Wayne County Board of Education will continue closed hearing on principal dismissal April 27

The chair of the Wayne County Board of Education said at the start of a special-called meeting that the session was convened "to hear the superintendent's recommendation for the dismissal of a contract principal," and moved that the board enter closed session to consult with legal counsel and address matters required to be confidential by law.

The board voted to approve the motion and entered closed session under the legal authorities cited by the chair. The chair referenced North Carolina statutes and federal law as the basis for the private hearing and consultation with counsel, and said the closed hearing was being held to consider personnel and confidential student matters.

Before moving into closed session, the board handled routine procedural business: members approved the meeting agenda (the chair clarified the motion had been made by Mr. Latham and seconded by Mr. Sanders) and later removed an item to approve minutes from a prior special/resumption meeting after a board member questioned whether it should appear on the agenda.

After the closed session, the board returned to open session briefly and announced it would recess from the closed hearing and reconvene April 27 at 12:00 noon at the Central Office on Royal Avenue to continue the special-called meeting and then return to closed session at that time. There was no public vote recorded on the underlying personnel recommendation during the April 13 session.

The continuation on April 27 is the next procedural step; the board did not record a final decision on the superintendent’s recommendation during the April 13 meeting.