Why did the Moore County Board of Education ban the leadership of Vice-Chair David Hensley?
The Moore County Board of Education called a special meeting,
led by Member Philip Holmes, July 19, 2023, to discuss actions for handling
disputes with civility amongst board members.
Vice-Chair David Hensley was stripped of his chairmanship and
removed from his seat at two committees, the Construction and Maintenance
Committee, and the Budget, Finance and Audit Committee.
Hensley, a retired marine, is the founder and CEO of Quantico
Tactical, a worldwide supplier of performance apparel, gear and weapons to the
military, law enforcement agencies and enthusiasts. His business has been in
operation since 2004 and has 31 employees.
It is clear from viewing the school board's meetings, Hensley
was as dedicated to the county schools as he is to operating his business.
Hensley has made flippant remarks some find offenses and some find humorous, because often, the remarks were true. Still, most believe, according to Facebook posts, that he should have been on his best behavior.
At the July 10 meetings, Hensley proposed ideas
with research.
Those ideas and Hensley's other ideas were called "unilateral thinking" by
Holmes at the July 19 special meeting.
Unilateral thinking is a polite way of saying that Holmes did not agree with Hensley's ideas.
This makes one wonder how healthy is a school board that does not allow various perspectives and that does not operate on factual evidence.
At the July 10 meeting, Holmes had his arms crossed over his chest, avoiding eye contact with Hensley.
At the July 10 work session, Hensley presented research on
the role of school counselors, on the master facility plan, and removing
student fees. He also discussed a 38% tax reduction from the county
commissioners.
A Facebook post describes the conflict of the 38% tax and
offers a different reason for Hensley being censored.
Concerning the role of student counselors, Hensley's research
showed that 47 new students' parents homeschooled students, or to sent them to
charter or private schools, because parents did not trust the school
counselors.
Holmes said the board needed to be careful about the LGBTQ community.
Concerning the master facility plan, Hensley said the board
should use the county's master plan as a guide because they may not find land
for the new high school for four years.
Yes, at the July 10 meeting, Hensley repeatedly interrupted his peers to reiterate the facts. He added that the board did not listen to the committees.
Was Hensley silenced because of his interruptions or because board members disagreed with the facts?
Read the role of school counselors'
story here.
Read about Hensley's construction
project advice here.
Read about Hensley's recommendation
to remove student fees here.
The end.
Stephanie M. Sellers
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