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CONTROVERSY FLARES AGAIN
Placard-carrying mothers demonstrated at Mars Hill High School
Tuesday morning in protest of the firing of Principal Ralph Neill Jr.
Some of the school's bus drivers who went on strike today drove empty
buses bearing signs of protest to the school and parked them. Referring
to the 30 teachers who announced they would resign if Neill leaves,
some of the signs read "Let's Keep Neill And Our Teachers." Only a
boutone fourth of the schools 383 students showed up for classes
Tuesday.
Bus Drivers
(Continued From Page One)
apparently made Monday after
- Wam Bailey's lampoint-
men. He said he and several
members of the faculty Had eraea
Monday night to persuade some
of the drivers to make their rounds
but he drivers i&ey were able to
contact refused to calft off the
strike.' 1
Most of 4he drivers (are students
either of the school or of Mara
Hill College. One school student
driver, Joyce Haimiin, and an adult
driver, Truman Crane, were the
two drivers who made their rounds
this (morning. The bus driven by
Jack Slagle, an adult driver, is out
of order.
Neill said another bus report
edly had a flat Aire while making
its rounds and that it had not ar
rived at the school at 9:30 a. m.
Some of ,' the i drivers brought
their buses to tihe school and park
ed them across ithe road from the
building. Those buses bore signs
and placards leading "We Want
Neill" and "Keep Politics Out of
Our School" '
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(Continued From Page One)
exactly what had ibeen siaid' in a
conversation held previously by
the two mien. Dallas Herring,
etate board chairman, rapped
them to order and instructed
them .to leave personal exchanges
out of their presentations.
At the conclusion, the state
board's initial reaction (indicated
it coulLd do little if aoyitivifig, a
bout the local fight. But dt still
held a copy of the changes made
by Duok and filed . it .. with the
board at Herring's request.
Meanwhile, Duok told reporters
a formal, written request for an
investigation by (the NCEA has al
so been filed with tfne NCEA of
fice here. The NOEA board meets
June 12 and is expected to con
eider it then.
Duck and two others made the
protests to the State Board of Ed
ucation Thursday, while a former
(Madison superintendent and pre
sent state employe testified as to
iNeill's qualifications.
Dr. Robert Seymour of OhapeO
Hill, former pastor of 'Mars Hill
Baptist Ohttrdh, declared Weill's
character above reproach and
said he was a man "respected land
active, in the leadership in the
community."
The minister (then made these
charges:
"In Madison County, ttie teach
ers Mive under fotimddation. The
tenure of the teacher's employ
ment is dependent umon their ca
tering to the whims of whatever
political group is ttn the saddle.
The school system has been abus
ed by political groups through the
years."
Bobby Hugh Robinson, a crad
uate of the high school last year,
now a Mars Hill College freshman
amid state president of the N. C.
(Future Farmers of America.
spoke up for Neill as a 'Waat
man" who has done much for the
students of the school. He read
this statement, attributed to Mars
Hall College Dean R. M. Lee.
which Robinson said was made at
an earlier mass meeting: "I think
the school has the best principal
ana faculty at has ever had."
The qualifications of Neill were
vouoned for by William Peek, for
mer Madison superintendent, un
der whom Neill worked in Modi-
eon for about 10 .yeats. "I found
nas work rto be sue(rior." Peek
said. ' . i . i
Duck told the board "we are of
the opinion that this could be an
other facet of the Canape bill at a
lower level . . . and that would
have definitely tended to lower the
sianaaras of education."
(The bill referred to was intro
duced in 1969 by former State
Sen. Albert CJanipe of Mitchell
Oounty to provide alternate stand.
anas other than those da state
school regulations for a countv
superintendent in Madison Coun
ty. This had followed Peek's leair.
ing Madison after a dispute arose
and the Madison board proposed
'nuirng a superintendent unable to
meet (the state standards.)
