Charleston Co. Schools board members concerned after attempted censure

CHARLESTON, S.C. – A week after the Charleston County School District Chairman attempted to censure a board member, she is calling the entire situation and allegations an attempt to take her off the board.

Attempted Censure

A news conference was held Monday for school district board member Darlene Roberson to share her side of the story after the board’s Chairman Keith Grybowski attempted to censure her. Three other minority board members, Dr. Carol Tempel, Daron Calhoun, Courtney Waters and community advocates took the opportunity to show their support of Roberson.

“Last Monday was to shame and publicly embarrass me as a direct consequence of my desire to protect and serve the district,” Roberson said. “It is my personal belief that this was an attempt to politically assassinate my character, dim my light, to silence my voice, to silence the collective voice of my constituency.”

Seeking Legal Advice

During the meeting last Monday, Grybowski accused Roberson of violating policy for asking the district’s lawyer a question without the board’s approval. On Monday, Roberson said the reason she sought legal advice was for highly sensitive information that was shared with her on April 19. If true, the information would have had negative implications on both the professional and personal levels for those individuals involved.

A district lawyer also added at the meeting that there is no rule that prevents a board member from asking questions.

Community Advocates’ Concerns

Community advocates at the news conference shared their concerns over this situation with some saying it was racially motivated. “I want this to be perfectly clear, that what we saw inside of the chambers here on the night of June 24, was a public lynching. It was a lynching of South Carolina to the Charleston County School District Darlene Roberson,” Community advocate and pastor, Thomas Dixon said.

Reaction from Grybowski

In response to the censuring and news conference, Grybowski said he stands by his vote.