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To the editor:

I attended the School Board meeting on June 11, 2020.

I was extremely disappointed in how the censure of board member Sherri Story went. When the other board members were given their time to speak on the charges, they also used that time to attack her personally and talk about her prior teaching position, neither of which were included in the charges. When citizens addressed board members, they were reminded not to insult members and show respect. Clearly our board members did not follow their own rules they set forth that night. The chair should have taken control of the meeting and not allowed the personal attacks.

I also was surprised when a letter from a previous disgruntled student was allowed to be read at the meeting. I thought if you had something to say to the board, you had to attend the meeting. Mrs. Story was an excellent teacher who only wanted the best for her students. When you take AP and IB classes, you should expect to be challenged. That is the nature of those courses. I also was surprised to find out that board members are expected to vote on items when they are not provided with all the information needed to make an informed decision.

Mrs. Story is just trying to inform the citizens, and that should not make the other board members uncomfortable. The citizens of Suffolk need to start holding board members accountable and demand transparency. Our students deserve the best education to make them productive citizens.

Valerie Barnes

Suffolk