COLUMBIA – Weeks after brushing aside adopting greater accountability measures for their own conduct, the Richland Two school board voted 6-0 for similar conduct rules for district staff. On March 26, board members combed through the five-page policy, which lists numerous behaviors classified as “misconduct.” Many behaviors focus on teacher-student interactions. Board vice-chair Monica Elkins-Johnson […]
Update: R2 board member claims harassment
March 28, 2019 By
Bender: “Public officials have to expect feedback from constituents.” COLUMBIA – Another spat involving a Richland Two board member and law enforcement is further fueling criticisms of elected officials already marred by mounting ethical and legal issues. Columbia area resident Gus Philpott is identified as the subject in a harassment complaint he says Richland Two […]
R2 ethics debate smolders
March 14, 2019 By
Residents: Some R2 Members Could Face Charges COLUMBIA – Calls for the resignation of Richland Two board members once again punctuated an otherwise mundane agenda filled with student appeals, a diploma petition and votes on policy revisions. And this time, one resident says some board members could face criminal charges for failing to comply with […]
Editorial: Long, Ineffective Meetings Mark R2 Board
March 7, 2019 By
Richland Two board members spent almost half an hour debating how items are placed on the agenda. And that was before the agenda itself was even approved. After that, the Feb. 26 board of trustees meeting followed a familiar pattern – an overstuffed agenda, persistent questioning and complementing of each other and lengthy executive session […]
New calls for R2 Chair’s resignation
February 28, 2019 By
Parent Asks Board If Daughter Can Ignore Her Detention COLUMBIA – Calls for Richland Two board chair Amelia McKie to step down continued Tuesday night, with three residents saying she should step down, citing nearly $52,000 in ethics fines she owes. Local Realtor Gary Dennis also criticized the board for shooting down a policy revision […]
Richland 2 Board awash in discord
February 14, 2019 By
Members Vote 4-3 Against Removing Officers For Cause COLUMBIA – Despite several members facing ethical and criminal sanctions, the Richland Two Board of Trustees voted against a policy designed to increase their accountability. On Tuesday night, the board voted 4-3 against a board policy revision that would have empowered the board to discharge office holders […]
Update: R2 Board member arrested
February 7, 2019 By
COLUMBIA – A Richland Two school board member has been criminally charged for her role in an altercation that involved a state senator, the senator’s sister and spouse of the school board chairwoman. Monica Elkins-Johnson, 51, of Columbia, was charged Thursday with disorderly conduct, according to online police and court records. On Jan. 31, Elkins-Johnson […]
Surveillance video of arrested Richland Two School Board Vice Chair Monica Elkins-Johnson
January 31, 2019 By
COLUMBIA – Richland Two school board Vice Chair Monica Elkins-Johnson (seen in the surveillance video wearing a pink jacket) was arrested Thursday and charged with disorderly conduct. The altercation occurred Jan. 22 following a school board meeting at the Richland Two Institute of Innovation on Fashion Drive in Columbia. School Board Vice Chair Monica […]
Updated: R2 Board meeting ends in melee
January 31, 2019 By
COLUMBIA – An altercation involving a state senator, the spouse of the Richland Two school board chair and a second board member, erupted following a recent board meeting, according to public records obtained by The Voice. The skirmish resulted in two separate police reports being filed against the subject (the reported school board member), whose […]
