Avery denies passing note during February meeting

Lincoln County Board of Education members Kelly Childers (left)
and Joan Avery (right) both denied passing a note during the
February board meeting.

By Jon Mayhew
Lincoln County
Before the Wednesday night Lincoln County Board of Education meeting, board member Joan Avery denied passing a note to fellow board member Kelly Childers despite several people directly seeing the action.

Avery said she “didn't know what was going on” while parent Rene Hartley spoke on favoring the extension of superintendent Dr. David Martin's contract.

“I wasn't paying attention,” admitted Avery, whose Howards Creek board seat is up for election this November. She is being challenged by Clayton Mullis.

Childers also reacted to The Carolina Scoop's reporting of the incident, claiming Avery did not pass a note while parents were speaking about the superintendent.

"(I) had nothing to do with it. I didn't pass no note,” said Childers in February. “You have to ask Joan (Avery).”

Wednesday night, Childers claimed he didn't say that. He also questioned why people were speaking out on the issue when the board has already made it's decision.

“Every time someone talks about moving West Lincoln High School does that mean we move it,” asked Childers.

The Carolina Scoop issued a public records request for the note the day after the note was passed. Board attorney David Black was contacted through Dr. Martin, who said there wasn't a note.

Under state law, the Board of Education must officially fill or deny the request made by any media outlet. As of Wednesday, The Carolina Scoop has not received official word on its request.

During Hartley's appearance on the public comments section of the agenda in February, she stopped speaking and turned to the crowd.

“They're passing notes,” Hartley told the crowd and media in attendance, including television cameras.

Since the note was passed during a public meeting, the note in and of itself became a public document that is open to anyone to view.

School board attorney David Black also told The Carolina Scoop "there wasn't a note," claiming notes being passed between board members doesn't constitute a public record.

Dr. Martin's contract is expected to end on June 30, 2011 unless the BOE reconsiders their vote.

“There has been a precedent set in giving superintendent's four years,” Martin recently told the BOE.

Board members have routinely refused to discuss why they voted against Dr. Martin despite several requests from the media and the public.

Board members Ed Hatley; George Dellinger; Tommy Houser and Kelly Childers voted against extending Dr. Martin's contract. Board members Carl Robinson Jr. and Rusty Beam voted in favor of the extension.

In fact after the vote, several members quickly left the meeting room, saying “it's confidential” or “no comment” to other media members' queries as to why the vote was “no.”

Board member Joan Avery, meantime, was absent from the highly controversial vote. She claimed she had food poisoning.

Avery's note-passing is the latest disrespectful behavior exhibited by the Howards Creek Township representative to the Board of Education.

Documents reveal in 2009, Avery was originally at Dr. Martin's evaluation but left soon after the process started. Besides missing the contract vote, Avery quickly left the Board of Education meeting without speaking to anyone.

Clayton Mullis has announced his intentions to run for Avery's seat in the next election cycle, which is scheduled for November of this year.

HOME