Second School Board Meeting Much like the First—5-4 Votes!! Lazy, Rogue and Renegade CCS Teachers go on Tirade!! 19 Speakers sign up for Public Participation!! NEW School Board Majority votes to Form “COVID Committee” and to keep tentative K-5 School Full time Start-up as February 8th!!! 2020 Elections Have Consequences!! New Leadership at CCS!!! Cleveland County Health Department gets Failing Grade on COVID!! –Eye-witness Report, opinion and arguendo by Robert A. Williams

The second regularly scheduled Cleveland County School Board was held Monday evening, January 11, 2021. There was a special “called” school board meeting last Thursday, January 7th. Three meetings in a row started by a Christian Prayer as well as a New School Board Majority that favors displaying the Ten Commandments in schools. Hallelujah!!! I say. In my book, CCS’s NEW School Board Majority is off to a good start!!! And I told them so. I called them “Prayer Friendly.” Hopefully Cleveland County Christian Ministers will continue to do their part.

Before the meting business even started good, Chairman Robert Queen and Parliamentarian Ron Humphries were led to make official statements about silly complaints that were made against them. By trouble-making school board member Phillip “Poodle” Glover and his sycophants (pronounced psycho-fants) would be my speculation.

1. Chairman Queen stated that complaints had been made about him not wearing a mask during the school board meetings as “required” by the Governor. Chairman Queen gave chapter and verse of the Governor’s Executive Order, which made exceptions for those conducting meetings. Queen said he wore a mask coming ang going from his seat as the School Board Chairman.

2. Parliamentarian Ron Humphries stated that complaints were made that he had not properly adhered to Robert’s Rules of Order when he ruled Poodle’s motion to make a substitute motion Out of Order at the first school board meeting with the New School Board Members sworn in. (Note that Robert’s Rules of Order allows motions to over-rule a Parliamentarian’s ruling, but Poodle or any of his cohorts make such a motion-that would have failed anyway.

I was disgusted that such frivolous complaints were even made in the first place. I was also disgusted that meeting time needed to be wasted on such frivolous and trivial matters. Especially when those making the complaints are just trying to disrupt the orderly process of running a meeting and discussing serious issues needed to be held. But Poodle’s attempted meeting disruptions had just begun.

The first order of business for this second regularly scheduled meeting was Public Participation. Nineteen had signed up. I was Number 5.

North Carolina Law stipulates that at least 15 minutes has to be allowed for public participation and each speaker allowed 3 minutes. The law recommends those that those that are speaking on the same thing to elect one speaker to provide their message. Chairman Queen quoted the law, and the fact that 19 speakers could take 57 minutes, to the board. Danny Blanton mate the motion to let everybody speak their piece. The motion was approved 9-0.

Most of the 19 speakers were school teachers who did not want to go back to work due to COVID (but still receive their pay). One teacher produced a letter from a fourth grader that urged the School Board to keep the schools closed down. One teacher stated she resented being called lazy, a rogue and a renegade. One speaker, a female Doctor, ran over so long that Chairman Queen had to gavel her down. One teacher was verbally abusive to the NEW School Board Majority, calling them various names and condemning the Ten Commandments as “Not the answer.” Another Doctor predicted that there was a 97% probability that at least ONE person in this very school board meeting room was infected with COVID.

As for me, I asked the school board to disregard what I had written on the Public Participation signup sheet as the subject of my presentation (which was about new gym floors and bleachers at Burns and Crest High Schools) had changed. As of right NOW I wanted to talk about all the false narratives aimed at the NEW School Board Majority. I suggested to the Board that it was a waste of time to address the false and frivolous complaints as previously noted. I reminded the NEW School Board Majority that the overwhelming vote of the people in the School Board election had given them a strong mandate to make necessary changes at Cleveland County Schools and recommended them to proceed full speed ahead in hiring a new lawyer. I told them they were doing a good job and to keep up the good work. Speaker Marge Hooper advised the school board to get going with restarting schools as did another speaker.

Speaker Suzan Parris, mother of an autistic child that was assaulted by a teacher and seriously injured, gave an impassioned plea to the NEW School Board to initiate an investigation into her son’s being assaulted and injured at school and require that the CCS school board to promulgate the proper policies that would prevent what happened to her son to not happen to another child. A totally reasonable demand!

