In a mistaken identity case, a South Pike School District employee’s child was wrongly suspended from school, but the board did not take action after hearing from the mother at the school board meeting Thursday morning.
“They made my child stay at home for three days for nothing. This is not my child,” said Crishonda Martin, pointing to a suspension form. “My child still doesn’t have a referral or write-up for what she’s supposed to have been suspended.”
Superintendent Johnnie Vick said Martin’s concerns were addressed in the executive session and the matter has been “handled appropriately,” but couldn’t share further details about the circumstances of the suspension.
Martin said she got on the school board’s agenda after consulting the Mississippi Department of Education for help.
“I was supposed to have been on last month’s agenda,” said Martin, a bus driver for the South Pike School District. Her child was suspended on Sept. 14. “They thought I was going to let it die down, but I’m not going to let it die down.”
In other news, the board:
• Accepted a donation of a 2004 Ford car from the Pike County Sheriff’s Department.
“Sticking with the Sheriff’s motto, this is one of the partnerships we talked about,” Chief Deputy Johnny Scott said. “We partnered with the school and we want to make sure we look out for the school.”
Vick said he wanted to thank the school board of trustees for allowing the district to partner with the sheriff’s department.
• Upheld an expulsion recommendation.
• Approved donations to South Pike High School from Sankofa Academy, Harrell Family Eye Clinic, Anthony Witherspoon & Allstate Insurance Co., John Ott Law Firm, What a Combo Inc., MS Cancer Institute, Sanderson Farms Inc., and the Pike County Jackson State Alumni Chapter.
• Approved Eva Gordon Lower Elementary’s field trip to Amite, La.
• Approved business manager DeLorean Hall’s request to pay all district employees using administrative leave for the emergency closing day on Sept. 5.
• Approved transportation director Warren Banks’ request to begin disposing of five used buses owned by the school district.
• Approved advertising for bids on the playground equipment at the old Fernwood school.
• Approved retirement of Williams Whitehead of maintenance.
• Accepted resignations from South Pike High School English teacher Sharon Magee and South Pike Jr. High boys’ basketball coach Latonja Lenard.
• Hired substitute teacher Alice Henry, certified tutor John Culpepper, English teacher Rebecca Carl, custodian Vernell Thompson, junior high boys’ basketball coach Garrett Necaise, high school assistant girls’ basketball coach Candace Felder and substitute bus drivers Derek Martin and Karen Island-Brumfield.
