A.P. Dillon – Moore County Edition

Dec

28

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Group files lawsuit against Governor’s School following controversial firing

NewsAlliance for Defending Freedom, David Phillips, Governor's School, professor firing, staff firing

RALEIGH — A lawsuit has been filed in Wake County against the state’s prestigious Governor’s School by the Alliance for Defending Freedom on behalf of English professor Dr. David Phillips following his “mid-session” termination in 2021. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is a non-profit based in Arizona. ADF describes itself as the “world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and parental rights.” The North Carolina Governor’s School is a summer residential program lasting four weeks for “gifted and talented high school students, integrating academic disciplines, the arts, and unique…

Dec

21

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Moore County’s new school board brings back valedictorians

NewsMoore County Schools, valedictorians

RALEIGH — Moore County’s newly elected school board elected a new chair and voted to bring back honoring valedictorians at its meeting on Dec. 12. Even though Moore Schools’ board is nonpartisan, the majority of the new board is Republican. At the swearing-in of new members earlier this month, Robert Levy was installed as the new chair and David Hensley as vice chair. There was ample discussion over restoring the honoring of salutatorians and valedictorians during the meeting. During the debate, Hensley noted that the members of the previous school board had ended the practice of allowing students to compete…

Dec

07

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Under new management: Moore County Schools swears in new board members

NewsEducation, Moore County Schools, new board members

SEAGROVE — Moore County Public Schools installed three new school board members at a ceremony held at Westmoore Elementary held on Dec. 5. The full event can be viewed on the district’s YouTube channel. The new additions were touted on the district’s holiday parade float, which carried a banner that read “under new management.” A total of 83 school boards had elections this year in the state, with 41 of them being partisan races. Republicans swept all seats in 21 of those 41 races, while Democrats only swept three. Moore’s school board races were nonpartisan; however, the new members are all Republicans…

Nov

22

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Former teacher claims hostile work environment under Moore middle principal

NewsMoore County Schools, moore middle school, work enviroment

RALEIGH — A former Moore County Public Schools teacher claims the principal of Crain’s Creek Middle School is responsible for creating a hostile work environment, particularly when it comes to student discipline issues. The claim comes on the heels of over a dozen student fights caught on video, threats of mass violence by students attending the school, and complaints by families of students who were injured during an assault by another student. Crain’s Creek Middle School’s principal is Melonie Jones. She took over as principal of the school in July 2018. Jones is currently making $8,490 a month, or around…

Nov

09

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Parent says her middle school student was ‘choked out’ in lunchroom

NewsMoore County Schools, school fighting, school violence

RALEIGH — A parent with multiple children attending schools in Moore County says one of her children was bullied by another student. Brittney Jackson told North State Journal the bullying got so bad the student attempted to “choke out” her son in the lunchroom at Elise Middle School. “He literally won’t even wear a string in his sweatshirt anymore because he’s tired of this kid choking and with it,” Jackson said. She also said the student was now threatening “to kill him and bring a gun on school property.” According to Jackson, she’s gotten the runaround from the school’s principal,…

Nov

02

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

NC Treasurer announces largest one-time supplemental bonus for state retirees

NewsFolwell, state employees, state retirees, supplemental bonus

RALEIGH — N.C. State Treasurer Dale Folwell announced the largest one-time supplemental bonus for state retirees of an additional four percent in this month’s payment. The bonus will go to benefit recipients of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSRS), Consolidated Judicial Retirement System (CJRS), Legislative Retirement System (LRS) and the Local and Governmental Employees’ Retirement System (LGERS). “The TSERS, CJRS and LRS payments were appropriated by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Roy Cooper. The LGERS payment will come from retirement funds,” said Folwell in a press release dated Oct. 25. “The LGERS one-time supplement was approved…

Oct

26

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Altercations in Moore County middle school caught on video

Newsaltercation, Facebook, fight, middle school, school fight

RALEIGH — Multiple videos posted by the Instagram account “Cantfinddisacc” show nearly a dozen fights recorded by students at Crain’s Creek Middle School in Moore County. The videos surfaced in September and early October and the account now appears to have been deleted. North State Journal staff downloaded and reviewed the videos which show both spontaneous fighting inside and outside classrooms on the middle school campus as well as seemingly planned fights on school property. 13-year-old Noah Ashburn displays his bruises after being assaulted by a classmate at Crains Creek Elementary in Moore County on Oct. 7, 2022. Image courtesy…

Aug

31

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Leandro case: Motion to dismiss appeal by intervenors cites Assoc. Justice Earls’ own recusal order

Governmentanita earls, Leandro case, nc supreme court

RALEIGH — On Aug. 23, legislative leaders filed a motion to dismiss certain plaintiffs from the decades-old Leandro education funding case that has made its way to the N.C. Supreme Court. The motion, filed by attorney Matthew Tilley of Womble Bond Dickson LLP on behalf of lawmakers, argues that the claims of the Plaintiff-Intervenors, also called the Penn-Intervenors, are “not at issue in this appeal.” Furthermore, the motion asserts the plaintiffs can’t be considered “a party aggrieved” and that their appeal should be dismissed for “lack of appellate jurisdiction” because the only claim they have made “was severed from the…

Aug

24

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Duke legal clinic inserted itself into Moore Schools book controversy

Newsbook controversy, Duke University, legal clinic, Moore Schools

RALEIGH — A June 10 letter reveals that Duke University Law School’s First Amendment Clinic inserted itself into the ongoing fight over alleged obscene books found in Moore County Public Schools. The letter was addressed to Moore County Board of Education Chair Pam Thompson along with the rest of the board members and was signed by Benjamin Rossi and Sarah Ludington of Duke Law’s First Amendment Clinic (DLFAC). In their letter, DLFAC takes aim at two books successfully removed “Life is Funny” by E.R. Frank and “Looking for Alaska” by John Green. DLFAC’s letter claims the “removal and banning of…

Aug

11

2022

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By A.P. Dillon

Moore County Schools ends contract with Panorama; get refund

Government, NewsEducation, Moore County Public Schools, Panorama, public schools

RALEIGH — Moore County Public Schools has dropped its survey platform contract with Panorama Education, a company that produces “Social and Emotional Learning” data analysis, surveys, and related materials. Moore County School Board member David Hensley posted a graphic on his official Facebook page describing efforts he and board members Robert Levy and Philip Holmes had taken, resulting in an apparent refund of $122,280. In Spring 2021, the Moore County School Board voted 4-3 to sign and fund a three-year contract with Panorama. Hensley, Levy, and Holmes voted against it. Sometime in the months after that vote, the district’s superintendent…