CC School Board holds firm on public comment decision
Despite urging from one school system critic to reinstate a public comment session for non-agenda items, Charles City School Board members are not budging off last month’s decision to permanently remove the session from their monthly meeting agenda.
Steve Fuhrmann, a county resident and frequent School Board critic, asked the board during its May 18 meeting to rescind its decision. Board members voted last month to remove the non-agenda comment period, touching off a heated exchange that ended with one audience member ordered to leave. Board chairman Roy Campbell later said anyone with a non-agenda concern must contact the School Board office and request to be placed on the regular meeting agenda.
A repeat of the April meeting furor did not take place last week. Fuhrmann used the remaining public comment period for agenda items only to address the agenda itself. He said school boards in neighboring localities have public comment sessions for non-agenda items.
“All of our surrounding school boards take seriously their obligation to Amendment I of the Constitution of the United States of America and Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of Virginia to make no law abridging the right of the people to petition the government for the redress of grievances,” he told the board.
He urged the board “to emulate its surrounding peers and reverse its decision.” At the very least, he added, the board should post clear guidelines for anyone wishing to be placed on future agendas.
Board members did not revisit the matter, but just before last week’s meeting adjourned, Campbell touched upon the controversy while thanking the public for its help during recent work to build next year’s budget.
“Even though we might not agree, we don’t have to be disagreeable with one another,” he said. “I think we have the best schools around, the best teachers, the best administrators, and most definitely the best superintendent and School Board.”
In other business, the board voted 4-0 (Barbara Crawley was absent) to buy walk-through and handheld metal detectors for each of the county’s three schools. The action is in response to a recent incident in which a student at the elementary school brought a firearm to school. The weapon, however, was not in firing condition.
Total cost of the detectors is just over $6,000. Walk-through detectors are priced at just under $2,000 apiece while handheld versions are only $19.95 each.
Board member Preston Adkins expressed concern over the number of student access points at the middle and high schools and the prospect of trying to cover all entrances with a single set of detectors.
“We’ll work out the logistics and find a way to channel all kids to one entrance,” Melvin Robertson, the schools’ director of administrative services, responded.
Robertson said the detectors are one of three recommendations forwarded by a school system safety committee that recently conducted an audit at all three schools. The committee is also urging school officials to install alarms on all non-exit doors and hire a School Resource Officer (SRO).
A few years back, the county had a SRO officer, but grant funding for the position ran out. School superintendent Janet Crawley said any future endeavor to secure a SRO must be “a school system/sheriff’s department marriage.” She added there has been “some attempt” by the sheriff’s office to find grant money.
By a 3-1 vote, board members approved sale of two 1995 school buses to the county’s parks and recreation department for $1 each.
Royce Paige cast the lone dissenting vote, saying the buses are worth more, and using the buses on occasion to reduce wear and tear on the fleet would make more sense.
Other members sided with Campbell who said, “In this economic squeeze, we should do what’s right and set an example.”
“I hope you get the money,” Paige said in casting his “no” vote.