Speaker Dennis Bailey, former Shelby City Council Member and Air Force Master Sargent and presently the President of the Cleveland County Republican Party, but speaking as an individual in his personal capacity, gave a forceful description of “Leadership” as it applied to the School Board. In NO uncertain terms, Bailey reminded the NEW School Board Majority (as I did) that they had received an overwhelming election victory, that was in effect a mandate from the people, to take a leadership position over CCS, get their leadership team in place and get down to the job of running Cleveland County Schools the way the citizens that voted them into office wanted it ran. Bailey did not spare any feelings when he clearly stated to the NEW School Board Majority that the DISRESPECT shown to the Board, the attempted MUTINY, the old board members not supporting Board approvals, the unpunished violations of School Board policy (allowed by Superintendent Stephen Fisher) was a clear FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP!!! Among other things. If you watch the video, the person clapping in appreciation of Dennis Bailey’s presentation is me.

In the business portion of the meeting, the issue of new flooring and bleachers for the Burns and Crest High School gymnasiums was approved. As I changed the topic of my Public Participation comments, I did not have the opportunity to speak about this item. So, I will do so now.

Burns and Crest High Schools are over 50 years old. There are no specific “Strategic Plans” at CCS for new school construction or even modernization. For any school. The overall rehab of Burns and Crest High School gymnasiums began with the floor and bleacher replacement. Then somebody says the flooring installer said “without humidity control in the gym, the flooring warranty would be voided.” So, the OLD School Board approved $600,000+ for gym air conditioning. Apparently thinking that throwing such a “bone” at “county” voters would help them win the election. Which it didn’t.

Now it appears that the OLD Board had put the cart before the horse. Done things backwards without thinking. They approved the money for the air conditioning before choosing the vendor for the floor and bleachers. And knowing that CCS does not know how to properly specify lawyers, much less equipment and parts so they match, the NEW School Board Majority is left with deciding which flooring to buy.

My suggestion would have been for the NEW School Board Majority, and their Operations Committee to hold off on the flooring purchase (and the HVAC if possible) in order to ensure the Air Conditioning equipment the OLD Board bought has adequate humidity control features to match the requirements of the new flooring. And to think just how much longer they are going to “operate” the already “old” Burns and Crest High Schools. This would be a common-sense thing to do, especially knowing how wasteful and foolish and even incompetent the OLD School Board was.

Anyway, the NEW School Board Majority voted to approve a flooring and bleacher proposal for over $400,000. I am crossing my fingers and hoping everything goes well for this project. But as an Engineer, I always do much more than cross my fingers and hope my bridges don’t collapse when the first car comes by. Or my dams wash away after the first rainstorm. And, you can bet that if anything goes wrong on this project, NOBODY will want to hear any excuses from the New School Board about being distracted by a bunch of lazy rogue teachers and a Renegade Poodle.

But, hey folks, this meeting ain’t over yet. The COVID Update is next.

After Superintendent Fisher reports (Nobody from the Health Department was present.) 175 staff COVID quarantines. And then conveniently forgets to mention, that due to the Holidays with all schools shut-down tight, that these quarantines were NOT related to any COVID transmission at school. Vice Chair Joel Shores makes a motion for the CCS Communication Officer to develop a survey form for all teachers and parents for Pre-K-12. This motion passes 7-2.

Not to be out done, Poodle makes a motion to form a COVID Committee with a limit of 12 members to study COVID and figure out what to do. That Motion passed 9-0. After the meeting ended, various board members huddled around Chairman Queen to figure out who would be on this committee. If I were School Board Chairman Robert Queen, I would appoint Phillip “Poodle” Glover to Chair that committee and report back by the end of the week.

But Poodle wasn’t through with his frivolous motions. Apparently encouraged that he finally got a motion passed, Poodle makes another motion to cancel plans to restart school K-5 on February 8th. Apparently, everybody knew Poodle was going to do this. I even muttered out loud, “I knew that was going to happen!” Poodle should have left it alone. (Just like the frivolous lawsuit against Sheriff Alan Norman should have been left alone.) Poodle’s motion goes down in flames by a 5-4 vote.

Stay tuned folks, I am sure more is coming. Much more. And soon!!