Richland 2 school board member could face censure. She’s calling it intimidation
A longtime Columbia school board member may face consequences for her speech at a recent public meeting.
The Richland 2 agenda for Thursday’s school board meeting includes the item “Receipt of Legal Advice Regarding Board Member Conduct,” during the board closed-door meeting.
The board member being discussed appears to be Monica Elkins-Scott, who was first elected in 2012.
In an April 16 letter that Elkins-Scott shared with The State, chairwoman Angela Nash wrote that the school board intended to “address concerns” regarding Elkins-Scott’s ”conduct.”
“The Board will discuss ongoing concerns related to conduct it has identified for review, including concerns regarding compliance with Board policy, adherence to Board standards of conduct, and the preservation of confidentiality in matters discussed in executive session,” Nash wrote.
The board may consider possible action, Nash wrote, including “a measure of censure and or removal of committee and board leadership, as permitted under Board policy and applicable law.”
The State has reached out to Nash for more information.
Elkins-Scott said the move was an attempt to “silence” and “intimidate” her.
“These actions of my fellow board members are beneath them. And I will not be intimidated!” Elkins-Scott said in a news release. “We shouldn’t be trying to silence anyone, particularly a fellow member — it just goes to show if they are successful in doing this to me then they will do it to others including our teachers and our parents. This must stop! Their behavior is not only a disservice to our teachers, but it also undermines the democratic process that our board is supposed to uphold.”
Nash’s letter did not reference a specific incident.
However, at the school board’s March 24 meeting, members got into an argument over Richland 2 job cuts. At the meeting, the board approved the district’s outlined recommendations for position eliminations in a 6-1 vote. Before the vote was called, several board members, including Elkins-Scott, got into an argument.
“I don’t think we went about it the correct way. I don’t think we had enough conversations about it,” Elkins-Scott said. “I think we are taking a knee-jerk position.”
Board Vice Chair Tamika Washington interrupted to raise a point of order to move on.
“Only a coward would call a point of order when someone is trying to share,” Elkins-Scott said.
Nash tried to explain the point of order, followed by several minutes of board members talking over one another.
