“Sneaky” School Board illegally votes (7-2) to Sell Graham and Marion Schools! CCS Broke and can’t afford to build New Schools!! CCS-Queen trying to blame CC Commissioners for withholding $$$ CCS Attorney gives School Board “Bad” Legal Advice??? $100 Reward Offered!!! Report, investigation, conclusions and REWARD offered by Robert A

Editor’s Note: A lady who has shown great interest in the controversial closing of Graham and Marion Elementary Schools in Shelby and the questionable processes CCS School Board Chairman Robert Queen has gone through regarding those schools made this comment to Robert A, “Everything (School Board Chairman) Robert Queen) has done regarding Graham and Marion Schools has been ‘sneaky’”. Robert A agreed100% with that term “sneaky,” wondering why he hadn’t thought of and used that word “sneaky” himself regarding Robert Queen’s MO. Robert A won’t make that mistake a second time.

News about the first items of the regular CCS School Board meeting held April 17, 2023 will be delayed until further notice. Except for these two comments made during the School Board Member Comments Section 12 of the meeting agenda. This was the last item on that agenda before a “marathon” Closed Session. Board member Danny Blanton made two comments:

There was a need for a “Bullying Committee” to stop the widespread Bullying going on at CCS schools. But no action was taken.
CCS has NO MONEY to build NEW SCHOOLS. Recent building permit applications showed much housing growth in and around Shelby and Kings Mountain, and the Graham and Marion Schools should NOT be sold, but kept in reserve to accommodate student expansion in the very near future. (Folks, remember at the March 2023 School Board meeting $500,000 was approved on a split vote to rent trailers at another Cleveland County Schools when there were vacancies at a nearby school, as suggested by Danny Blanton. So, instead, Robert Queen and his crowd of flunkies refused to adjust school attendance zones only slightly and voted to waste that $500,000 on trailer rentals.

Editor’s Note: CCS administration is falsely claiming that teachers are being let go because there are no funds to pay them. All the while, CCS staff are being removed from schools to go to the General Offices and the School Board wastes that $500,000 on trailer rental without blinking an eye. Just to PO Danny Blanton, Ronnie Grigg, Robert A and the taxpayers of Cleveland County.

The last item on the agenda was a Closed Session to consult with the School Board Attorney. This was where the trouble started—the sneaky and illegal behind closed door shenanigans Robert Queen is famous for. This Closed Session turned out to be an almost two-hour marathon of a dirty-dealing illegal shenanigan. Read ON!!!

Robert A always stays for the reopening of School Board Meeting after a Closed Sessions as NO actions can be taken during Closed Sessions. To actually do anything, shenanigans or not, the School Board has to come back into Open Session and do whatever Monkey-Business there is in Open Session. That is State law!

As the time in Closed Session was getting longer and longer, Robert A was beginning to feel that something very controversial and very disruptive was going on from behind those closed doors. Way above and beyond what the Motion to Go behind Closed Doors stated. Robert A has read over and over the NC General Statutes regarding Closed Sessions over time and knew exactly what these laws said. What these laws allowed and what these laws did NOT allow. Robert A smelled a RAT!!!” Finally, at 8:50PM the School Board, Supt. Fisher, Lawyer Leigha Sink and others began slowly filing back in from the super-long Closed Session and brought the Open Meeting back into session. The School Board had filed in in broken groups, most ashen and red faced and not a smile between them.

Chairman Robert Queen stated that certain items had been discussed and no actions had been taken. Then, Queen asked for a motion to amend the Meeting Agenda, probably at Lawyer Sink’s advice, to include the approval of declaring the Graham and Marion Schools SURPLUS PROPERTY. This is the necessary first step for selling CCS owned property. The Motion was made and seconded by two of Queen’s flunkies and passed by a 7-2 vote (Blanton and Grigg voted NO!) with little to no discussion. NOW Robert A was PO’d. The General Statutes that allow Closed sessions had been clearly violated. Any discussion of declaring the Graham and Marion Schools surplus property in Closed session was highly illegal. This whole thing was illegal.

Then the meeting was quickly adjourned. Danny Blanton immediately jumped up and hit the back-exit door without saying a word to anybody. Robert A jumped up and went over to the Lawyer Sink asking why she had allowed discussion of declaring something as surplus happen in Closed session as that was clearly Illegal. Attorney Sink said it was legal, but Robert A was not having anything to do with that. Attorney sink went on to say that they were in Closed Session to maintain the Attorney-Client Privilege. Robert A stated there was NO Attorney-Client privilege regarding declaring CCS owned property as salvage-AND the NC laws specifically stated that.

Of course, Robert Queen and his school board toadies will say that they were following legal advice from their lawyer. But Robert A knows that is the oldest trick in the book when corruption is afoot.

Editor’s Note: NOW, folks, Robert A is about to show you the very NC General Statutes that will prove that Robert A is correct. That the discussion of Declaring CCS property as surplus in Closed Session is illegal and that CCS Attorney Leigha Sink’s Advice to the School Board was false and negligent. That NC General Stature (LAW) is NCGS 143-318.11(a)(3), which states:

NCGS 143-318.11(a)(3): To consult with an attorney employed or retained by the public body in order to preserve the attorney-client privilege between the attorney and the public body, which privilege is hereby acknowledged. General policy matters may not be discussed in a closed session and nothing herein shall be construed to permit a public body to close a meeting that otherwise would be open merely because an attorney employed or retained by the public body is a participant. The public body may consider and give instructions to an attorney concerning the handling or settlement of a claim, judicial action, mediation, arbitration, or administrative procedure. If the public body has approved or considered a settlement, other than a malpractice settlement by or on behalf of a hospital, in closed session, the terms of that settlement shall be reported to the public body and entered into its minutes as soon as possible within a reasonable time after the settlement is concluded.

As can be easily seen in this North Carolina Law, any Discussions related to declaring CCS Property (Graham and Marion Schools) as Surplus Property is a General Policy discussion and is NOT stated in this NC General Stature as an item that can be the subject of discussion in any Closed Session, AND (underlined) just because an attorney is present cannot be a valid and legal reason for having a discussion in Closed Session about the Surplus Property declaration in the first place. (Also, for your consideration, the Sale of Cleveland County Healthcare Facilities as discussed in secret may also be an illegal act and subject to be overturned.)

Also, for your convenience, ALL the items (10) that can be discussed in Closed Session are shown in the attached NC General Statutes. Robert A is offering a $100 Reward that will be paid to the first person that can show that the CCS School Board’s discussion in Closed Session of Declaring Graham and Marion Schools as Surplus Property are in accordance with NC Laws. Note that Robert A has never had to pay ANY of is Reward offers and does not Expect to pay this one either.

Stay Tuned folks, this one is NOT over by a long shot.

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