Resident raises custody and records concern after school released child; district to follow up

During the public-comment portion of the July 15 meeting, a resident, Tim Sherrill, described an incident in which he said school staff removed a parent's name from the school system and released a child to a father without verifying the family’s updated court documents.

Sherrill, who identified himself as a part-time resident and a former Wilcox student, said he and his family have an ongoing custody dispute and that updated court paperwork naming him a legal guardian was on file. He said school staff "literally erased the name" and released the child; he described paying legal fees and ongoing litigation. He said he believed the incident could be a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) violation and asked the district for names and contact information to pursue the matter.

A district official told Sherrill that the pertinent parties would reach out and that staff would have conversations to address the issue. "What will happen now, sir, is you provided your contact information included in a phone number when you signed in? ... So what will happen, the pertinent parties will reach out to you," the official said. The district asked Sherrill to re-sign and said someone would contact him "in the next couple days" to discuss what records the district has on file and next steps.

The board did not take a vote or make a formal finding on the complaint during the meeting. The transcript records the resident's allegations and the district's commitment to follow up; no outside documentation or final administrative determination was announced at the meeting.