| Updated: 8/28/2009 7:44 pm |
Published: 8/28/2009 4:09 pm |
There were heated words from a Pulaski County Special School District board member. Mildred Tatum says she is outraged over how the district's acting superintendent suspended a principal without her or any other board member's knowledge. Even parents are speaking out.
Earlier this week, FOX16 reported the suspension of Mills High School Principal Mike Nellums, just one week into the school year. Now, the board member who represents that area is questioning how and why he was suspended in the first place.
School board member Mildred Tatum isn't holding back in a three page letter to Acting Superintendent Robert McGill regarding his suspending Nellums.
"You should have taken the courtesy to inform me that you had taken the action. I should not have heard this from parents and teachers first," she wrote.
Some parents agree.
"As a parent, if there is an investigation going on of an administrator, if something is going on within the school, I believe we as parents have a right to know because our tax dollars do support the schools,” said Tina Dobbins. "The previous principal has moved on and we now have a new principal who is about creating a learning atmosphere for our children and you've come in and disrupted that."
Dobbins applauds Nellums’ work as a principal and parents wonder what is behind his suspension.
"Through my following of his previous administrations there within the district, I really believe that it's personal. It's personal and maybe I dare to say politically motivated," Dobbins said.
Other parents are drawing their own conclusions.
"If he did do what they said he's doing, I feel he doesn't need to be a principal anywhere. I feel like he doesn't need to be in the school system period,” parent Linda Perkins said.
She believes the suspension is over more than personal feuds or politics.
"You don't get suspended just for saying something harsh to a student or just suspending a student. It's got to be something harsh in there,” Perkins said.
Regardless the reason for the suspension, Tatum isn't pleased with how it was handled, saying "your actions are inconsistent with the kind of leadership, common sense, and good judgment the board as a whole expects from its superintendent.”
Board President Tim Clarke says Tatum's letter is "inappropriate" and that board members shouldn't be involved with personnel issues. But in her letter, Tatum says by suspending the principal without coming to the board first, the principal wasn't given right to appeal as defined by board policy.
Tatum mentions personal vendettas in her letter to the superintendent and the fact that the principal shared concerns about building improvements with her. But no one is confirming the exact reasons behind his suspension. McGill says police are not involved in the investigation, so it doesn't appear to be a criminal matter.
The PCSSD board has another emergency board meeting scheduled next month. District officials are only saying that meeting is to discuss "discipline." McGill said the Nellums will be suspended until the investigation completes. He had no comment about the letter from Tatum.
