Citizen challenges HCBOE on COVID-related issues

On Tuesday, January 12, the Houston County Board of Education held their first meeting of the new year.

On the board’s agenda were many mainstays including the approval of minutes, board member comments and department reports. Tuesday, longtime employees of the school board were also honored. Mr. Fred Wilson and Ms. and Mrs. Helen Hughes were unanimously voted upon to retain their positions as Chair and Vice Chair for the 2021-2022 school year. However, the agenda met with controversy under point 11, “Persons Who Wish To Address The Board.” That’s when Calypso Hess, who has been a regular challenger of the board since the start of the pandemic, rose to speak.

“I came here to give many of our teachers a voice,” Hess boomingly began. “I am not a teacher, but I also cannot be threatened into silence as many of them are concerned. I was going to be obnoxious and read off a couple dozen statements I received from teachers and staff in this county, about how they’re scared, frustrated, overwhelmed and feeling let down by this board, but I realized this would be falling on deaf ears. If words had the power to sway you, it would already be done. Instead, here I am telling you how I feel about the leadership during this crisis as the numbers continue to soar in our county.”

Hess went on to say, “You forced parents to make a choice back in November, when numbers were steady, if they wanted to return in person. Then you wouldn’t let them change when the numbers were six times as bad. You asked for mercy and grace through the process, but you showed none when families needed to change their education settings as their needs changed. Now you’re at 83% in-person enrollment, and 100 teachers or more are [COVID-19] positive or quarantined as of last week’s reports, with zero hospital beds available. Zero.”

Moving on, Hess explained, “We weren’t really sure which schools were the worst here because the reports show little information and have been proven usually wrong. And additional leave for quarantines for teachers were not provided, so teachers are encouraged to hide their exposure or sickness to avoid using their own leave.”

Hess expounded, “Your administrators and teachers look up to you for guidance, but what I have heard from dozens of teachers, is that they all say that you simply disappeared. Budgeting for a box of supplies totaling perhaps $25 for teachers to use for the entirety of the school year. Most of them are buying their own Clorox wipes, sanitizer and some have been told they have to bargain for paper towels. Our bus drivers are now on normal school bus loads of 30 to 50 children, crammed into all but four seats on the bus, and are expected to work until the day a positive test comes back.”

Hess went on to add, “They look to leaders in our community to set examples of behavior. They look to our pastors, our politicians and even our school board on how to act in this county, but rarely do they seem to pay attention to our doctors. It was a doctor you consulted on reopening the schools when the surrounding counties started to go virtual. The insurrection led by our president at the capitol last week only further illustrated the power leaders have to influence a community into action. How a single voice held in high enough regard, could take falsehoods and blatant lies, and elevate them into truths. Truths that people would die over.”

Hess said, with a tinge of surprise, “As I looked at the recordings, I noticed that, up until today, all of you still weren’t wearing masks. And the version of social distances is still not accurate. Why weren’t the board meetings in masks? It is like your entire board was pretending that the virus wasn’t real, that it was a flu or a hoax. Something finally changed, but I do still see board members without masks.”

Hess continued, “Your lack of guidance is getting people sick. Your refusal to provide firm and honest information leads to distrust, confusion and parents making decisions based on false assumptions. Your lack of leadership is encouraging the children that masks aren’t necessary inside of school and your example encourages them to believe that it is not necessary outside either. Lack of scientific and medical knowledge on this board and the refusal for outside consultation will eventually lead to the deaths of our most precious resource: our educators.”

Hess closed with, “My final statement is this: you’re not doing your jobs and as a risk mitigation specialist, a mother of a student and a tax-payer, I think you’ve all failed our community. You get to hide in your home offices while our staff gets sicker. You refuse to face the public that you helped corral into the cesspool of unfettered hypocrisy. We need servants on our school board, ones that listen to our community and make decisions based on what’s best for all of us, not what’s convenient and non-confrontational. We need doctors, scientists, public health experts and leaders with backbones. We don’t need seat warmers. You have failed at your responsibilities, and I humbly request you to resign.”

Hess then left the podium and took her seat amidst a small amount of applause from audience members.

There was no immediate direct response to her accusations from the board members.

HHJ News