BY KARISSA MILLER & MIKE FUHRMAN

A lively crowd, with some individuals arriving two hours early and holding signs calling for the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education to resign, attended the board’s meeting Monday evening at the Career Academy and Technical School in Troutman.

It was the first board meeting with a public comment period since more than 120 pages of secret text messages made between board members were made public last month. Those messages, which included jokes about encouraging student violence at Statesville High and opposition to the presence of LGBTQ advocates in district schools, were made over a series of five months during text exchanges involving a quorum of board members. An open meetings expert has said the board’s conduct was “a clear violation of the open meetings law.”

About 180 people attended Monday’s board meeting. Several of those who spoke during the public comment period criticized the board members for their conduct and called for them to step down. 

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. That means when you know you are doing something wrong and you still do it,” Statesville Branch NAACP President Todd Scott said.

He warned the board that state NAACP officials were watching them and advised residents to keep applying pressure until school board members step down.

“I hope this isn’t a moment but a movement. Until y’all resign or however we get you out of here, we need to show up at every meeting and ask for y’all to resign. Y’all should not be representing any kids. If you’re going to play this political game, run for office down in Raleigh or run for DC office.”

Scott, who called the board’s comments racist and discriminatory, turned the tables on board member Anita Kurn, who joked during the secret text messages that a Thunderdome be set up at Statesville High School where students with disciplinary issues could fight — and spectators could pay to watch.

“How about this Thunderdome tonight! How about Statesville!” Scott said. 

Lisa Pearson, a Statesville graduate who is the parent of a current SHS student and president of the Statesville High School Athletic Booster Association, said she was offended by the text messages sent out by four board members.

“I ask for the resignation of Ms. Trent, Mr. Sloan, Ms. Kurn and Mr. Kubiniec,” she said.

Janet Anderson Inhossa called the text messages “egregious” and told the board members they were not above the law.

“Rule breakers who knowingly disregard the rules, behave like the rules don’t apply to them or somehow think they are above the rules should resign from their public office and should be barred from holding public office ever again,” she said.

North Carolina law does not make a distinction between in-person and electronic meetings. Any time a quorum of elected board members is present and discussing the board’s business, it is considered a meeting, which must be open to the public.

Miranda Bell, the education committee chair for the Statesville Branch NAACP, said the board had lost the respect of the community.

“You, madams and sirs, have disrespectfully represented yourselves. You disrespectfully represented the district,” she said. “You were elected to serve. You have lost the trust, the compassion and the sincerity of many citizens and students of Iredell-Statesville Schools. You have made a mockery of our school system.”

The text messages, Bell said, made it clear that the board has a hidden agenda.

“Yes, we are woke,” she said in reference to Vice Chair Mike Kubiniec’s texts asserting that there was no place in district schools for “LGBTQABC123” and “woke” agendas.

“We will never stand by or allow the heinous history of our nation to be repeated, nor allow you to sabotage all of our children and citizens,” Bell added.

Parent Sri Gerschuler said it was clear the board members had not lived up to the district’s core values, including conducting themselves ethically.

“If you felt like you personally did the right thing, I’m going to ask you to resign because our students don’t need that,” she said. “Our students need somebody who supports them and cares about them — not (someone who is concerned about) their own agendas.”

Dr. Steve Coarsey, who represents Parents Families friends of Lesbians And Gays (PFLAG), called the board’s comments and actions a “horrible fiasco.” He said there are not many safe spaces for middle and high school students who identify as LGBTQ+. The board members’ comments did not demonstrate support for or understanding for this group of students, he said.

“The gay kids in the community are suffering. The teachers and counselors in the community have been forbidden to put up posters and pride flags, with a mistaken assumption that this somehow is going to make kids gay. All we are trying to do is make a safe place for them,” Coarsey said.

Terry Sharpe, a Statesville High graduate who has been mentoring students for seven years, said the board’s actions were detrimental to students.

“You took an oath to protect the youth, create a healthy educational environment and abide by the rules that you have sworn to follow,” he said.

“Ask yourselves, what or who motivated you to violate those rules and why? Was it God? You are all conservative Christians, so you know it didn’t come from God,” Sharpe said. “Ask yourselves why the public should continue to trust you. Ask yourselves if you should do the honorable thing and resign. And if not, why? I’ll give you the answer — it’s pride. And you all are conservative Christians, so you know what God says about pride. He hates it. Do the right thing.”

The board also received some support from those who spoke during the public comment period.

“You guys have a very tough job and you are not going to make everyone happy,” said Craig Mueller, a retired school administrator.

“Were some words said that probably shouldn’t have?” he added. “I say let’s learn from that and move on.”

Lisa Bulloss applauded the board for supporting the constitution, the new school calendar, for reading in classrooms, riding buses and for “unashamedly” claiming their faith.

Kelli Harris, chair of the Iredell County Moms for Liberty, called revelations about the secret text messages and the public feedback “a teachable moment” for the board members.

“I think you guys are going to learn from what happened, from what the community is speaking to you,” she said. “I know a lot of you personally, and I do believe that your hearts are not properly exposed through those comments (in the text messages).”

More than 500 people have also signed an online petition calling for board members to resign over the secret text messages.

Board members deny any wrongdoing, criticize news media

Six of the seven board members participated in the secret text messages between December 2022 and April 2023. Only Charles Kelly did not participate.

With the exception of board member Doug Knight — who asked for “grace” from the community last week and again Monday night, none of the board members has publicly apologized for any of their comments.

On Monday, I-SS board members continued to insist they had done nothing wrong.

Kubiniec, the vice chair, reread a statement he made at last week’s committee of the whole meeting in which he insisted the board had not met illegally. He likened the text messages that offended many in the community to “banter” that had been taken out of context.

“We never convened to meet or discuss issues before the board. We never discussed how we would vote on a matter. We never never discussed policy or other funding decisions or the like,” he said.

“Did we illegally violate laws to hold meetings outside the public view just because Iredell County’s self-appointed gadfly said we did?” Kubiniec added. “No we did not.

“But I believed we learned a valuable lesson because of all of this, and I agree we have to do better and we will.”

Chairman Howell also blamed the media, which he also criticized for not publishing “the countless” news releases the district sends out or any news about proposed state legislation related to education issues.

“Now as far as the media goes, when you take things out of context – words and phrases out of context for the dramatic – and you people can believe whatever you want to believe, I’m not telling you what to believe .. but when you do that,” Howell said, pausing as the crowd audience pushed back. “No.”

“I want to say that I am a dedicated member of this board. I’m not an extremist. I was a teacher and coach for 30 years,” he added. “A person doesn’t work with children at the salary I was paid if I wasn’t dedicated to children. How dare anyone accuse me of … not having the best interests of our students as a priority.”

Related

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Viewpoint: This is what happens when voters elect partisan extremists to the school board

Letter to the Editor: Working at Statesville High School is a blessing

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Viewpoint: Statesville High students call out I-SS Board of Education for illegal meetings, jokes promoting school violence and attitude toward LGBTQ community

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