Aside from the fact that she never took the oath-of-office legally at any time during her second term (2018-2022) and, thus, was never a legitimate board member, this page should be closed.
If she doesn't close it completely, it should clearly and prominently disclose that she is no longer a school board member.
Will the District take action to require her to close or remove identification about the school board?
Since that was her public page as an elected official, she should not have blocked me (and others) from reading content on that Facebook page.
Her term-of-office ended on November 21, 2022, when the new board members were sworn in.
Merry Christmas, Amelia McKie. Santa Claus is looking for you. He has some switches and a bag of coal for you.
On November 30, 2022 the S.C. Ethics Commission issued a Decision & Order (D&O) in the case of Amelia McKie. She was fined $1,550 for failing to include her 2020 school board income of $9,600 in her 2021 Statement of Economic Interest Report that was filed on January 12, 2021.
The D&O was sent to her by Certified Mail, return receipt requested. This followed a hearing on October 20th at the Ethics Commission.
The D&O provides that she can appeal the D&O within ten days of receipt of the D&O.
The Problem? McKie has not accepted the Certified Mail. This means that the 10-day appeal period has not started yet.
McKie's mailing address, on record with the Ethics Commission, is P.O. Box 291173 (29229). This would be the Post Office at 1805 Clemson Road.
McKie may or may not still live in Richland 2 school boundaries. By using a P.O. Box, it is impossible to know where she actually lives.
It is reasonable to assume that McKie is picking up her mail. She either leaves the USPS Notice of Certified Mail in her box or she takes it and discards it. She would have to go to the counter and ask for her Certified Mail and then sign the receipt for it. That receipt would then be sent to the Ethics Commission.
Once McKie receives the D&O, then 10-day period starts. If she doesn't appeal, then she has 90 days from receipt of the D&O to pay the $1,550. If she doesn't, then $1,000 will be added, and the Ethics Commission will file a Judgment for $2,550 in the Richland County Common Pleas Court. That's where they filed a Judgement on 7/10/2019 for $51,750.
McKie owes the Ethics Commission $57,100, excluding this latest fine.
That is the person who was a Richland 2 school board member for eight years. That's the person who never took the oath-of-office legally for her second term. That's the person whom the (previous) board (the majority Four) chose to represent Richland 2 on the South Carolina School Boards Association.
At the October 20th Ethics Commission hearing, McKie claimed she had not received the original, October 2021 complaint. She claimed not to know about the Complaint until an investigator called her in December (2021).
If you spot Amelia McKie out and about, politely ask her to be responsible about this obligation. Do not harass her or argue with her.
[Edited 12/22/2022]
Read carefully this reporting of a shooting in Lakeland, Florida, where a 12-year-old boy shot himself at a friend's house. Apparently, the kid found the gun in a car at that house.
Richland 2 should institute safe gun-handling training for all students, starting in elementary school.
In a year what has BeSMART really done, except learn how to repeat its "Did You Know?" questions? Or hand out gun locks?
How about some education?
You teach kids that, if you point a gun at yourself (or someone else) and pull the trigger, you may just cause an irrevocable act.
"I'm sorry" isn't going to work. "I didn't know it was loaded" isn't going to work. "I didn't mean to" isn't going to work.
Even in that short article, you can see the parental failures.
It's not just kids who are stupid and careless with guns. There is a link in that article about two cops who were roommates. One was fooling around and shot the other. Just. Plain. Stupid.
Most people will acknowledge that drinking and driving are not a good idea. And yet people still do it.
Aja Adams (black, female, age 27) was charged on December 14, 2022 with four traffic violations, including hit-and-run with injury, felony DUI, DUI involving death. $75,000 Bond.
There is an Aja Adams listed on the teacher rolls at Blythewood Middle School.
So far, nothing in the news.
Persons charged are presumed innocent.
