Beaufort County Republican Party Chair Carolyn Garris and Representative Keith Kidwell are calling for the immediate resignation of Beaufort County Board of Education Member Stacey Davis.
That's after Davis, a Republican, blocked a school bus with her vehicle on a public road and and then stepped onto the stairway inside the bus before accusing a student rider of stealing property.
In a statement, Garris said Davis “embarrassed all of Beaufort County” by creating an unsafe and intimidating environment for children and must resign immediately.
Garris continued, "Whether Ms. Davis is ultimately charged, or not, is a decision for the court system; however, the optics of this incident are horrific. Elected officials in a civilized society cannot take the law into their own hands and then declare themselves immune from consequences.Beaufort County is better than this -- it is time for Stacey Davis to move on."
Davis apologized and said she didn’t intend to make anyone uncomfortable and was only trying to retrieve personal property.
Kidwell said the actions are beneath the dignity of her office and, "It is an embarrassment to the Board of Education, the county school system and every person in Beaufort County. As Republicans, we must always hold ourselves to higher standards; thus, her behavior is unacceptable.”
On Kidwell’s Facebook post, Davis said calling for her to step down was “a horrible thing to do to our schools a board member, a parent, and a fellow republican.”
Beaufort County Schools Superintendent Matthew Cheeseman told WITN-TV that the item in question was not stolen, but had been exchanged between Davis’ child and the other student in a mutual agreement.
It’s a Class 1 misdemeanor to “unlawfully and willfully stop, impede, delay, or detain any public school bus or public school activity bus being operated for public school purposes” in North Carolina.
