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Franklin City Public Schools (FCPS) shared the documentation Thursday, June 5, confirming that At-Large Board Member Dr. Reid Harrison had taken his oath of office on June 28, 2024. This move by FCPS was in response to a report that the Southampton Circuit Court Clerk’s Office did not have it on file.

In response to inquiries from The Tidewater News regarding whether or not oaths of office were on file for area school board members, Southampton Circuit Court Clerk Richard L. “Rick” Francis said on May 30, “I do not see one for Reid Harrison (unless he came in within the past 48 hours).”

After double-checking and consulting with staff on June 2, he added, “I nor my staff can find any current oath for Dr. Reid Harrison.”

When reached for comment June 2, Harrison stated, “I have taken the oath of office as required and have documents to confirm this.”

FCPS School Board Clerk and Notary Almeta Davis sent out an email June 5 to Francis, school leaders and The Tidewater News, speaking on behalf of Board Chair Robert Holt.

In the email, which was addressed to Francis, Davis stated, “It has come to our attention that during your conversation with the Tidewater newspaper on Friday afternoon, May 30, 2025, you mentioned that you did not have an oath of office on file for Dr. Harrison unless he had submitted one in the past 48 hours.  

“Upon review of our records, we would like to bring to your attention that Dr. Harrison’s oath of office was duly executed and is on file in our office,” Davis continued. “The document, signed by you on June 28, 2024, confirms that Dr. Harrison personally appeared before you and subscribed to his oath of office. His term officially began on July 1, 2024, and is set to expire on June 30, 2027.”

The signed document was attached to the email in the form of a PDF file. 

“In light of this, we kindly request that you review the aforementioned document and update your records accordingly to reflect the accurate status of Dr. Harrison’s oath of office,” Davis wrote. “Franklin City Public Schools, on behalf of Dr. Harrison, would greatly appreciate your assistance in ensuring that this matter is resolved promptly and accurately.” 

Francis replied to the email the same day, confirming directly with The Tidewater News that “the attached oath of office for Dr. Reid Harrison is authentic and properly bears my signature.

“Obviously, it should be on file in my office, and I have only an apology to you and Mr. Reid as to why it is not among our other oaths (which I will promptly rectify),” Francis added, requesting his apology run in the next edition of The Tidewater News as a correction on the matter.

On Monday, June 9, Franklin Mayor Paul Kaplan also made a point to issue an apology to Harrison.

“My apologies to Dr. Harrison for thinking that maybe he hadn’t taken the oath,” he said.

Kaplan noted that while the matter may not have been mentioned from the dais during a Franklin City Council meeting, he had made the accusation, off the dais, of failure to take the oath based on information that had come from the clerk’s office.

He said that since then, he has received copies of the oath-of-office documentation from both the clerk’s office and the School Board office.

Kaplan reached out to The Tidewater News on Monday evening to convey his public apology.