Subject: 10-Day Official Notifications, Public Records Requests NOT acted upon in reasonable times.

Date: June 30, 2023

From: Robert A. Williams/Citizens For Good Government

To: Cleveland County Schools Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Stephen Fisher, Communications Director Dr. Greg Shull, CCSB Attorney Leigha Sink (Sink Law Firm)

Dear Drs Stephen Fisher, Greg Shull and the Cleveland County Board of Education:

Please note that the following Public Records Requests have been submitted by e-mail directly to each of you in accordance with the laws of North Carolina and have NOT been acted upon:

1.Public Records Request Made May 26, 2023
Minutes of School Board Special Called Meeting held May 22, 2023
Closed Session-Copy enclosed

2.Public Records Request Made May 30, 2023
CCS-3,200 emails regarding bullying, fighting at CCS during January and February, 2023-Copy enclosed

Note that Robert A. Williams has since published these requests on www.citizensforgoodgovernment.org as well as sent copies directly to each of you. And yet there has been no response, no acknowledgment of receipt or any other communication regarding receipt or where these Public Records Request are being processed or that they will be processed at all.

Also Note that at the June 28th, 2023 Called School Board Meeting Robert A. Williams requested information from Superintendent Stephen Fisher and Communications Director Greg Shull regarding these Public Records Requests and was told by both that they didn’t have any knowledge of these Public Records Requests, any Schedule for processing nor any confirmation that they would ever be processed of fulfilled. Upon such statements, Robert A. Williams verbally informed Superintendent Stephen Fisher, in front of witnessed, that he was giving CCS an official Notification that CCS had TEN (10) days to produce the public records or some reasonable schedule upon which to produce those records. Robert A. Williams stated that these records as presently stands would take about 30 seconds to provide.

This written communication is intended to put into writing that this 10-day Notification will run through the end of business July 10, 2023. Also note that Robert A. Williams is notifying Cleveland County Schools that he will pay exactly $15 for a Flashdrive for Public Request Number 2 as defined above and no more than $1 for any and all copies required to contain the documents required to fulfill Public Request Number I as defined above.

Also note that should these two Public Records Requests noted herein are not produced and delivered by July 10, 2023 (Close of business) or some other schedule agreed upon previous to July 10, 2023, that Robert A. Williams is prepared to take any all actions allowed by North Carolina and Federal Law to compel Cleveland County Schools to fulfill these lawfully submitted and easily fulfilled Public Records Requests and seek to recover from CCS the actual costs of these actions.

Hopefully the Cleveland County Schools Board of Education and CCS Administration will realize that the Laws of North Carolina are to be obeyed by Cleveland County Schools as is the expected behavior of all others.

Thank you for your prompt action on this matter.

Robert A. Williams/Citizens For Good Government
PO Box 428
Fallston, NC 28042

704-538-8257
Email: raw@shelby.net

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Part 2:

Original Date: May 22, 2023

To: Cleveland County (NC) Schools (Public Records)

From: Robert A. Williams/Citizens For Good Government

Subject: Public Records Request:
“All electronic communications related to “bullies”, “bullying”, “fights”, or “violence” from 01/02/23 – 02/09/23.”

In accordance with North Carolina Public Records Laws I am making the following request for Public Information/Records:

1.A Flash drive containing a full copy of ALL (Over 3,200 emails) the information provided on a “Flash drive” that Cleveland County Schools has already recently prepared for Sunshine Requests. That Flash drive allegedly contains ALL the public records that Sunshine Request has previously submitted for: which is “All electronic communications related to “bullies”, “bullying”, “fights”, or “violence” from 01/02/23 – 02/09/23.”

Note: As any and all information has already been gathered up, formatted as necessary and copied on a Flash drive disk by CCS, it is expected that no other efforts from CCS will be required in this matter. Please notify me immediately if that is not the case and before any additional “special” or exceptional work has to be done to fulfill this request that is outside the normal work of fulfilling public records requests.

Please provide the Flash drive containing the request public records as soon as possible. Since the work required is minimal and does not include any additional effort than what has already been done, therefore, it is expected that this flash drive will be easily prepared and ready for pickup by noon, June 27, 2023.

My understanding is that CCS Charges $15 for the actual Flash drive cost. I will pay that $15 upon receipt of the flash drive on July 27, 2023 at the CCS Central Services Front Desk at 400 W. Marion Street, Shelby, NC. Please advise immediately if other pickup dates or locations are required. Picking up this Flash drive and paying for it at Fallston Elementary School would be the most convenient for me.

It is expected that there will be no further delays or any other obstacles’ in obtaining this information.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this request.

Sincerely,

Robert A. Williams
www.citizensforgoodgovernment

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Part 3:

May 26, 2023

From: Robert A. Williams

To: Cleveland County Schools
Superintendent Dr. Stephen Fisher
Communications Director Dr. Greg Shull
School Board Chairman Robert Queen
School Board Members:
Joel Shores,
Ron Humphries,
Ronnie Grigg,
Danny Blanton,
Aaron Bridges,
Walter Spurling,
Greg Taylor,
Attorney Leigha Sink,
Attorney Jonathon Sink

Subject: Public Records Request:
Minutes of Closed Session School Board Meeting held at May 22, 2023 Special Called CCS School Board Meeting

At present and considering the widespread publicity regarding the vandalism at Burns High School on Thursday, May 18, 2023 it has become clear that:
The May 22, 2023 Closed Session was called for improper purposes. The Closes Session was called per North Carolina General Statures 143-318.11(a)3 and 143-318.11(a)6, but the discussion was in regard to the vandalism at Burns High School and NOT a personnel item. Also, both of these General Statutes clearly state that such discussions were clearly prohibited.
For whatever the real purpose of that May 22, 2022 Closed Session was called for, widespread news coverage of the vandalism at Burns High School had made that, illegal or not, Closed Session moot for all intents and purposes. Therefore, all records, including the Closed Session Minutes, records, notes, discussions and documents from that Closed Session are now PUBLIC RECORD and subject to be immediately obtained under the law to those that request them.

Therefore, Under the Freedom of Information Act as well as North Carolina Public Records laws the following is requested to be made available for inspection and perhaps copied or recorded after such inspection:
1.Minutes (Draft) and any and all audio and video recordings of the subject Closed Session,
2.Any and all pictures, text messages, emails and other materials regarding the vandalism at Burns High School that was introduced in that Closed Session meeting.
3.Any and all personal remarks, statements, or verbal communications of any sort from any participant and those present in that Closed Session Meeting.
4.Any and all other information of any sort spoken or communicated in any way in that Closed Session Meeting.
5.Interview statements from any and all School Board Members and other persons present in that Closed Session regarding anything of note per their own determination and observations or answers to interview questions.

Thank you in advance for your prompt response to this valid Public records Request.

Please email Robert A. Williams of potential schedules to review the information, records and materials requested. Or to set up a schedule to be interviewed.

Please contact me if there are any questions of any kind.

Robert A. Williams, Citizensforgoodgovernment.org
raw @shelby,net
704-538-8257

Please Note that this Public Records Request meets all the requirements under North Carolina Law necessary to request public documents and public information from any North Carolina Agency and Board.