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Parents urge district intervention at Palm Charter over bylaws and election concerns
Summary
Speakers at the Horry County Board meeting accused the Palm Charter School board of rewriting bylaws, delaying promised elections and removing a meeting video; they urged Horry County Schools to use its authorizer authority to ensure fair elections.
During public comment at the December Horry County Board of Education meeting, multiple speakers urged the district to intervene at Palm Charter School over alleged bylaw changes and delayed elections.
Laurel Douglas said she has raised concerns repeatedly and accused the Palm board of creating new bylaws to keep current members in power and of failing to hold promised elections. Rick Rivers, representing a concerned parents group, asked why a recorded board meeting video had been removed from the district website and said the authorizer had not forced Palm to hold fair elections.
Board procedure: Chairman David Cox reminded speakers that public comment is intended to bring issues to the board’s attention; the board does not respond during the forum but will direct the superintendent to follow up within two weeks if possible. No formal board action on the Palm concerns was taken during the public meeting.
Why it matters: Public commenters asked the district, as Palm’s authorizer, to enforce charter oversight responsibilities, including ensuring elections and bylaws comply with authorizing agreements and law. Speakers framed the issue as a matter of accountability and democratic process for the school’s governance.
What happened next: The public comment period concluded and the board moved to executive session; members later reported no decisions were made during the closed session. The transcript does not record a direct response to the allegations during open session.
