Residents press board on Leandro funding, K–2 suspensions and enforcement of decorum at meeting

A string of public commenters urged the New Hanover County Board of Education to back the Leandro school-funding plan, stop out-of-school suspensions for kindergarten through second grade and consistently enforce decorum rules during public comment. Speakers including retired teachers, pediatricians and parents cited Leandro — the long-running state school-funding litigation — as a vehicle to secure more resources, saying quality education is linked to long-term health and economic outcomes. Lindsey Maitland, a retired pediatrician, told the board the Leandro plan “supports quality public education, which is as fundamental to a child’s health as it is to their academic success.” Several speakers urged revision or stricter enforcement of board policy 4351 to end out-of-school suspensions for 5- to 7-year-olds, calling for trauma-informed and restorative alternatives and for data collection to track outcomes. Commenters said that while the board adopted policy changes previously, the district needed a clear evaluation of results, including suspension rates, academic measures and any unintended consequences. A separate and prolonged exchange addressed enforcement of the meeting’s decorum rules. Members of the public challenged the board’s approach after a recent meeting allowed a speaker who critics said made hateful remarks. Board counsel cited Fourth Circuit precedent and advised the chair that the board may prohibit “harassing comments that are harassing or amount to a personal attack,” so long as application is evenhanded. Board members debated the line between protected criticism of officials and personal attacks that could be curtailed under board policy. Board members and counsel told the public that speakers who do not follow decorum can be asked to reframe comments or be removed if they become personally harassing or disruptive; the board recorded multiple points of order and rulings during the debate. Several commenters said the board should consistently enforce civility standards rather than tolerate what they called hate speech. The board did not take formal votes on Leandro resolutions or on suspension-policy changes during the meeting; several speakers urged the board to return with reports and measurable evaluations of how policies are working. The board’s chair reminded attendees of the policy text that allows commenters to criticize individual board members but bars personal attacks that are harassing or disruptive, and said questions about enforcement could be referred to legal counsel.