Bladen County County parents and the press were locked out of the Bladen County Board of Education meeting again this month. Therefore a group of concerned citizens protested in the Bladen County School District’s office parking lot with signs and speeches before the Board meeting on Monday, May 17, 2021.
Wayne Schaeffer, Chair of the Bladen County Republican Party and one of the protestors, called for the Board of Education’s openness and transparency to include the public, parents, and concerned citizens.
He said, “They are hiding from us. They are not opening these meetings to the public for questions. In fact, at the last meeting, they not only had a reporter ejected, but they also had them locked out.”
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County-wide Board of Education member Dennis Edwards addressed the protestors before going into the closed-door meeting, raising the question, “How can you send your kid into any school in this county, but your Board won’t have a public meeting?”
Edwards explained that facilities in the county will house a public meeting that will allow for all safety precautions to be adhered to for a public forum.
Edwards continued saying, “If you don’t have transparency, you have nothing. If they don’t want that, something is wrong.”
Edwards also touched on some of the issues the protestors were discussing. He gave statistics showing how in-person learning was more effective than virtual learning and how students have missed scholarship opportunities due to not being allowed to play sports and other concerns.
Edwards said in closing about the public being banned from the in-person remote meeting, “This is the saddest time I’ve seen for the children. When the media can’t cover a board meeting, something is wrong.”
Besides the way the Board of Education is holding their meetings, some of the issues voiced at the protest were the funding for teacher’s pay, the missed education over the past year, how the students can make that time up, and the new Social Studies Standards.
Schaeffer said, “There is a political dogma in these proposed standards, and in fact, the proposed new standards employ ‘code words,’ like ‘systemic racism,’ that automatically and intentionally gives students a negative view of our country.”
Daine Smith, a Bladen County parent, said, “A lot of our questions have gone unanswered.”
He explained, “It’s complacency. People don’t want to spend the time and effort it takes to dig into these issues, so it’s just a rubber stamp.”
*Sally Johnson, a Bladen County resident, and former Social Studies teacher said, “I’m concerned about reframing history.” She noted, “Project 1619 teaches the US as an irredeemably racist empire built for the sole purpose to oppress the black people.”
Johnson says she feels this is not true because statistic shows racism has improved in the nation over the years. She added, “America is changing. In 2016, Obama was elected President.”
Tammy Heath, a grandmother of Bladen County students, said, “They are trying to make it a race thing, and it’s not.” Heath was collecting signatures against the new standards and said she would continue to collect signatures.
Reporter Matt Bennett from WWAY tried to enter the meeting but was stopped by a Bladen County Sheriff’s Deputy.
BladenOnline staff members and Bennett stayed at the district office until the Board meeting was over to ask questions. None of the officials wanted to address any of the media’s questions.
Dr. Jason Atkinson, Bladen County Superindent, told Bennett to contact Valerie Newton with Bladen County Schools in the morning to schedule a time to discuss questions.
During the Board meeting, which was broadcasted live on YouTube, Dr. Atkinson did announce plans to implement advisory boards for each school to include parents and concerned citizens. He also noted the District should receive guidance from the State Board of Education on the new Social Studies Standards curriculum. He also stated he plans on sending questions to the State board about the Standards.
Heath and Schaeffer told the protestors before leaving to plan another protest for the Bladen County Schools Foundation meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 18, 2021, which was announced to be open to the public.
Heath said she plans on being at the Foundation meeting at 5:30 p.m. today to ask questions and collect more signatures.
*When first published the writer made a mistake calling “the Project 1619” by the wrong title.
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