Lakota Schools 'disappointed' over latest incidents with board member Darbi Boddy
BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WKRC) - Lakota Schools had to issue a notice of trespassing to one of its own board members on Thursday. This comes after the same board member was asked to resign the week before when she posted a pornographic link on her public Facebook page.
The board says Darbi Boddy went into Liberty Early Childhood School and Lakota East High school on Wednesday without properly signing in, and without an escort.
Boddy claims it’s part of her responsibility to visit, but the district says she’s not above the rules and the safety of the students.
“I feel like there’s no accountability for her actions,” said one mother of two in the district, Heather Cameron.
Cameron says when it comes to Boddy's actions, she's alarmed, but not at all surprised.
“It’s just worrisome to me," she said. "I wouldn’t want anybody just roaming around the school, much less somebody that loves to start controversy."
Boddy was apparently taking pictures of signs and murals in the hallways.
“I’ve heard that it’s anything that had to do with pride, or rainbow, or pictures that had things that said this is a safe space, those kinds of things,” said Cameron.
The school district issued a statement saying, in part, "Lakota board member Darbi Boddy blatantly disregarded Board Policy 9150 and its administrative guidelines, which requires all school board members give prior notice to a school’s principal before visiting any building. We are disappointed in Mrs. Boddy’s actions. We will not tolerate behavior that violates our policies and procedures."
Boddy did not offer a comment, but she did make a post on Facebook, saying that the school's claim is absurd, and that she's been going into the schools since her swearing in. She said it's imperative for her to have full access to schools to understand what's being taught.
She also said it is "incredibly sad and telling" and "it describes a panic" when the district claims she's in violation of school policy.
In other Facebook posts, she has said pornography and Critical Race Theory are being taught in classrooms across the country, and she was trying to tell people what to look out for in the Lakota district.
“It’s worrisome to me especially because she’s made statements like, 'I just want to protect the children,'" Cameron said. "I don’t know what she wants to protect them from."
Even though the school board voted that Boddy resign immediately, school boards in Ohio do not have the authority to remove their own fellow board members.
Lakota Superintendent Matthew Miller sent the following message to parents in the district:
While some may question why such a seemingly steep action was taken against Mrs. Boddy, let me explain. We welcome our parents into our schools; we welcome our community into our schools; and we certainly welcome our school board members into our schools -- as long as they follow safety procedures and policy. These are not difficult. They involve alerting building administrators of the interest in visiting and setting up a time that is convenient for all involved.
Yesterday, this did not happen. This is also not the first time that Mrs. Boddy has ignored board policy, nor is it the first time she has disrupted learning in our schools. Our decision was not made lightly and was done in consultation with law enforcement.
There is a board meeting Monday at 6:30 p.m. Boddy is expected to be there, as she is still refusing to resign.
She has said that the pornographic link she posted to her social media page was a typo.
