rftSSMSNfc : ?***? ' , &fol ? * v v "'?** H%&.-i-.&*$i&$!?.*
EDITORIAL
The firing of Scurlock School custodiam Brady Turley
* Friday morning was nothing but a violation of Turley's
constitutional right to express himself. In fact, it was nothing
tless than contemptible.
Of course, the formal statement issued to Turley and others
% didn't say the reason Turley was fired was for writing a letter
to the editor of The News-Journal about the Hoke County
Board of Education's transferring Floyd Caldwell, Scurlock
School principal for the past 14 years. (He was transferred to
the principalship to McLauchlin School effective at the end of
I the present school year.)
What the statement, signed by County Schools Supt. Raz
Autry, gives as reasons for Turley's dismissal are in
v subordination" and what adds up to plain incompetence in
> handling his job, in use of school time, and possibly even
| committing a criminal violation.
Turley said none of these accusations are true and that he
f was willing to take a lie detector test about it.
The statement was not intended for publication, of course,
| but nevertheless it was seen by a number of people other than
Turley and Autry. and it was intended for inclusion in
v Turley's personal file, whose contents are supposed to be
K ? . .
. -? -? ??? "* *
Contemptible Act
confidential.
Autry's statement itself is ironic, in view of Turley's report
of what Autry said at Friday morning's firing meeting in
Caldwell's office in front of witnesses. The report is contained
in a front-page news story in today's edition of The
News-Journal. It also contains Autry's written statement of
the reasons Autry gives for firing Turley.
Autry, according to Turley. told Turley he had "no
qualms" about the way Turley has been doing his job. This
isn't what Autry states in his written list of reasons for firing
Turley.
Autry, according to Turley, also said that no employee of
the county school system has the right to attack a member of
the school board or its representative.
Our reference to Turley's constitutional right refers to the
First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of the press, since
Turley's letter published in this newspaper is concerned.
The letter's strongest "attack" on the school board says,
"The country is currently entering a period of austerity, which
I am in complete agreement with. However, Hoke County
seems to be in a quandary as to the best way to make equitable
reductions in its education budget... It would seem, since the
EDITORIAL
children of Hoke County should be the prime concern in any
and all budget considerations, that some recent moves by the
Hoke County Board of Education contradicts this premise....
Scurlock School's proposed principal transfer is obviously one
of these contradictions.*.." Since Caldwell is being moved to a
lower-paying position, (principals' salaries are based partly on
numbers of teachers employed by their schools), the county
school board must make up the $84 per month difference
between the Scurlock and the McLauchlin positions, under
state school law. and this pay must continue to be made up for
no longer than a year, when Caldwell's pay by reason of length
of service automatically will rise.
The letter also raises the question of the "real reason" for
Caldwell's transfer, which the school board directed in
accepting Autry's recommendations.
Even if Turley's language had been stronger, he still had the
right to express his opinion, by speech or in writing, under the
Constitution's First Amendment.
The only reason for dismissal would be if Turley's feelings
about the matter interfered with his performance of his job.
(See CONTEMPT I BLL. page 15)
The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXXII NUMBER 50 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLIN A
By Hoke School Board
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
$8 PER YEAR THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1981
No Action Taken On Firing, Transfer
Around
Town
BY SAMC. MORRIS
Did you get out over the weekend
before it started raining? The
80-degree weather was w^rm
enough to remove the ache from
k most old bones. I don't know how
much rain we had, but every little
bit helps.
From talking with farmers of the
county, they will tell you that the
dry weather is going to create a
problem if it hasn't already for this
year's growing season.
Let's hope that the April showers
will be soon and often.
? ? ?
^ When you get past 60 years of
age you will see things that will
bring back memories of your
childhood days. This happened to
me several weeks ago as I left the
office and was headed on my
weekly trip to Fayetteville. As I
pulled into Main Street off Edin
borough Avenue the traffic was
somewhat heavier than usual. I had
to step in front of the J.W.
j McLauchlin School and as 1 was
sitting there. I glanced to the left
and was looking at the newly
remodeled building that is occu
pied by Calico Corner and The
Gingham Edition.
