NEW HANOVER COUNTY — An activist and mother of a New Hanover County student received a reduced ban from the New Hanover County school board on Monday following a trespass order filed against her in November.
With only two meetings under their belt, the new school board held a special meeting Monday to hear Sandy Eyles’ appeal of her trespass notice. It prohibited her from attending board and committee meetings for 12 months beginning Nov. 3.
READ MORE: Local activist banned from NHCS board meetings for disruptive behavior to appeal before board
After nearly three hours of hearing and debating the parties’ arguments, the board voted to uphold NHCS administration’s decision, yet reduce the timeframe from the maximum 12 months to just under eight. Eyles will be able to return to meetings after June 30.
“I don’t think this trespass can solve any problem that could not have been solved with a two-minute phone conversation,” Eyles said to Port City Daily. “I think the purpose of this was to hurt me and to silence me.”
Three members voted against the motion. Vice-chair Pat Bradford advocated to stick with the full 12 months, Melissa Mason advocated against the ban altogether, and Stephanie Walker sought a compromise, albeit a shorter ban than the one passed.
Eyles was banned for “disruptive behavior.”
On Sept. 20, Eyles and former board member Stefanie Adams were involved in a verbal altercation sparked by social media comments and a Facebook message exchange between the two women. Law enforcement moved to stand between the two women, yet did not speak to or restrain Eyles; however, Eyles’ aggressive movements and yelling was cited as a disruption.
Then on Nov. 1, Eyles had another outburst and yelled from the back of the Board of Education Center in response to a comment Adams made during the meeting. Adams claimed some people were scared to speak at board meetings due to the presence of activists. Adams told Port City Daily last week she meant both activists from the left and right, but Eyles interpreted it to mean her.
The altercation ended when Eyles was asked to leave by law enforcement, according to the hearing testimony from administration.
Two days later, NHCS Executive Director of School Safety Charles Silverstein issued the trespass notice on behalf of the district Superintendent Charles Foust. Eyles appealed to Assistant Superintendent for Operations, Eddie Anderson, who issued his decision to uphold the ban on Dec. 1. Eyles then filed her final appeal before the board.
During her oral presentation Monday, Eyles claimed she was acting in self-defense, and while she regrets letting her emotions get the better of her, she said Adams “used her power — her imbalance of power — to bully and harass” her. Eyles cited Adams first messaged her on Facebook, first approached her at the Sept. 20 meeting, and made the activist comment on Nov. 1 as the inciting events.
Still, the district maintained that despite the conflict between Adams and Eyles, the latter’s behavior was still unexcusable. The trespass notice states Eyles’ behavior “constitutes a serious safety concern for NHCS staff and board members.”
Anderson, who represented the district during the hearing, also noted staff found Eyles to be the only threatening presence in both incidents.
“I do not agree that Ms. Adams acted in an aggressive or threatening manner,” Anderson said during the hearing.
Board member Stephanie Walker disagreed.
“We cannot ignore Adams’ behavior,” she said.
She cited the policy, 5020, which Eyles violated. It also stipulates board members should “promote mutual respect, civility, and orderly conduct among school system employees, school board members, parents, and the public.”
While Walker agreed the district should not tolerate disruptive behavior, she advocated for a compromise. Eyles does not have a record of problems at school board meetings, she noted.
Still, a majority of the board argued policy is policy.
For Bradford, it was Eyles’ second disturbance that solidified her stance on upholding the district’s decision. She said watching Eyles’ behavior on video was “unnerving.”
“There has to be a consequence,” she said during the hearing. “If it was one time, maybe it would be different.”
Bradford also asked if Eyles was familiar with the Bible verse from First Corithinians 13:4. As she began to explain its contents, board member Stephanie Kraybill called a point of order and said she thought the question was out of line.
“I don’t think we’re debating religion at this point,” Kraybill said.
Along with board member Josie Barnhart, Kraybill joined the consensus that the district’s decision was fair judgment, despite Eyles’ sincere, and at one moment tearful, presentation.
“If we are going to start not following our policies when it’s too hard to make a decision or because we feel bad for somebody or because they cried in their testimony, then I just don’t think that’s appropriate,” Kraybill said.
However, Kraybill agreed to end the ban after the school year’s conclusion, but noted it was important to do that because the board “has a lot of things on the table for change.”
The one board member in favor of a complete overturn of the administration’s decision was Melissa Mason. She said she didn’t believe Adams’ behavior matched with the actions of someone being threatened, but was also concerned about Eyles’ ability to exercise her constitutional rights.
“We cannot be violating anyone’s First Amendment rights,” Mason said.
While she will not be able to attend in person, Eyles will retain the right to watch the meeting virtually and communicate with the board members and district staff outside of board meetings.
Open meeting’s law outlines any person is allowed to attend a public meeting. The North Carolina Court of Appeals case Garlock v. Wake County Board of Education explained “the open meetings law is satisfied as long as the public body takes ‘reasonable measures’ to accommodate members of the public, even if some of them are not actually able to attend.”
Eyles told PCD her husband will speak on her behalf at school board meetings through the next six months.
“I will still be watching from home and participating in every way possible,” Eyles said. “Whether that is emailing, distributing information publicly on social media, still meeting with various groups and working on strategy — I will do everything I can to hold this board accountable.”
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at brenna@localdailymedia.com
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