Now, at least for CCS, whose administration and teachers never missed a paycheck while children were not being taught, the old school board just talked about opening up the schools. About an hour every school board meeting was spent with Superintendent Fisher talking meaningless numbers that did not mean anything that could be an accurate indicator of anything. Like the old saying, “figures don’t lie, but liars can figure.” The new Health Department Director Tiffany Hansen contributed to all the confusion by refusing to provide recommendations that were asked for by School Board Member Danny Blanton. Even Commissioner Johnny Hutchins asked for more definition from the confusing “numbers” provided by the Health Department at the December 15, 2020 Commissioner’s meeting. For the School Board helpful “numbers” would include: “How many COVID cases on a weekly basis have been attributed to COVID positive cases contracted at CCS by teachers and by students.” Since CCS has been shut down tight since December 18,2020 until January 4, 2021 (where teachers AND students were out of school for the Holidays), any such number should be ZERO. Obviously, since kids and teachers were not in school during those times, it would be impossible for any COVID infections to have come from the schools in Cleveland County. Anything different would have to be totally hokum and fake news. Obviously any COVID infections in teachers and students during this school closedown would have to come from somewhere else.
Also note that during all this time, since March of 2020 until now, that CCS has been shut down because of the COVID pandemic, and all the discussion of the OLD School Board for restarting CCS, NEVER ONCE did the OLD School Board EVER call for a special Called Meeting to discuss conditions that could result in restarting CCS. Only the NEW School Board Majority, by calling this special Called Meeting Thursday, January 7. 2021, has shown any indication of taking this Pandemic seriously. And even more important, never did the OLD School Board ever seriously consider the fact that STUDENTS presently within CCS are failing to get the full measure of Education that our tax money is actually paying for. Only the NEW School Board Majority-Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch and Danny Blanton have shown the gumption, the grit, and the initiative to put the overall best interest of students over the laziness of the Old School Board and the corrupted interest of the bureaucracy of the NC Public School System as exhibited by Cleveland County Schools. As well as the phony petition to keep CCS closed down that they have put out. As falsely reported by the Shelby Star just a few days ago.
The actions of the NEW School Board Majority to call this Special Called Meeting may certainly appear to be a well-planned trap to catch the Shelby Star, Poodle Glover and his cronies as well as the lazy teachers and their phony petition in the act of their phony propaganda message to the citizens of Cleveland County. And, maybe it was. But, in fact, it was just the right thing to do. Starting CCS back into the business of fully educating our children is basically the only reason CCS even exists in the first place. It certainly does NOT exist to serve as a “black hole” to throw money into and have the money disappear without a trace of doing any good. For the students or the taxpayers. This special Called meeting on January 7, 2021 and any other special called meetings that are necessary to start CCS back on the track of fully educating our students is the right thing to do and the right time to do it. Period. And I congratulate the NEW School Board Majority for doing it.
But the fact remains that the Shelby Star, Poodle Glover and others are trying to sabotage the good work of the NEW School Board Majority and need to be called down on it.
The Shelby Star Article of January 5,2021 titled Petition asks board to reconsider returning to full-time instruction is full of bias, deception and even a bald-faced lie. At the December 14, 2020 School Board meeting when the new Republican School Board members were sworn in, there was plenty of discussion about restarting CCS for grades K-4. Eventually the discussion lead to a motion and an amended motion by Poodle Glover to restart CCS o Plan A (full school operation) for Grades K-4 on January 19, 2021. That motion passed by a unanimous vote: 9-0. The Shelby Star article reported that Phillip (Poodle) Glover voted against his own motion and the vote to restart school was 8-1. A total lie and deception. After the vote to restart on January 19th was approved, Poodle made a motion to limit the restart to only four days a week. That vote was 8-1 with Poodle being the only school board member to vote for a 4 day a week restart. But, don’t believe me. Go watch the school board meeting video and see for yourself.
The Star article even quoted Danny Blanton as questioning the number of recent COVID cases coming out of CCS as “five” or less. Of course, Blanton was describing the past two plus weeks when CCS was Closed down for the Holidays. Teachers and Students. The correct statistic should have been ZEERO. Blanton gave them five out of generosity. But the Star printed it in such a way that some of the lazy teachers who started and signed the petition are complaining that Blanton does not care about the teachers. When, in fact, Blanton was 1,000% correct.
All in all, the NEW School Board Majority are just doing the right and prudent thing regarding the many factors that should be considered in restarting CCS from the COVID Pandemic shutdown. But, by simply doing the right and prudent thing, the NEW School Board Majority has shown up the past actions of the OLD School Board and Administration to be SO BAD that even the smallest act of doing something right seems like such a huge accomplishment.
I say Cleveland County Schools ain’t seen nothing yet. Kudos on top of Kudos for the NEW School Board Majority. Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch and Dany Blanton-Job well done!!! Keep up the good work. See ya at the Special Called Meeting Thursday January 7, 2021. It is a public meeting. Everybody is invited.
PS: Citizens might ought to expect that, any significant delay at this point, in restarting CCS would result in shutting down CCS fully until the green light is given to restart. It would also be expected that teachers and most administrators would also be placed on unemployment, like everybody else, until this pandemic is deemed under control. What is good for the goose is good for the gander is how the old saying goes.
