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Students and parents urge Columbia CUSD 4 to reconsider Mary Adams's departure as board cites personnel confidentiality
Summary
Dozens of students, parents and former students told Columbia CUSD 4's board that the loss of CHS English teacher Mary Adams will harm AP instruction and college prospects. The board said the resignation preceded any board action and noted confidentiality rules limit what it can disclose.
Dozens of students, parents and former pupils urged the Columbia CUSD 4 Board of Education on Monday to reverse or clarify the resignation and personnel action involving Mary Adams, a longtime Columbia High School English teacher whose departure students say has disrupted AP instruction.
Many speakers said the change was prompted by social media posts made on a private account and criticized the district''s response. "We are left with hurt hearts, essays we can no longer write, and projects we can no longer turn in, and most importantly, an abandoned English education," said Molly Mlan, a senior in AP literature and composition, who spoke on behalf of classmates. Several other students described classroom loss, emotional distress and a decline in AP offerings.
Parents and former students framed the personnel matter as a broader community concern about online harassment and policy consistency. "My two children have been in Mrs. Adams's classes for the past four years," said Emily Velnowski, who described the teacher's role in preparing students for college and scholarships. Community leader Carrie Clayton, a former CHS teacher, said the district has lost "13 district administrators and at least 34 high school teachers in just over a decade," and asked why threat reports and complaints have been handled inconsistently.
The board president responded that federal and state confidentiality rules limit what the board and administration can say about specific personnel matters and that the resignation "was submitted prior to any board meeting and was not result of board action." The president told the audience the board's role is to accept or acknowledge resignations when submitted and that it has no legal authority to force a resignation without due process.
Administrators had placed Mary Adams's resignation on the consent agenda that the board approved later in the meeting. The consent agenda, which included her resignation and several hires and leaves, passed on a roll call vote with five members voting yes: Adam Himkin, Andrea Corey, Greg Meyer, Lisa Schumacher and Tyson Search; two members, Norine Friedrich and Kelly Moyer, were absent.
Speakers at the meeting repeatedly requested clearer district policies on employees' private social media posts and on doxxing and online harassment. The board said those policies and personnel procedures are constrained by privacy laws and the need to protect individual rights, and reiterated a commitment to civil discourse and support for staff. The board scheduled no further action on the personnel matter during the meeting; it added that written correspondence it had received would be circulated to members.
The meeting record shows the public comment period concluded before the board accepted the consent agenda. No formal reversal or disciplinary action was recorded at the meeting; the board later adjourned following a closed executive session and reported no action taken in open session as a result of the closed session.
