Union County school board chair asked to resign following social media controversy

Union County Board of Education chairperson Melissa Merrel is being called on to resign, just one day after former board member Travis Kiker announced his resignation.

Kiker resigned after posting offensive images on his personal Facebook account, several of which mocked NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace. Merrel called the images “insensitive” and “inappropriate,” but many members of the Union County Public Schools community called Kiker’s posts racist in social media comments.

Stallings Town Councilmember John Martin publicly called for Merrel’s immediate resignation on Tuesday, after a screenshot surfaced allegedly showing Merrel had liked one of Kiker’s posts. “Other members of the UCPS board have some additional culpability here, as at least one other member liked one of the more racist posts,” Martin wrote in a statement Tuesday.

After calling for Merrel’s resignation, Martin emphasized the need for substantial change on the school board. “We need a fresh approach and fresh set of eyes, ones that represent the diverse community we share,” he wrote, “We need a board that is willing to use the word ‘racist’ when referring to blatantly racist posts made by their members.”

In addition to Merrel liking one of Kiker’s posts, which has not been verified beyond the evidence in the screenshot, Martin accused Merrel of acting too slowly in response to the situation. “Our children deserve better and we as adults must do better ourselves,” Martin wrote.

Merrel offered an explanation for the board’s slow response, saying that all members were busy with graduation ceremonies last week. But Martin and others members of the UCPS community didn’t accept that answer.

“Given that Mrs Merrell appears to have liked at least one of these posts and multiple board members had every opportunity to see these posts, it’s difficult to excuse the delayed response,” Martin wrote in an email to the Observer.

One Twitter user expressed her disappointment in the board as well, tweeting “every single statement made by the Union County School Board is atrocious and unconscionable,” including “their inaction due to ‘preoccupied with graduation.’”

In an email to the Observer on Thursday, Merrel wrote that she has “absolutely no recollection” of liking Kiker’s post, and she does not intend to resign. She acknowledged the possibility that she accidentally clicked the “like” button while scrolling through social media, or while investigating the posts.

“I find that post offensive, and I in no way support the negative stereotypes and imagery,” she wrote, “I think Mr. Martin’s continued attacks are ludicrous, and I do not intend to resign from the incredible work we are doing to serve the students, staff and families in Union County Public Schools.”

In her email, Merrel also reiterates that UCPS has plans to form a Citizens Advisory Committee on Diversity to address issues of diversity and inclusion in their schools. “I hope this initiative will bring about positive change,” she wrote.

The initiative was voted on and approved in a special called Board of Education meeting following Kiker’s resignation Monday morning. Candice Sturdivant, a Black woman and the nine person board’s only minority member, said in the meeting she supports the initiative and would like to assist however she can.

Sturdivant is disappointed and saddened by Kiker’s actions, she said. “I assumed Mr. Kiker was an extremely nice individual, until his hatred spoke louder,” Sturdivant wrote in an email to the Observer. “I do not and will not approve of board members that are allowed to make racist comments,” she wrote, “I continue to pray that I’m not surrounded by racist board members.”

In an email correspondence regarding his statement calling for Merrel’s resignation, Martin stressed that he wants the focus to remain on UCPS students, particularly those from a minority background. The makeup of the UCPS student body during the 2019-2020 school year was 59% white, 12% Black, 19% Hispanic, and 10% other ethnicities. “This is not about me, this is about the kids and supporting them,” he said.

Martin thinks significant steps need to be taken to help support those students, he said.

He would like to see the school board take part in an extensive diversity training program, and hold public meetings with the various minority student groups in the school district.

Martin also referred to the recently announced Citizens Advisory Committee on Diversity. “If this committee is under the leadership of any of the folks on the current BoE who were aware of Mr. Kiker’s posts prior to action being taken, including Mrs Merrell, the impression is left that this is a token move by the BoE. I sincerely hope that is not the case,” he said.

This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 5:01 PM.