Public commenters press board to reconsider Williams Middle naming and raise special-education concerns

During the public-participation period several speakers urged the board to reconsider a facility-naming decision and raised concerns about the district’s handling of special-education services.

Charles P. Fox and James Williams (president of the National Racial Justice Network) asked the board to reconsider a request to name the Williams Middle School gym after the late John H. Carey Jr. Fox said a petition with "a couple [hundred]" signatures has been gathered and requested a copy of the district's naming policy. Williams said the family had been denied due consideration and requested that the administration provide Ms. Carey with John Carey’s work record.

Loris C. L. Jones, speaking as a parent and longtime advocate, described two Florence 1 students placed on extended home-based services and said one student is owed "over 300 hours of compensatory services" and the other "more than 1000 hours," asserting that the district has repeated IDEA violations and asking what board-level accountability measures will be taken to prevent ongoing violations and ensure parents' meaningful participation in IEP meetings. Jones asked what policy exists to protect parents from bullying or intimidation during special-education processes.

Board members thanked speakers and noted their concerns would be recorded. The board did not take immediate action on the naming request during the meeting; public commenters asked for follow-up and for records to be made available pursuant to the district’s policy.