Duck then read six alleged vio
lations or state law. These charg
ed the school board and la maiori.
y of the Mars Hill school com.
mittee with acting to lower edu
cational standards and that the
'dismissal of Neill bv the riiot.nW
committee was "engineered'' from
outside the school district; that
'fife (school comfmititea failed jf
take its oath of office (until it had
already begun a formal meeting
April 28 at which it eleetat An
other principal, knowin(g he could
or wouta not accept; that the com
nittee had violated a statute an
der which its members could be
removed from office; iShat Neill
wias fired . without anv stated
cause; that he was actually fired
because be (refused (two years
go) to let teachers- be solicited for
political 'contributions ' during
school hours and that some school
construction had been improperly
engaged in without competitive
bidding. " -
' 13ie group petitioned ihe state
bowrid to ''deday approval of Fred
W. Anderson as superintendent
until it' has investigated the de-
ploraUIie conditions in the Madison
County schools, and at Mars Hill
in particular." r:
Rep. Liston B. Ramsey, appear
ing as IMIsdison Democratie execu
tive Committee head, (took issue
with the fund-raising charges,
and Duck at that point made Ae
acknowledgement that the alleged
incident had occurred (two years
ago, before Ramsey became head
of the party. Ramsey also said
Duck had misquoted turn before
Senate education Committee
Wednesday ilien lie said Eamsny
j , 1-9 !Mf' ' 1
t
SENIOR HONOR STUDENTS at Walnut High
School are Jan Plemmons, left, valedictorian, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. James W. Plemmons; and Gail
Faulkner, salutatorian, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. &us-,
tin Faulkner, Miss Plemmons has an average of 96.44
and Miss Faulkner's average is 94.71 for four iyears
in high school. Other honor students of the class are
Eva Joyce Norton, Mary Baker, Johnny Rigsby, Judy
Blankenship, Nicky Roberts and Elizabeth Worley,
Cut CewrUay CUizenTinut ;
told Buck that in making appoint
ment of (the Mladison (Board of
Education under the omnibus edu
cation bill, he had to follow Sec.
38 of the Democratic plan of or
ganization; which, I said to him,
Is, in effect, a book.
Buck conceded the correctness
of Ramsey's version and said he
hadn't tried to quote Ramsey ex
actly. The conversation had taken
place the might before the Senate
hearing, when Duck apparently
had tried to persuade Ramsey to
help legislatively.
Ramsey said Duck had (never
made it clear previously in public
statements that the (alleged solici
tation was a two-year-old incident.
He said as to the Mars Hill com
mittee's action, "I did not name
them, but they are honorable men.
I have not and I will not apologize
for maiming t'ne county board, for
they are honorable men, too."
Ramsey otherwise took no sides
and stated his . .position was ac
tually "a third side."
Ponder said he had not expect
ed to find the "whole school sys
tem of iMadison County in Ra
leigh. I apologize that this large
group, tnaiveled this far to wash
linen. I think it's absurd. The
state has 2,000 pfrfUiiopafo and
your board certainly can't be ex
pected , to hear . everybody who
wanta i to (apgue j. ahttttf '" aoma of
them. 'JV-v-V:'':
I (highly resent local or out-
aide people making ; insinuations
before ftSie state board, fev refer
ence to what Mr. Seymour said.
I challenge you (the other, group)
to submit the name of any teach
er in Madison County who has
been intimidated."
Ponder said although Dr. Duck
had insisted several times' itihe in
cident was political, it thud not
been until "Dr. Duck succeeded in
injecting politics into At," He call
ed off the past political activity
of several of the iMars Hill Citi
zens Committee present with Buck
and said "I don't believe some of
you would cMm to being immune
to politics. It looks to me like the
Citizens Committee has " become
some old pro politicians with some
assistance of some lovely PTA
women."
Ponder said Br. Duck in the
pi let "has sought my help in try
ing to get on the Mara Hill com
mittee," but under the school
board's policy, the member from
Mars Hill named the district com
mitteemen. "The member from Mars HSU
hasn't seen fit to (nominate Dr.
