Residents call for DeSoto County school board member Michelle Henley to resign over character letter
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Summary
Public commenters at the DeSoto County School District board meeting urged the resignation of board member Michelle Henley, saying Henley wrote a character letter supporting a convicted offender and that the letter undermines trust in her duty to protect students.
Several residents used the meeting's public-comment period to demand the resignation of DeSoto County School District board member Michelle Henley, alleging she wrote a character letter supporting a convicted sex offender.
Pam Petro, who identified herself at the meeting, directly urged Henley to step down, saying the district's families "deserve much better." "For the sake of our students, our families, and the integrity of this district, I respectfully ask that you do the right thing and step down," Petro said during her five minutes of allotted comment.
Katie Sasser, who also spoke in public comment, recounted that Henley wrote a character letter for Lindsay Whiteside prior to sentencing and said such letters are intended to influence judicial outcomes. "You used your position on the school board twice trying to sway the judge with your position and perceived power," Sasser said, adding that continued support for the offender signaled poor judgment.
Board members did not take immediate disciplinary action on the floor of the open meeting. The chair later called for a motion to enter executive session to consider student and personnel matters and other requests to appear; the board voted to go into the closed session, with one member absent. The motion was passed after the public-comment period concluded.
The public speakers asked the board to weigh whether Henley's actions conflict with her duty to protect students and whether continued service is appropriate. The board's next procedural step, as recorded in the meeting, was to consider personnel and student matters in executive session; no formal public vote on Henley's status was taken in open session.
The meeting record shows that members routed several individual requests to appear into executive session because they involved students or employees; the board indicated it would follow up after the closed session.
What happens next: the board moved into executive session to discuss the items listed on the motion. The public record from the open meeting does not show any disciplinary vote or resignation at the meeting's end.
