10/10 NEWSBREAK: State intervention sought for Charleston school board mess

Charleston’s Statehouse leaders heard from people across the county that the continuing turmoil with the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees needed to be cleared up.

In a packed Monday meeting room at North Charleston City Hall, state lawmakers listened to complaints from parents and education activists, including outrage over how a conservative Moms for Liberty-backed majority of the board placed the district’s new superintendent, Dr. Eric Gallien, on paid leave during an investigation into a workplace complaint.

Three members of the district’s Board of Trustees who voted against Gallien’s suspension were in attendance and said the board has overstepped, violated policies and turned a blind eye to the public by operating in secrecy.

“The board has sent CCSD on a dangerous and reckless path, a path that will only perpetuate further harm to the children of Charleston if we do not preserve course,” said trustee Darlene Dunmeyer-Roberson said at the meeting.

S.C. Rep. Joe Bustos, R-Charleston, suggested the entire delegation write a letter to Gov. Henry McMaster asking for an investigation of the school board’s actions.

Meanwhile, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson has also weighed in regarding the school board’s actions. In a letter to S.C. Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, D-North Charleston, Wilson said though his office couldn’t make a formal judgment on the matter, it believed a court would likely conclude that Freedom of Information Act requirements for convening in executive session were not met.

Another topic at the meeting included calls for Charleston County School Board Vice Chair and District 5 representative Carlotte Bailey of North Charleston to resign after she was allegedly recorded saying “there’s no such thing as gay children.”

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S.C. gas prices fall nearly 10 cents in the past week. Gas prices in South Carolina have fallen nearly 10 cents over the past week to an average of $3.16 per gallon.

New data shows pattern between S.C. low-income renting, eviction filing. National organization Eviction Lab data states South Carolina currently sits at 68% for eviction notices, higher than the national average, meaning low-income renters are facing homelessness more now than ever.

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Lowcountry domestic violence shelter grapples with rise of pregnant victims My Sister’s House, a shelter that has long stood as a beacon of hope for those escaping domestic violence, has experienced a significant increase in the number of pregnant victims in search of help.

Representatives from Century Aluminum address alumina dust emissions. Representatives from Century Aluminum and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control were on hand Monday night to discuss the alumina dust that has been floating across portions of the city Goose Creek.