R2 superintendent accuses board member of ‘yelling,’ other ‘inappropriate behaviors.’
.JPG "Richland 2 schools superintendent Baron Davis will stay with the district until mid-2025 after the school board approved changes to his contract Sept. 22, 2021.")
Richland School District 2 Superintendent Baron Davis wants limited communication with board member Lashonda McFadden because of what he called inappropriate behaviors that have included “yelling, screaming and demanding that immediate action be taken on her individual requests.”
Davis communicated this request in an email addressed to the full board on Dec. 8. McFadden had requested a meeting with Davis that morning after a student at the district’s Richland Northeast High School brought a stolen, loaded firearm to campus the day prior.
Davis wrote that while McFadden waited for an unscheduled appointment with him, she discussed her frustrations with district staff members, which Davis called “inappropriate.”
“I informed Mrs. McFadden that this behavior was inappropriate and not consistent with board policy. She disregarded my ask and continued to loudly discuss her concerns with my staff,” Davis’ email continued.
The email, obtained by The State via an open records request, was discussed in public Tuesday night during a school board meeting.
Davis reminded board members “this is not the first incident where Mrs. McFadden has displayed inappropriate behaviors such as yelling, screaming, and demanding that immediate action be taken on her individual requests. This behavior is not aligned with the expectations of a board member according to board policy and is extremely concerning in my role as superintendent.”
After consulting with his attorney, Davis wrote it was not in his “best interest as superintendent to have further communication with Mrs. McFadden at this time outside of full board responsibilities.” He said he was canceling a previously scheduled meeting with McFadden on Dec. 9.
He concluded by asking that his personal attorney and the board’s attorney schedule a meeting to discuss board and superintendent relations.
Davis’ email was sent about 16 hours after McFadden sent an email about the Dec. 7 incident at Richland Northeast. McFadden’s email suggested the district respond, in part, by having a strong police presence at schools. The email was sent to board members and at least two administrators, in addition to Davis.
Davis responded by asking that staff members be omitted from email discussions of the school board.
“Your request is denied,” McFadden wrote back. “Until my requests are honored, yours will not be.”
Details of Davis’ email were made public during a board meeting Tuesday night, when McFadden called for a special meeting to discuss Davis’ request.
McFadden discussed the email publicly over the objections of some fellow board members.
It’s the latest in a series of disputes to erupt at Richland 2 board meetings. In September, three board members walked out of a meeting, and last month, two members of the public were escorted from a building.
Board member Lindsay Agostini said she supported McFadden asking for a special meeting on the letter. Agostini said the issue that precipitated Davis’ request was related to school policy about guns in schools, and she did not see how that was out of the school board’s purview.
The debate continued, escalating into verbal sparring between McFadden and another board member, Cheryl Caution-Parker.
“You need to think through things, you need to think through this very carefully, because I consider this harassment,” Caution-Parker told McFadden.
“I consider that a threat,” McFadden responded, before reiterating that she was trying to get information from the district about policies related to firearms in schools.
McFadden eventually withdrew her motion for a special meeting.
Previously in the meeting, members debated another of McFadden’s motions. She requested another special meeting to discuss the board’s Jan. 25 meeting, when two people attending were escorted from the building and banned from returning after a verbal altercation with Davis.
McFadden’s motion for a special meeting on that issue failed, 4-3.
Holmes said the Richland County Sheriff’s Department had decided not to file criminal charges because of the Jan. 25 altercation.
“The issue that occurred has been dismissed with no charges,” Holmes said. “There’s nothing else I think that needs to be addressed with that.”
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 1:40 PM.
