School board member accuses ex-chairman and district of 'wrongfully' banning parent — urges AG to take action

A North Carolina school board member is urging the state attorney general's office to take action after the board's former chairman and the school district "wrongfully" banned a parent, according to a letter recently obtained by Blaze News.

What are the details?

In a Monday letter to North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, Onslow County Board of Education member Louis Rogers sounded the alarm about a parent who was allegedly unlawfully targeted by the board, its former chairman, and the district.

"I first want to note that the opinion in this letter does not reflect the opinion of the board, nor does it represent any position taken by the school district," Rogers' letter stated. "However, I am sending this letter as an individual board member in my official capacity."

During the February 2023 school board meeting, then-Chairman of the Board of Education Bill Lanier "engaged in conduct that warrants notification of your office," Rogers wrote. He accused Lanier of "wrongfully order[ing] a sheriff's deputy to remove an individual after he accused her of disrupting the board meeting."

"It has since been confirmed by eye-witness testimony, video recording, and both myself and my colleague that the individual was wrongfully accused of speaking. To defend the individual being removed, the person who talked informed the chairman that it was her and not the individual being removed," Rogers explained.

As a result of the disruption, Lanier instructed an entire row of parents to leave the school board meeting immediately, including those who had not interrupted.

Video from the February meeting captured Lanier kicking out the attendees.

"Take those people on that row. Get them out of here because I'm not having this in this forum. Take them all out, bye, see ya later," Lanier demanded.

Board of Education Meeting - February 7, 2023 - 6 PMwww.youtube.com

Rogers stated that Lanier "made this decision without justification or cause" and further accused the former chairman and the district of "target[ing] the individual."

During a subsequent meeting in March, school board member Angie Todd made a motion to oust Lanier from his position, claiming he "removed private citizens without just cause." She also stated that Lanier failed to control his emotions to de-escalate the incident. Rogers seconded Todd's motion, and Lanier was later removed from his chairman position but has remained on the Onslow County Board of Education.

The banned parent was accused of making threats against school district staff and board members after she arrived at the meeting with a casket in the bed of her truck, Rogers explained. The individual also brought goody bags that contained a plastic knife, college degree, mason jar, and chocolate, Rogers added.

"Before the meeting started, she explained the symbolic representation behind everything she brought to individual board members and the local news," Rogers continued. "She was bringing attention to what she believed were security gaps that have led to multiple students in the district being injured and one being stabbed to death earlier in the year."

Rogers noted that while the parent's method was "unorthodox," her concerns were "justified." He also added that several board members were observed "casually talking" with the parent before the December and February board meetings, and "two even took her goodie [sic] bags and thanked her."

He claimed that Lanier, district Superintendent Dr. Barry Collins, and the board's attorney "were all part of the decision to ban the individual."

The school board's attorney previously claimed during a September meeting that the parent was banned because she had "attempt[ed] to intimidate board members."

"I believe the potential of a constitutional rights violation going unaddressed by the board and the district requires me to inform your office. I urge your office to consider looking into this matter," Rogers wrote to Stein.

Current board Chairman Ken Reddic told Blaze News that the individual who was removed from the February school board meeting was issued a ban letter.

“The individual you are asking about was issued a ban letter after they arrived at a Board meeting with a casket in the back of their vehicle and presented bags for each Board member including replicas of weapons, as well as funeral planning documents. Based on concerns over these actions, consultation with law enforcement, and review of school board policy, a ban letter was issued to the individual,” Reddic explained.

He further noted that the banned individual “has not reached out to either me or the superintendent for any reconsideration of the decision.”

Onslow County School District has come under repeated scrutiny from worried parents who say the district is not abiding by its own safety and security policies, Blaze News previously reported. Community members have also expressed concerns that the district has failed to promptly notify parents about incidents on campus or involving students.

In November, a number of parents spoke to Blaze News on the record about those concerns following a student-involved shooting in August that took place across the street from White Oak High School and a fatal stabbing that occurred last year at Northside High School. Many parents and community members have repeatedly addressed their concerns to the school board during the monthly meetings, but they feel their grievances are largely being ignored by the administration.

Anything else?

On Monday, school board members Rogers and Todd organized a community town hall where parents and other citizens were encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas on improving school safety. Rogers and Todd were in attendance as individual members and not on behalf of the board.

Todd told Blaze News, "The purpose of this town hall was to make ourselves available to the community to hear their concerns in a welcoming and encouraging environment. We believe the event was a success and has given us a foundation to build off of for the new year. We do plan to hold another meeting in this same platform sometime after the holidays."

"The most important thing was to create a discussion setting for attendees, not an official meeting with one-sided statements," Todd added.

When reached for comment about the event, Rogers told Blaze News, "My attendance at the town hall was solely to listen and provide any factual information to the citizens in attendance. While attending the town hall, I made no official acts, nor did I act for the board or district."

Rogers noted that the turnout was "amazing," with roughly 55 attendees, including parents, teachers, students, citizens, and elected officials.

"It was noted by many that it was the first time they actually felt heard. We even had moments where teachers were engaging in discussion with parents; this is something we rarely see outside of a school setting," he stated.

Rogers plans to request that Reddic approve the formation of a "district parent advisory committee."

"I will ask [Reddic] to allow me to chair this committee so that organizations and parents in the district have a seat at the table. The NC Parental Bill of Rights made this a very necessary application to the board," Rogers continued. "I explained to [the town hall's attendees] that no promises were being made and that I was only there to provide information and take their questions back to the board, so this is all contingent on approval by the board chairman."

In a statement provided to Blaze News last month, Onslow County Schools chief communications officer Brent Anderson said in part, "Recent local events have started a dialogue within our community around the importance of issues related to school safety. Onslow County Schools, the Onslow County Sheriff's Office, and the Jacksonville Department of Public Safety agree there is no higher priority for our community than the safety and security of our students, staff, and citizens."

Lanier, Onslow County Schools, and the North Carolina Attorney General's Office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News by the time of publication.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!