Frustrated parents, who attended a school board meeting in Grand Ledge, allege that their actions have been distorted by the leaders of the school board.
While the parents were visibly upset with the decisions from the school board members, the parents contend that Sara Clark Pierson, president of the Grand Ledge School Board, is misrepresenting their actions.
In a recent interview with WILX, Clark Pierson claimed the meeting was forced to end because parents rushed at the school board members and compared the event to the January 6th riots at the U.S. Capitol.
“It really smacks of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. And I think many of us on the board felt that we had just experienced a mini Jan. 6th,” she told the news station.
However, in a report by The Michigan Capitol Confidential, numerous parents and other media reports disagree with her claims.
“I was present at the June 14, 2021, Grand Ledge school board meeting. At no time did I witness anyone crowding board members’ personal space while screaming or shaking their fists. To have such accusations leveled at a large group of concerned parents, who were exercising their legitimate rights to address school board policies, is inaccurate and insulting. And quite, honest flat-out lies. If it was so scary for our board members, why did [Grand Ledge Superintendent Marcus] Davenport, [trustee Patrick] McKennon, [trustee Jon] Shiflett and [trustee] Ben [Cwayna] all stay for 45 minutes to an hour after the meeting to talk to parents in the auditorium?” Erin Jones, a parent who has removed two of her children from the district but still has one enrolled, told The Capitol Confidential.
“At no time did I ever see parents or anyone take over the stage, raise their fist at the board or scream 3-4 inches from (board members) faces. These false accusations from board President Sara Clark Pierson never occurred,” added parent Amber Redman.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “School board meeting” by Channel 21.
https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/school-board-member-says-presidents-claim-parents-rushed-meeting-stage-never-happened