School Board meetings are public and may be recorded by anyone according to state law. As long as those recording the meeting do not interfere with the meeting itself. Citizens For Good Government began recording School Board meetings several years before the School Board and posted the meetings on our website. Much to the chagrin of the school board as we could easily zoom-in and isolate school board shenanigans and point them out to the public.
This finally prompted the school board to authorize their own recording and posted them on the CCS website with more expensive equipment so folks would watch their broadcasts instead of ours. But that was OK with us since we could still point out problems from the school’s own broadcasts. Of course, our theory on pointing out problems was (and still is) very simple. To make improvements you have to identify problems and then fix them.
However, finding and Identifying problems, then fixing them is a concept that the Cleveland County School Board and Administration finds difficult or impossible to understand. Instead, cover-up and corruption remain the MO of CCS; both the School Board as well as the Administration. Which is something that we point out to the school board on a very regular basis. Therefore, they call us “crazy” and “liars.” We just say, “don’t believe a word we say, watch the video and see for yourselves.” And people do.
The August 12th and 26th, 2019 School Board meeting were especially egregious meeting. Folks that watched the CCS broadcast were appalled and called their friends and neighbors. The August 26, 2019 broke all records for viewers with over 2,500 tuning in.
Such a viewing audience scared the nitwits on the school board and they had to do something. But, did they clean up their act? NOooo way Jose!
The September 9, 2019 broadcasts numbers dropped off some. Schools were back in session and the CCS Board brought in a bunch of students and others to take up a lot of time at the start of the meetings, apparently to wear out viewers of the broadcasts. But the public participation at the meetings was picking up and the 2020 school board elections are getting close. There was a hint that the broadcast numbers may have been dummied up at the School Board’s instructions.
Something that was proved for sure at the September 23, 2019 school board meeting when the school board chairman Shearra Miller suddenly move the meeting without adequate notice to a room hidden way back into the bowels of the CCS Central Offices where there is very poor arrangements and equipment for recording. Then, there were technical difficulties and the broadcast was not fully available for viewing until several days after the meeting.
None of this escaped the people who found them out and spoke up at the September 23rd meeting. Speaker Mathew Canipe was especially vocal about the CCS School Board and their shenanigans. He called them out immediately.
Now the October 14, 2019 school board rolls around and the Public Participation picked up even more. Speaker after speaker called the School Board out. Two mothers who spoke mentioned lawsuits against CCS. One mother alleging racial discrimination because her daughter was attacked by a white boy who called the girl a “nigger” and then pushed her down. And when she fought back the girl was severely punished and the boy who initiated the incident received little to no punishment. Another mother was irate that her 13-year-old autistic son was pushed by a teacher at North Shelby School; causing him to fall backwards and hit his head. Causing a major injury to the back of the head that resulted in a trip to the Emergency Room at the Hospital to staple closed a six-inch gash to the back of his head. The autistic boy could not speak to tell the mother what happened. All the while CCS refused to tell the mother what happened. And, after trip after trip to speak out at the school board meetings, they lied to the mother and said every thing was settled. Of course, the nitwit school board never counted on the mother finding out things from witnesses and opening a criminal police investigation against CCS as well as the threat of a lawsuit.
All in all, the October 14, 2019 school board meeting broadcast viewing numbers took off like a rocket. The trajectory appeared to be headed for record numbers. Much higher than the August 26, 2019 meeting’s 25,500+ numbers. But suddenly the numbers have almost stopped at the 1,500+ mark. Still an overall second place record showing. But suspiciously slowed down to a crawl.
Folks, we recommend going to the CCS website and view the October 14, 2019 school board meeting for yourself. At least the first 20 minutes on an otherwise boring meeting filled with fluff and bragging about how well CCS is. Watch the first 20 minutes and report back about what you think.
Better yet, come out to the October 28, 2019 School Board meeting, sign up for public participation and tell the school board what you think!!!
And then, in the 2020 elections; remove Shearra Miller, Richard Hooker, Roger Harris, Jo Boggs and Jeff Jones from the CCS School board. Replace them with people that will identify and fix the problems at CCS. Top to bottom. No continuing problem is beyond fixing for a new School Board majority!!!
(Better yet, watch it here)