Patron tells Conway board 'hypocrisy' drove inconsistent discipline; board asks speakers to avoid personnel specifics

During the public-comment portion of the Nov. 11 Conway School District board meeting, patron Jimmy Kevin used his allotted time to press the board on what he described as "hypocrisy" in how the district has handled allegations of racial slurs tied to a coaching incident.

Kevin cited investigators and named district staff and board members, said multiple players and one coach used the slur in statements or complaints, asked why the board had not suspended or expelled students who used the word and contrasted that response with prior personnel outcomes. He also criticized the decision not to livestream a hearing and referenced a widely viewed article about the matter. The board president interrupted and asked Kevin not to speak on personnel matters during public comment. Kevin concluded by inviting individual board members to participate in a public podcast discussion about the incident.

No board action on discipline was taken during the meeting; the board responded in the moment by reminding the speaker of personnel-related constraints and later moved to executive session to consider employment and resignation matters (a separate item on the agenda). The transcript shows the public-comment allegations were not resolved in open session.

Attribution: Public comments recorded in the meeting are from Jimmy Kevin; the board president and other board members interjected but did not substantively debate the claims in open session. The district has not recorded a public hearing outcome on the allegations in this meeting transcript.