This is when the memories of my
school days began flashing through
my mind. I remember a poem that
had calico and gingham in it and
this was on my mind as I proceeded
toward Fayetteville. The name of
I the poem would not come to me.
but the writer of the poem did. His
name was Eugene Field. The poem
must have been in a fourth or fifth
grade reader. It was about a
gingham dog and a calico cat. The
farther down the road I drove
the more 1 racked my brain to
remember how the poem began.
Finally I could repeat the first two
lines:
k The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
Now how would I be able to get
the rest of the first verse or stanza.
Mrs. Dot Cameron said that she
had poems by Field in the library
and would get it for me sometime.
She must have become busy as I
hadn't heard from her for a day or
so.
Then in walked the weatherman.
Robert Gatlin, one day and 1
) mentioned the poem to him. He
couldn't remember the name of the
poem but said he had it at home in
a book of poems. He called me later
in the day and said he had found it
and the name was "The Duel." He
also brought me a copy of the poem
and I now have it on my desk.
The first verse or stanza goes:
The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat:
'Twas half-past twelve, and (what
| do you thinkl)
Nor one nor t'other had slept a
wink!
The old Dutch clock and the
Chinese plate
Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible
spat.
[Never mind: I'm only telling you
what the old Dutch clock declared
is true/].
I Of course the dog and cat had a
" (See AROUND TOWN, page 15)
Fired As School Custodian
Turley Says His Letter Cost Him Job
Brad Turley. custodian of
Scurlock Elementary School, was
fired without notice Friday morn
ing by Hoke County Schools Supt.
Raz Autry for writing a letter
published in The News-Journal last
week, Turley told The News
Journal early Friday afternoon.
The letter, addressed to the
editor, questioned the reason for
the transferring of Scurlock Prin
cipal Floyd Caldwell. The letter
also commented on the pending
transfer in relation to "equitable
reductions" in the school budget.
Turley said Autry told him he
was tired for "insubordination,"
that no employee of the school
system had a right to "attack" any
member of the school board or its
representative. Turley's letter
shows no attack on any individual
and identifies none but Caldwell by
name. "I merely questioned the
judgment (of the school board)"
Turley said. "I voiced the opinion
as a man in favor of another man."
Turley added he did not sign the
petition to keep Caldwell as Scur
lock principal. The circulating of
the petition was reported in the
April 2 edition of The News- Jour
nal.
I urley said Autry fired him in
Caldwell's office in the presence of
Caldwell. Joe Soles, head of the
county schools' maintenance de
partment, and Frank Richards,
Scurlock assistant principal who
also teaches a class of the fourth
grade there.
He said later Friday he received
two weeks' severance pay following
the firing.
Turley also said Autry told him
he was finished on the job when he
Brad Turley
Turley left the office. Earlier in the
incident, he said Autry told him he
had no "qualms" about Turley' s
work.
Friday afternoon, however,
Turley said later, he received a
letter, delivered by hand, stating
that Turley "will be discharged"
for "neglect of duty ... neglect of
bathrooms, school grounds, and
general maintenance of the school
... inappropriate use of time and
possibly criminal violation for use
of school time ... Failure to work
with county maintenance staff ...
Insubordination..." Turley said
each of the allegations was not true.
He showed the statement of ac
cusation with Autry's signature on
it. The complete text of Autry's
statement is at the end of this
article.
Turley also said that the day
oeiore nc nad mentioned to Soles
that it his letter to the editor was
ineffectual. "1 could get a lot ?
rougher." Turley said that at the
Friday morning "firing" meeting.
Autry. to whom he had not made
the comment, told him he was
going to report the matter to the
sheriff's department. Turley said
that Autry apparently took his
remark to Soles as a threat.
