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NHCS students to weigh in on controversial employees' standards of conduct policy

When Schala Harper, staff representative of Student Voice, said she didn't want 4004 on the "chopping block"; Board Member Josie Barnhart nodded, mouthing that it was (1:00:28)
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When Schala Harper, staff representative of Student Voice, said she didn't want 4004 on the "chopping block"; Board Member Josie Barnhart nodded, mouthing that it was (1:00:28)

At Tuesday’s New Hanover County Board of Education meeting, members voted to let a student organization weigh in on changes to the district’s professional standards for employees. There was strong pushback from some board members, including a move by Josie Barnhart to disband the student group rather than hear from them.

*This article has been updated to add statements from Samin Bhan and Schala Harper.

During the meeting, board members discussed allowing a presentation from Student Voice — a student leadership organization that was created in 2022.

Representatives from this group say they hope to comment on potential updates to the school district’s professional standards for teachers and staff. The proposed policy changes have been controversial, with critics concerned it could be politicized and used against teachers.

One of Student Voice’s leaders, Samin Bahn, said their planned presentation would give a student perspective on the issue.

“Our objective was to collect a stratified sample of student opinions regarding this policy as it directly impacts students’ education,” he said.

Bahn said Student Voice conducted over 60 interviews with middle and high school students — and that they hope to contribute valuable student feedback to the upcoming board’s policy committee on Tuesday, January 16.

Board Member Hugh McManus agreed, “Our sole purpose is to support our students.[...] We need to listen to them whether we agree with them or not, [...] and we should listen to them more. That’s why we have a job. That’s why we’re here.”

Board Member Josie Barnhart, who chairs the policy committee, objected, saying there was still too much work to be done on the professional standards policy.

“When you’re talking about a collaborative effort, when you get feedback, it’s part of the process to change and address the areas of concern. That has not been done,” she said.

The origins of the proposed policy 7205, which has been debated since September 2022, has remained a mystery. In public board meetings, Board Attorney Jonathan Vogel said the policy didn’t come from him; Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes said it didn’t come from the district either.

Itemized legal bills offer some clues. An item from September 11, 2022, mentioned 7205 specifically: “Review draft policy 7205 received from Committee Chair J. Barnhart, telephone call with T. Wallace re: same, revise draft policy 7205, and send email to J. Barnhart re: same.”

The day before, a billable item indicates Barnhart asked Vogel to “conduct legal research re: limitation of display in classrooms and schools and draft proposed language.” That two hours and ten minutes of research cost $493.50. The total cost to deal with policy committee issues cost the district $1,668.50 for September.

Related: NHCS Superintendent pushes back hard on professional conduct in policy committee

Barnhart said she would vote against hearing from Student Voice — prompting concern from Board Member Stephanie Walker.

“I don’t understand what we’re concerned about here; why would we not want student feedback? [...] What we’re discussing here is whether Student Voice has a voice when it comes to policy. [...] There should be no fear or opposition to any feedback students give us at all,” she said.

Board Member Stephanie Kraybill also pushed back; first addressing that the board decided to host a public hearing on the closing of the Career Readiness Academy high school program at Mosley where students, staff, and the community will be able to voice their concerns to them, so why not hear from these students, too? (The Mosley hearing will be on Tuesday, January 16 at 5 p.m. The board has yet to release details for the event.)

“It is written in our policy 4004 that the students are allowed to give input, and to Ms. Barnhart’s feelings, it really doesn’t matter, but it’s written and we have to do it, until such time that our policy needs to be changed, we should not be denying any portion of our community with their right to speak up,” she said.

That’s when Barnhart attempted to get rid of Student Voice, talking over Kraybill: “Can I make a substitute motion to terminate policy 4004?”

Kraybill referenced board policy (2330), saying to Barnhart, “You are not allowed to make policy motions with an amended agenda.”

According to that policy, if members want an item of business placed on the agenda it must be received at least six working days before the agenda review meeting. The policy also stipulates that at a regular meeting, “the board may, by a majority vote, add an item that is not on the proposed agenda before the agenda is adopted. After the agenda has been adopted, a two-thirds vote is required to add an item to the agenda.”

Recently, Vice Chair Melissa Mason used this process at an agenda review meeting to place a motion for the dissolution of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee on the board's next meeting agenda (the motion passed).

At Tuesday's meeting, Schala Harper, the staff representative of Student Voice, also weighed in.

“They don’t want 4004 on the chopping block; they just want to be a part of the process and have a seat at the table. That really is just their ultimate goal,” Harper said.

McManus also objected.

“I am absolutely astonished and floored that one or more board members are saying, so I hope every student I hope is listening to this, ‘We don’t want to hear what you have to say.’ That’s basically canning what’s going on,” he said.

At one point, McManus told the members a student had influenced board policy in the past, “We apparently banned a book because a student complained to her mom.”

That’s when board member Pat Bradford said, “Mr. Chairman, point of order; we’re way off topic here.”

Board Chair Pete Wildeboer agreed. He then asked Barnhart to restate her motion to disband Student Voice, and Harper interjected, “Can I ask a question, what did we do?”

That prompted Wildeboer to say, “No, m’am. We’re not going to have…”

After the confusion was sorted, Barnhart’s motion failed to get a second and didn’t move forward.

Afterward, Wildeboer gave Bhan a chance to make a statement to the board,

“We’re just trying to be informative; we’re trying to provide you guys with evidential data from the student body, which is obviously crucial to board members of education, so we’re really not trying to do anything in a negative sense at all; we’re just trying to help provide the information to help you make better decisions,” Bhan said.

The board voted 5-to-2, with Barnhart and Board Member Pat Bradford dissenting, to allow Student Voice to present at the board’s policy committee meeting on January 16.

Bradford mentioned initially that she didn’t understand why there were any actionable items related to Student Voice — and Teacher Voice for that matter, saying they are for information only.

After the Tuesday meeting, Bhan sent the following statement to WHQR, “I am grateful that the board approved our request to interact with them at the next policy meeting. We're eager to offer student perspectives to support their decision-making process, and we look forward to a productive dialogue.”

Harper also wrote, “We take pride in the accomplishments, relationships, and support we've cultivated over the past three years. Our optimism for the enduring impact of Student Voice is heightened, and we extend heartfelt appreciation to our esteemed board members for acknowledging our endeavors. Their embrace of our perspectives and granting us a seat at the table has fostered an environment conducive to open and positive dialogue. Our overarching goal is to empower every student, ensuring they recognize the intrinsic value of their voices and are equipped to express themselves with kindness and professionalism."

Upcoming Vogel Law Firm discussion, possible vote

The board also voted 5-2, with McManus and Kraybill dissenting, to table conversation about the Vogel Law firm for their upcoming February meeting. Attorney Jonathan Vogel was hired last year to represent the district, amid questions about his firm’s qualifications.

Two outside lawyers, Jonathan and Leigha Sink, that Vogel had brought on to shore up his firm’s capacity have now walked away and are suing him for breach of contract. Vogel hasn’t commented directly on the suit but told the board recently that allegations against him are politically motivated.

Rachel is a graduate of UNCW's Master of Public Administration program, specializing in Urban and Regional Policy and Planning. She also received a Master of Education and two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and French Language & Literature from NC State University. She served as WHQR's News Fellow from 2017-2019. Contact her by email: rkeith@whqr.org or on Twitter @RachelKWHQR