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AUGUST 10–16, 2023
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COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Teacher’s rights, books dominate school board public comments
From left, Blu Burleson, Mardy Burleson and Kathleen Harper sit together during the Beaufort County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, August 1, in Beaufort. Delayna Earley/The Island News
By Delayna Earley The Island News The audience was a sea of white and “Support Educators” stickers during the Beaufort County Board of Education meeting on August 1. Thanks to the Families Against Book Bans (FABB) organization, dozens of parents, concerned citizens and school district employees came out to the 6 p.m. Tuesday meeting for one reason – to support the two teachers that had said they would be speaking during the public comment section of the meeting. The two teachers, Kathleen
Harper and Mardy Burleson, both teachers at Hilton Head Island Middle School, spoke to the school board regarding their personal experiences with Hilton Head Island parent David Cook. Cook, who has been an outspoken supporter of permanently removing the 97 books that are currently being reviewed for content and appropriateness, allegedly began harassing the two teachers for different reasons due to things that happened in their classrooms. Beaufort County School District (BCSD) held their August Book Review Committee meeting on
Wednesday, August 2, and of the 68 books that have gone through the review process, four have been removed for the next five years, two are returning to the review process due to tie votes, and 62 books have been returned to Beaufort County School District library shelves. On Tuesday during the school board meeting, 13 community members spoke in person during the public comment session. They spoke in support of the teachers and they spoke out against the book bans.
SEE RIGHTS PAGE A4
LOWCOUNTRY LOWDOWN
LOLITA HUCKABY
New school reflects on past, hope for future
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BEAUFORT n the sweltering heat Monday, a little bit of local history was made. It was the official ribbon-cutting for the public school district’s newest school – the Robert Smalls Leadership Academy – and several hundred students, parents, school officials, elected representatives and taxpayers were on hand to witness it. It was in 1993 that the Robert Smalls Middle School was expanded to add students from the former Shell Point Elementary School, becoming the Robert Smalls Leadership Academy for kindergarden through 8th grade. The new structure, designed to hold approximately 800 students, replaces the 38-year-old campus which still stands adjacent to the building. The older building, built in 1985, will be removed and
SEE LOWDOWN PAGE A5
Officers conduct a sweep in the hallways at Lady’s Island Middle School during a multi-departmental active shooter simulation on Thursday, August 3, 2023, on Lady’s Island. Photo courtesy of Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office
Preparing for the worst Beaufort County holds active shooter simulation prior to start of school year
By Delayna Earley The Island News More than 400 first responders from Beaufort County, as well as employees from the Beaufort County School District and Beaufort Memorial Hospital, took part in a large-scale, multi-departmental active shooter training exercise on Thursday, August 3, 2023, in Beaufort.
Beaufort County public safety agencies have participated in active shooter training for 14 years, but this was the first year that a parent and student reunification scenario and a patient surge scenario at Beaufort Memorial Hospital were included in the training. These active shooter training scenarios are planned by an active shooter working group where repre-
sentatives from the different law enforcement entities, the fire department and emergency management services (EMS) come together to plan how they will respond if there is an active shooter or any other event that would cause them to lock down the schools. According to Capt. Will Angelo,
SEE SCHOOL PAGE A5
NEWS
EDUCATION
VOICES
INSIDE
Opponents to Pine Island golf course seek to join legal battle in Beaufort County.
Robert Smalls Leadership Academy holds ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Carol Lucas: Now is the time to look closely at Constitution.
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