Two area state lawmakers say they are disappointed and angry after the Charleston County School District (CCSD) Board of Trustees on Monday voted to place new Superintendent Eric Gallien on administrative leave. The 5-4 decision was met with immediate backlash across the community, including some board members on the losing side of the vote.
“The five members of the Charleston County School Board who voted for this are a disgrace,” S.C. Rep. J.A. Moore, D-North Charleston, said Tuesday. “It’s a shame that our children’s education has become a game for political hacks who have no interest in doing their jobs.
“It’s evident that the ‘investigation’ into Superintendent Gallien was racially motivated and that is unacceptable,” he added. “This toxicity is pushing quality educators away from the classroom and making the problems facing CCSD worse.”
S.C. Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, D-North Charleston, has proposed a bill that would remove North Charleston schools from CCSD amid the chaos. He reinforced its importance Tuesday in a statement.
“The needs of those students that are being impacted the most aren’t being serviced by the district, and maybe we need to look at what we can do to form an independent district that can address the needs of the school and last night’s meeting only underscored why we decided to go that route in the first place,” he said.
The vote to suspend Gallien fell on faction lines, as the five board members backed by right-wing political organization Moms For Liberty voted in favor of the suspension.
“The Moms For Liberty organization and its members are absolutely controlling the board,” board trustee Courtney Waters said in one news report. Another trustee not named in the report said the action could prompt a walkout by teachers and administrators in the district.
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