Turley said. "I was hurt not
nearly as much by the firing as by
the insinuation that 1 was a violent
person." He said he didn't know
whether Autry reported to the
sheriffs department, but antici
pating that he would. Turley went
to the department and informed
Sheriff David Barrington per
sonally what had transpired, basic
ally, and that Autry had taken the
comment as a threat; but he
assured the sheriff he w as not "that
kind of a person" and could give
him all the character references he
wanted.
Turley said Autry also informed
him that Turley could appeal to no
one from the firing, since he was
not a tenured person. This is a
reference to the state's Teacher
Tenure Act which specifies the
process to be performed in dis
missing an educator who has
earned career status, and for an
educator to appeal from a dismissal
or suspension decision against him
or her.
A petition was being circulated
last week in the Scurlock com
munity asking the school board
to keep Caldwell at Scurlock as
principal.
The school board, approved
Autry's recommendations at its
meeting last month to transfer
Caldwell to McLauchlin School as
principal, and making other trans
fers of principals and assistant
principals to other positions.
Turley said he did not write or
deliver to The News-Journal during
his school working hours the letter
concerning Caldwell.
"I wrote it at home," he said,
and brought it to the newspaper's
office at about 4:55 p.m. March 30.
He said he handed it to Sam
Morris. The News-Journal's Gen
eral manager, and Morris said he
didn't know Turley at the time.
Turley said that his "school
time." ended at 4 p.m. daily but
that he usually worked overtime at
the school because his wife, who is
employed in Job Service at the
Hoke County office of the State
Employment Security Commission,
doesn't get off till 5p.m.
Turley. 34. and his w ife have five
children, all in school: Mary. 12. at
Upchurch Junior High; Kathi-Jo.
II, at Southern Pines Middle
School. Brady III. 10. at J.W.
Turlington; Bryan. 8. in the second
grade, and Michelle. 5. in kinder
garten. at Scurlock.
Turley said he had been
Scurlock's custodian since October
31, 1977. and was employed full
time. all year each year.
He started with the federal
CETA program as a painter before
becoming custodian.
A native of Pt. Pleasant. W. Va..
he operated a service station and a
produce market there before
moving to Raeford. where his
parents had retired.
Despite the loss of the school job.
Turlev said. "I like it here and want
(See TURLEY. page 15)
County Commissioners Decide At Meeting
Sheriff To Get Surplus Patrol Cars
The Hoke County Commission
ers Monday decided to cancel the
county's order for four new patrol
cars for the sherifT s department
and get nine used State Highway
Patrol cruisers.
The action leaves the order, for
a 1981 Mercury Zephyr, for the
Raeford City Police Department,
standing.
Under the motion adopted, the
county will buy three 1978 Ply
mouths, two for SI, 450 each, and
the other for $1,500, and the six
others as they become available.
The order for the new cars would
have had the department getting
four 1981 Mercurys, priced at over
57,000 each.
The commissioners acted after
hearing Sheriff David Barrington
report on the Patrol's surplus cars
and also that shipment of the
Mercurys had been delayed several
times, the most recent to May 1.
In other business at their regular
monthly meeting the commis
sioners adopted a motion to get
Hoke County foxes placed under
control of the North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission.
Officially, State Sen. Sam Noble
will be asked to include the county
in a special bill authorizing the
wildlife commission to control fox
hunting.
The motion to that effect was
adopted after M.J. Atkinson of
Hoke County, a member of the
State Wildlife Federation, asked
the commissioners to act. He
explained that commission control
would not mean that the commis
sion would decide when a season on
foxes would be open, which would
be when the commission found the
fox population was large enough
to warrant it. The control is wanted
for control of disease, Atkinson
added. He said rabies is on the
increase now in South Carolian,
and fox, skunk, raccoon and bat
have been found to be the most
common carriers.
The shooting of foxes would be
allowed when the season also
was open for trapping, he explain
ed. A person must obtain a special
permit to trap, he added.
At present, a fox can be killed
any way but by shooting, and its
hide fur cannot be sold and the
dead animal cannot be mounted,
he added.
In other business, the commis
sioners voted to turn down a
request they add $1,650 to the
county's present 54,350 share of the
salary of a county Agricultural
Extension Service 4-H agent. The
state Extension Service pays the
balance.
