Selma City School Board meeting heats up

By Katie Nichols (Contact) | Selma Times-Journal

Published Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Debra Reeves-Howard left a Selma City School Board meeting Wednesday night after a debate on supposed wrongdoing of board members.

Allegations of FBI investigations and board members bothering teachers and principals filled the board meeting.

School Board President Barbara Stapp-Hiouas began the discussion about the board’s alleged actions.

“This is very uncomfortable for me to have to do this,” she said. “I do feel this is necessary.”

Stapp-Hiouas conveyed the concerns of some teachers and principals who reported to her that one or more board members infringed upon them.

In one case a board member told a female employee not to give information because the FBI would investigate her, Stapp-Hiouas said. The woman’s direct boss asked her for the information.

“You may not micromanage employees of the school system,” Stapp-Hiouas said. “You may not interfere with their working.”

She went on to explain that doing so could lead to punishment by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, an organization that accredits schools, colleges and universities in the South.

Stapp-Hiouas called Jimmy Lawerence with the company and asked for materials on policies and standards about this situation.

One punishment is to lose accreditation for a school system, she said. Losing accreditation means colleges and other schools do not recognize the institute as legitimate.

School board member Benjamin Givan agreed there should boundaries when managing school employees.

“I have said for a long time that we cannot micromanage,” Givan said. “We are more about setting policies.”

The discussion moved to an alleged FBI investigation of the Selma City Schools.

Stapp-Hiouas said an agent threatened employees of the Selma City School System. She wanted to begin an examination into the reason of his alleged actions.

Reverend Coley Chestnut suggested moving to executive session to further discuss the matter.

Stapp-Hiouas stated that recently some records of the school systems were requested from an unnamed bank.

“People in this town knew about it,” she said. “We called the justice department. They said no one should have that information. I don’t know how it was leaked, but we will have an investigation.”

Reeves-Howard expressed concerns for the direction of the meeting.

“I do not appreciate this meeting,” she said. “I do not appreciate the tone of this meeting.”

Reeves-Howard said she knew several employees that voluntarily went to the FBI agent for questioning. She went on to say the agent did not threaten the employees.

Stapp-Hiouas rebutted, saying that there would still be an exploration into the agent’s actions.

Reeves-Howard stood from her seat and began to leave.

“I do not see any need to stay here,” she said. “The Selma School Board is under investigation, and I was the one who filed it.”

The board moved to executive session after Reeves-Howard departure.

Board member Ann Fitts said she was glad the topic of board members calling employees was addressed.

“We did need to air that, and it went as it was suppose to go,” she said. “I thought it went smoothly. We had concerns that needed to be addressed.”

Sept. 2 marks the next board meeting when the new superintendent Dr. Austin N. Obasohan will be present for the first time.