Several parents and former teachers urged the DeSoto County School District Board of Trustees on Nov. 6 to demand the resignation of board member Michelle Henley after she submitted a character reference in a criminal case involving a person convicted of crimes against a child.

Pam Caprill, a resident who requested to appear during the meeting’s public-comment period, said: "No school board member should ever support someone who has been indicted for a crime against a child in their district." Caprill said Henley’s letter "went against what you were elected to do and provide to the students."

Tyler Littlejohn, who identified himself as a stepfather of the victim and an educator in the district, told the board: "You wrote that letter to soften the judge's heart to give mercy to a person that committed a [child sex] crime." Littlejohn said Henley "didn't do your research" and that her actions harmed community trust in board judgment.

Hope Hughes, who identified herself as a former teacher in the district, said teachers and administrators "are mandatory reporters" and asked how staff could support "both a [convicted offender] and children." "We cannot and will not support those who protect pedophiles," Hughes said, calling for Henley and any district employee who wrote similar letters to resign.

Katie Sasso, who said she is a survivor, told the board: "You made that letter. You got on the stage. You looked that victim in the eyes as she recounted what happened to her. The board has asked you to resign. We have asked you to resign." Several other speakers made similar calls for resignation and asked the board to pursue policy changes to prevent district employees from writing support letters in such cases.

Board leaders announced that public requests involving employees or students would be handled in executive session; some speakers had earlier been advised their remarks implicated personnel or student matters and would be addressed in closed session. The board later moved to consider a closed session to discuss student-discipline and personnel matters.

The speakers who addressed the board identified themselves as residents, parents, former teachers, and relatives of an identified victim. They repeatedly said Henley’s letter had been read in court and that the writer had opportunities to retract the letter; commenters characterized the letter as a failure of judgment by an elected official. The meeting record shows multiple public-comment speakers and multiple requests to move personnel- or student-related matters to executive session.