The request for the addition was
made by County Extension Chair
man Wendell Young earlier in
the meeting. He told the commis
sioners the extra pay was needed
for a prospective new agent. Alice
Lancaster, presently at Goldsboro.
She would fill the vacancy created
by the resignation of Anna Peele.
who has left to go to the Sampson
Coutny Extension Service.
County Manager James Martin
informed the commissioners that
county maintenance men would try
to straighten out the Courthouse
heating system. He said a check of
the system needed to be made
immediately.
Pieces of the ceiling in the office
of the clerk of Superior Court fell
last weekend because water from
leaking radiators in a room above
seeped through the floor and onto
the interior of the clerk's ceiling.
The commissioners also adopted
a motion appointing Dr. Robert
Townsend to a new three-year term
on the Southeastern Economic
Developement Commission, of the
federal Economic Development
Administration. The Southeastern
commission covers Hoke and sever
al other counties in the southeas
tern area of the state.
The opening of bids on a
garbage-collection contract starting
with July 1 . is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Tuesday, the agenda for the
commssioners meeting advises. (A
typing error in a previous refe
rence to the contract in The
News-Journal specified it "gar
age")
The commissioners decided, for
budgetary reasons, not to partici
pate with the City of Raeford in
employing a city-county profes
sional planner.
The Hoke County Board of
Education Tuesday night was given
a petition bearing more than 500
signatures asking that Floyd Cald
well be kept at Scurlock School as
principal and hearing statements
regarding Friday's firing of Scur
lock custodian Brady Turley but
took no action on either matter.
This left the pending transfer of
Caldwell to McLauchlin Schoool
next school year as principal and
the Firing of Turley in effect.
The meeting was attended by
about 50 people, primarily con
cerned about the board's approval
of County Schools Supt. Raz Autry
to transfer Caldwell, with other
principals at other schools in the
county.
The petition was presented to
board chairman Bill Cameron bv
John Ramsey, recently resigned as
a Scurlock School bus driver, who
reported the petition contained
more than 500 signatures, all of
people living in the Scurlock School
area. He added, however, that he
and he alone was responsible tor
initiating and circulating the peti
tion and paid lor the expense from
his own pocket, and that Caldwell
had nothing to do with it.
Questioned about the tiring of
Turley. Autry read his written
statement of five reasons for firing
but when why he was fired when he
did he repiied he fired Turley
Friday for threatening the school
board.
Autry said he did not fire Turley
for writing the letter published in
The News-Journal edition of April
The letter questioned the
school's decision to transfer Cald
well. Autry said, however, people
could write letters and. replying to
another question, said "Yeah, you
can question any decision the board
makes, or I make."
He said he did not tell Turley he
had no right to question a decision
of the board or its agent, but he
fired him for threatening the
board. The reasons Autry listed in
a written statement also are con
tained in a separate news report on
the front page of today's edition of
The News-Journal.
Turley said none was true, except
possibly in part, in that he missed
several days because he had to take
his father, suffering from cancer, to
the Veterans Administration Hos
pital in Durham. "I took off but
they always knew where I was."
Turley also said the board meet
ing. "If any record is not cleared,
there w ill be litigation. If my stance
is said to be a lie then I will take a
lie detcctor test if other principals
(in this matter) take it."
The alleged threat Turley made.
Autrv said, was the remark Joe
Soles, transportation supervisor,
told Autry that Turley had made.
Autry quoted Soles as saying that
Turley had been doing extensive
bragging about the letter he had
written and told Soles in effect that
it the letter produced no results
Turley could get rougher.
Turley said, however, that he
had made the comment jokingly
and that he was shocked when he
learned that Soles had reported it
to Autry.
"I never had anything bad to say
about anyone... Never knowingly
spoke against the board of educa
tion. only its decision."
He said Autry had told him in
the presence of Caldwell. Soles and
Richards Friday morning that as a
(See NO ACTION, page 13)