The letter below was sent to the Richland District 2 Superintendent on November, 2016, and I received confirmation that it was received. Beyond that, the District has made no reply to my inquiry.
I am John Miles, a 63 years old engineer licensed to practice in 14 states. I have owned and operated a consulting engineering firm in Blythewood for 16 years. Both my daughters graduated from Blythewood High School, and I feel they received a good education there. I have never involved myself with Blythewood or Richland County educational matters, preferring to leave that to you professionals who I thought to be more qualified than me, and I presumed you all had the children and taxpayer’s best interest at heart.
That all changed last week when I was loading groceries into my vehicle at the Blythewood Food Lion. I saw nearby in the parking lot a District 2 Activities bus, which aroused my curiosity. I approached the driver, and asked what the bus was doing at the Food Lion, and was told it was there to deliver disadvantaged children to the grocery store. The driver was courteous as was I, and our conversation was cordial. Before I finished loading my groceries, a second
District 2 bus arrived. I approached the second bus driver to ask what her bus was doing there, and she was quick to let me know that I have no right to be concerned about what District 2 is doing with their buses. After some discussion she informed me that she was transporting students to the Food Lion.
Approximately 3 hours later, two men with large caliber guns on their sides rang my doorbell and told me I was under investigation for talking with the bus drivers at Food Lion. They were professional and courteous, and one of them seemed a little embarrassed to be on such a fool’s errand, but I got their spoken and implied message. The message is that anyone who questions the spending or other actions of District 2 can expect to be investigated by
Law Enforcement. I have heard many good things about you, and would be willing to bet that is not the message you want sent out. I am sure that intimidates many people, but I have nothing to hide, invited them into my home, and in some ways enjoyed their visit.
The fact that you are transporting students to the Food Lion for whatever purpose is not my primary complaint. The fact is that these two fine officers would not have come to my home unless someone had told them I was a threat to them and/or the students on the bus. In other words, one or both of your drivers may have said things about me that were not true. I respectfully request that one or both of these District 2 employees provide to me an apology for this.
