Granbury school board waves off complaints over censure of member for entering library
Granbury hool trustees who voted to censure another board member for sneaking into a high school library without permission dismissed seven grievances filed against them in split votes.
The 4-2 votes to deny each grievance came during a contentious meeting which began at 7 a.m. Monday.
On Aug. 23, the school board in Hood County voted 5-2 to censure trustee Karen Lowery for policy violations when she entered the Granbury High School library during a back-to-school event. Lowery, who was elected in November, campaigned on ridding school libraries of books she considered pornography or otherwise inappropriate.
Lawyers representing Granbury ISD said an investigation showed that Lowery and another woman sneaked into the darkened library and used their cell phone flashlights to look at books.
The investigation also said that Lowery and the woman initially told a receptionist that they were attending the school supplies event, but surveillance video showed that they walked to a back entrance to enter the library instead of using a door close to the cafeteria where the event was underway.
Lowery said she got permission from Superintendent Jeremy Glenn, but Glenn said that was untrue.
Lowery did not return an email this week from the Star-Telegram asking for comment about the grievances filed against board members.
Monday’s 7 a.m. meeting was not live-streamed on the Granbury ISD’s YouTube channel, as other meetings often are. The district did not answer questions from the Star-Telegram on why the meeting was held so early.
But the district provided a recording of the meeting after the Star-Telegram requested it.
Audience members who signed up to speak about the grievances were each given one minute. Some audience members accused trustees of violating board policies and kept shouting “point of order” and that their First Amendment rights were violated because they were not given more time to speak.
Mark McDermott, who filed a grievance along with his wife, Lisa, told the trustees that they were not respectful toward Lowery.
“This is not also disrespectful, but it is also demeaning,” he said.
The seven grievances stated that Lowery was treated with disrespect by the trustees who voted to censure her and by the superintendent. The complaints called on Glenn and board members who voted in favor of censuring Lowery to resign, including president Barbara Herrington.
During Monday’s meeting, board member Melanie Graft, who supported Lowery, made two motions to accept the grievances and the remedies which included public apologies and resignations, but her motions were also voted down.