By Terrica Hendrix
News-Leader staff
BLEVINS – Blevins School Superintendent Billy Lee resigned from the district Monday evening at the September school board meeting. His resignation was unanimously accepted when the board reconvened after a 51-minute executive session to discuss two personnel issues.
Laura L. Clark made the motion to accept Lee’s resignation – which will be effective June 30, 2018 – and he will receive a “net severance package of $135,000,” per the motion. Prior to the executive session, Lee’s resignation as a bus driver for the district was also unanimously accepted.
Board President Justice Lee told the audience that was “a situation between my superintendent and some parents…” He said the alleged incident “is not a part of” the board meeting and that Lee’s personal attorney, Rowe Slayton, would address the audience after the meeting.
Lee confirmed after the meeting adjourned that the reason for his resignation was because “I love this school district of Blevins kids. [This] is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life is to leave, but I think it’s the best for this school district with everything that has happened over the past and what’s going on now … I think the kids will benefit more … the kids is what matters.”
Lee will enter his 35th year in education soon and has been the Blevins superintendent for eight years.
During Slayton’s 23-minute address to the audience, he explained what he said occurred on the afternoon of Aug. 25 outside of the Blevins Administration Building.
Stayton said that Lee – who was finishing up his bus route that day – was confronted by Bridget McClure, and said she walked on to the bus Lee was driving. Rowe said McClure began arguing with him about her child being suspended from the bus for three days. Lee asked the mother to get off the bus and told her that bus and in front of the children wasn’t the place to talk about the issue, Slayton paraphrased.
Slayton said McClure walked off the bus and waited for Lee at the district’s administration building. Stayton added that McClure acted confrontational, and throughout the conversation between McClure and Lee, her son threw rocks at Lee’s truck while he was leaving.
McClure has claimed that “Lee got into his personal vehicle and returned with a gun in a holster on his waist,” during their conversation.
Slayton said that “in 34 years, Mr. Lee has never” brought a gun to the school campus and has never had a complaint against him as a bus driver.
Slayton said that what McClure saw was Lee’s wallet and not a gun. He added that “I wanted to release the security video footage from that that but the school board’s attorney, Cody Kees, said no due to the fact that there is a juvenile in the video.”
“I feel like they are trying to turn the tables on us. I believe the video has been tampered with … If you’re not guilty of anything, why are you leaving,” McClure said after the meeting. “So evidently, if something is getting to you and you know you done something wrong for you want to resign. Because an innocent person isn’t going to resign for no reason.”
When asked how she felt about Lee’s resignation, she responded, “Good riddance.”
In other business:
The board also accepted the resignation of Elementary Principal Lisa Doss, effective Oct. 1, 2017. Doss said to the board in her resignation letter that her husband has accepted another job within a company and will be relocating.
