Will Knecht, chairman of the New Hanover County GOP, attempts to talk down an angry protester. “General bullshit is spewed out without any foundation,” the man, who declined to share his name, said. (Port City Daily photo/Alexandria Sands)
NEW HANOVER COUNTY –– Hundreds of charged protesters crowded the entry to the New Hanover County Board of Education meeting Tuesday evening. Most were aware the school administration was only permitting 50 people inside the building at a time due to Covid-19 precautions. Still, they arrived in large numbers an hour early in hopes of squeezing through the door before their rivals.
Around 5:30 p.m., protesters elbowed toward the front of the building as a sheriff’s deputy ordered the group to back up. By the time the meeting started, the room filled, although it was unclear who had been brought in. The members of opposing political groups –– including the New Hanover County GOP, the lowercase leaders and education activists –– wer
Published May 6, 2021 at 4:25 PM EDT Listen • 49:59
On this episode of The Newsroom:
New Hanover County Board of Education Chair Stefanie Adams and Vice-Chair Nelson Beaulieu, discussing how students are doing after a year of pandemic conditions, and sharing their thoughts on the redistricting process.
WECT Journalist and Host Ashlea Kosikowski, helping to break down the North Carolina law that often blocks the release of law enforcement video like dash and body-cam footage.
Supervisor for the New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District, on the possibilities of urban farming something that may see a resurgence under Wilmington s revised land-use code.
Links for this episode:
Amanda White said she expects teachers will resign after this school year.
After a whole school year of adjusting to a regularly shifting learning environment because of the coronavirus pandemic, she said teachers are tired and frustrated.
“It’s been a lot,” said White, president of the New Hanover County Association of Educators.
And as schools finish up their second week of offering all three learning options – entirely in person, hybrid or entirely remote – White said their passion for their students is the only way teachers will get through the remainder of the school year.
Last month, the New Hanover County Board of Education voted to allow middle and high school students to choose what learning plan they wanted. While the board said that would allow flexibility for students, especially those who have part-time jobs, for teachers it’s meant trying to create lessons that engage students in multiple different learning options and working straight th
The dais of the New Hanover County Board of Education.
Earlier this month, Board of Education Chair Stefanie Adams took a moment during the regular meeting to address the arrest of two employees for sexual abuse of students dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. Some appreciated that she spoke up, especially as a contrast to the silence of previous boards. But others took issue with the fact that she made no mention of the alleged victims. The issue is, to say the very least, complicated and board members don’t all see it the same way.
The arrests of