To the editor:

According to reports in recent issues of The Tidewater News, three members of the Franklin City School Board did not attend the crucial meeting of the board Oct. 11 to discuss and vote on the issue of the “60 minimum grade” policy.

This controversial program was implemented this academic year in the school division without board approval.

Reports also indicated that the three absent board members have not accounted for their failure to attend that important meeting.

Serving on the Franklin City School Board is, indeed, a privilege and an honor. It also carries with it a promise to provide leadership in public school governance for the benefit of all children in the division. If board members do not attend meetings (especially one as important as the one last week) and fail to account for their absences, then they are conveying the message that they no longer care about the students, parents, teachers and citizens of Franklin.

They should resign immediately and make their seat available for someone who does care and is willing to work for the best interests of the division.

I, as much as anyone, am aware of the various political influences that pressure board members, especially in Franklin. But school board members must rise above politics and do the right thing for the students. If you are not willing to do so, then please step aside and allow others who are willing to do the hard work for all those affected.

Robert N. Holt
Franklin, N.C.

Editor’s note: The letter writer chaired the Franklin School Board from 1995 to 1999.