Promptly at 12 Noon Luke Queen called the meeting to order, there was a Pledge of Allegiance and then came adopting the Agenda. This is when sparks started to fly.
True to his word, Danny Blanton offered up his motion to add Public Participation to the Agenda. Immediately Luke Queen hit his gavel and told Blanton his Motion was out of order. Dena Green tried to second Blanton’s Motion and Luke cut her off. There was a flurry of talk and Luke called out that there was no sign in sheets for any public participation. I spoke up from my second-row seat and said the sign in sheets are right over there-pointing to where the sign in sheets were.
Then, somebody calls “Point of Order” and Luke calls for a vote. The Vote was Danny Blanton, Dena Green, Phillip Glover, Coleman Hunt and Greg Taylor for allowing Public Participation and Luke Queen, Joel Shores Ron Humphries and Rodney Fitch voting against hearing from the public. Five against four to allow Public Participation.
However, Luke and Parliamentarian Ron Humphries rule that on a Point of Order vote, it takes a two-thirds vote, 6 votes from a 9-member Board to over-rule 0verturn the Chairman’s Ruling that Blanton’s Motion was out of order and the 5-4 vote was not enough.
There was a lot of back and forth, the School Board Lawyer gets called up several times. Luke falsely claims it was illegal to have Public Participation during an “Emergency” Meeting, etc. So. Blanton’s motion to add the Public Participation to the Agenda appears to have lost.
A Motion was made to adopt the agenda (without the Public Participation) and the agenda is adopted with a 5-4 vote.
Then, School Board Member Phillip Glover, himself once Chairman of the School Board and very familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order, offers a Motion to AMEND the Agenda to include Public Participation. Such a motion only requires a simple majority -5- votes from a 9-member board to pass. Somebody quickly seconds that motion and Luke has to call for a vote. Glover, Hunt, Taylor, Blanton and Green vote to approve adding Public Participation to the Agenda.
Then, Luke has to call a five-minute recess for others that might want to sign up to speak. Two more people sign up to speak. Chairman Luke Queen and his chums have just got beaten by their own smart-ass game. And the public has just gotten a major victory against Luke Queen trying to shut them down. And in the process pissing off Republican Party officials as shown when Kevin Whisnant, during that five-minute recess, coming up to the front and being overheard chastising Luke Queen for losing the battle to keep the Public from speaking to their elected officials. Republicans all, Whisnant, in with Wes Westmoreland, Dennis Bailey, David Allen, Senator Ted Alexander, Speaker of the House Tim Moore, Representative Kelly Alexander and a few others (a very small set of Rogue Republicans) are apparently trying to push the Republican Party to support Luke Queen being able to stay on the Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees after the County Commissions booted Luke Queen off that CCC Board. That is a “silent” battle still being fought.
The recess is over and Luke Queen calls the first person on the Public Participation Sign-Up List-list-Robert A. Williams-to speak.
The fist thing I say is the School Board had intentionally called the meeting an “Emergency” meeting in order to silence the public. And that effort had failed. It was a victory for the people and more victories would follow. Then I stated that during my working career, I had often worked on construction sites where Hard Hats, Safety Classes, Hearing Protection, steel-toe shoes and such was mandatory. That those items were often bothersome but they were intended for personal protection. That I had no real issues with requiring personal protection items to be “mandated” for children at school. I also noted that masks at school was clearly NOT identified on the “Emergency” Meeting agenda, but that it probably would be discussed. My time to speak ran out.
All the other 16 speakers were called, one after another. Some were Health professionals. A Doctor, two Nurses and others who were FOR Mandatory masks for students at school. Others were parents who were against “Mandatory” masks for students at School. They all had their say. As was rightly expected by me and mostly all of the Citizens of Cleveland County, North Carolina and the USA. Except for Luke Queen, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch and probably Kevin Whisnant, Wes Westmoreland, Dennis Bailey, Dave Allen, Ted Alexander, Tim Moore and Kelly Hastings and just a few others. Folks, go to the School Board website for the Video of the August 16th, 2021 Emergency School Board Meeting for all of this action. Watch for yourself.
NEXT came the “real” reason for this “Emergency Meeting. Making the wearing of masks at school MANDATORY for all students. Camouflaged in the agenda under the deceptive term “COVID updates.”
CCS Superintendent Stephen Fisher provided the school board with charts and some of the latest COVID information. The School Board discussions start in full measure. Fisher is asked by Danny Blanton just exactly how many students at CCS had actually caught COVID at school. Fisher replies-NONE. Others ask questions. Again, watch the video.
Finally, Vice Chairman Joel Shores speaks up that he had received many emails that had upset him. His Blood Pressure was up and he resented such communications. (My thoughts were that Luke should gaveled-down Shores with an “Out of Order” ruling.
