Resident urges broader public participation, alleges some board ties to Moms for Liberty
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Summary
At the Feb. 10 Rock Hill Schools business meeting, Lonnie Harvey told trustees the district’s public‑comment rules prevent viewers from raising issues not on the agenda and urged a transparent inventory of books distributed by schools; he also alleged some trustees have pledged to Moms for Liberty — a claim the board did not address in detail during the meeting.
Lonnie Harvey, representing the Northwest NAACP, used the public‑comment period at the Rock Hill Schools business meeting on Feb. 10 to press the board to allow broader citizen participation and to request transparency about books distributed by schools.
"My concern is the inability for citizens to actively participate in communicating with this body," Harvey said, arguing that viewers who spot issues while watching remotely cannot raise them unless they are on a posted agenda. He asked the board to provide an inventory of books that have been given away at the start of the school year and a record of replacements so the public can compare them to titles targeted by national groups.
Harvey also raised an allegation that some board members had "pledged" to the group Moms for Liberty, saying one board member, Robin Owens, was excluded from an event and that exclusion was tied to disagreement with what he called the group's positions. The board did not produce a response to the allegation during the meeting.
Chair Miller moved the agenda forward after public comment; there was no formal board action on Harvey's requests during the meeting. Board policy on citizen participation, as described during the meeting, allows members of the public to sign up in advance for three minutes of comment on agenda items. The chair reminded the public about the district’s communications sign‑up process for speaking to topics outside regular commentary windows.
The meeting record shows Harvey raised concerns about perceived censorship and requested library inventory information; the board did not vote or direct staff during the business meeting to produce the inventories or to investigate the specific allegation about the event inclusion or affiliation with Moms for Liberty.
Next steps noted in the meeting material included general reminders about how to sign up for communications to the board; the agenda did not include follow‑up motions tied to Harvey’s requests.