Duck. If he did, I'd second it" -
Neill, Ponder said, is a good
teacher and "did a good jdbf at
Walnut, where he formerly was
principal. "I wias chairman when
Mr. Peek recommended him for
Mars Hill High School . . . I sold
Neill to .the Mars Hill people, and
immediately a 37-car carayan Sod
by the mayor came to Marshall to
protest. . . . You might say, iwe
crammed Neill down the throats
of the people at Mam Hill. Some
found him so be completely digest
ible. Others dU.ioi ' , After, iive
years of telling some of the peo
ple that it was a matter of get
ting , o know him, I no longer
know what to tell them when ma
ny are still dissatisfied.
. Dr. Buck came to me before
the Mare Hill committee met and
pleaded for me to help keep Mr.
Neill. I told Dr. Duck that I had
talked about it with Mr. Neill and
that he and I had agreed, and (hat
Mr. Neill felt, that if his staying
there depended on outside help,
he would rather go."
Ponder said Dr. Duck at one
point itareatene.1 he would rpend
e:,cc3 to LSp l. p i-.
t r-it f: ' 1 1, , -.,n
0 O
BLOODSHED
BOX SCORE
-
ON N. C. HIGHWAYS
O
Raleigh The Motor' Vehicles
Department's summary of traffic
deaths through 10 a. m., Monday,
May 8, 1981:
Killed to date 837
Killed to date last year 362
Singing
The regular 2nd Sunday night
singing will be held at the Mar
shall (Free Will iBaptist Church,
Sunday, May 14, at 7:30 o'clock.
Mr. Lyda Brown will have charge
of the singing.
All singers and listeners are
cordially invited to attend.
ed debate, with Dr. Duok insist
ing he'd said he'd fight to keep
,Neill if he had to borrow money
to do it. Herring called the vig-'
aroua debate to a halt.
. Touching on the threat of 30
Mars Hill teachers to resign over
Neill'e firing, Ponder said Mars
HJ11 has a surplus of -teachers and
could fill the state allotment for
Hhe school easily."
!J.He,.said ofthe district school
xtnimittee, "I have not asked them
to vote for Neill and have not and
wui not asK ivnem to toxc lor ny
teacher."
He introduced Brown Ammons,
one of the . committeemen, who
said "it's a known fact that Ralph
Neils is a good tnan and a good
principal,; and it's also a known
flaot hat there's been differences
between him and the superinten
dent. The committee felt it might
be a good idea to replace him. I
think youll find the committee
has acted within ito xifeht. .' The
members of the school committee
are just as interested im good
schools as these other people and
I know we can find just as good
a man as (Mr. Neill, and tmaybe
better, who will continue to give
us a good school. I assure . you
and them, that we'll continue' to
have ' a high-level of education
and a good school."
t Gene Reese, another - committee
member,, said the committee had '
felt that 'Hvith this much con
troversy and disagreement sur
rounding him," Mr. Neill could :
not be retained.
Herring told both groups that
the state board's authority "in
personnel matters is extremely '
limited, if At exists at all. It'
seems to me to be some thing you
will m to work out,"
Br." Charles P. Carroll, state ?
superintendent of public instruc-
- - - ii . . . im )j
involved in (the disputewthe judg-'
tnepit , of the school r committee I
and whether X leg)al -procedures '
had been followed. Hs asked, "Do '
any of you see ; any possible
chamee of reconciling your dif-ferenes'!',Wt-
a p ; . .. :j
Ponder replied that "if the PTA
will 'assume its proper role of
supporting the local committee
ws '1 will have no controversy. '
Duck said "its the principle we'er
working for, not necessarily Mr.
Neill, the principal." '
,H later issued a statement to
reporters saying, in part: "I have
nothing against Fred Anderson
personalty. I think he is a CIuLt
ian gentleman doing a fine job as
he (understands it. None of us. .ob
ject .to Fred Anderson tin f.
We wish merely to curtail V e
office of superimteindent t y.
rarHy."
And Ponder vowel ito
Anderson, ' 'ari; -j "a
rie ij r i 1 " ) ij i '
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