St. Louis County residents and city officials are demanding answers as to why Superintendent Art McCoy of the Ferguson Florissant School District was removed from his position last week.
On Nov. 6, six board members voted to place McCoy on administrative leave because of “differences in focus and philosophy between the board and the superintendent.”
On Friday, the Citizens’ Taskforce for Excellence in Education – a coalition of about citizens, clergy and community leaders – held a press conference, calling the board’s explanation was “weak” and “irresponsible.”
Rev. Freddy Clark, pastor of Shalom Church with campuses in Berkeley and Florissant, said school board president Paul Morris did not accept his request to speak with him. McCoy is an important and beloved leader in the community, Clark said, and the board cannot expect to “tamper” with McCoy without a fight from the community.
“Anything short of Dr. McCoy not being reinstated then I, personally, will be asking for the resignation of every board member in Ferguson Florissant,” Clark said.
Redditt Hudson, a parent in the district and a former ACLU leader, agreed with Clark. He said he is angry and disgusted by the board’s action.
“If you look at the mission statement of the board of education, there is nothing that Art McCoy has done that is inconsistent with the stated philosophy,” Hudson said. “They owe us – the parents of the district – a real explanation as to why a community resource like Art McCoy has been relieved of his duty and put all of our children at risk of not receiving the quality public education that they deserve.”
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said he is also standing behind McCoy.
“He is dedicated to every parent and child in this district,” he said. “He has proven that.”
Dooley said the board’s imprudent decision could destabilize the community’s public education system and economy.
“I do not know what the difference in philosophy could have been with the board,” Dooley said. “It seems to me that he is doing exactly what he should be doing and that is making sure that every child is receiving a quality education. I cannot understand their motivation. If Dr. McCoy’s philosophy is different than the board’s, then what is the board’s philosophy?”
Several students showed up to speak in support of McCoy. Caro Brown, a senior at McClure North High School, said McCoy has set the bar high for students and shows he has faith in them.
“He stands behind us and supports us fully,” she said. “We believe he should be reinstated as soon as possible.”
In a letter to the district, Morris stated that the board believes that their decision was “in the best interest of the district… as it works through the areas of concern. No timeframe was set on the administrative leave period.”
Larry Larrew, chief accountability officer, is serving as acting superintendent.
The location of the Ferguson-Florissant School Board meeting has changed. It will now be held at 7 p.m. in the McCluer North High School Annex Gym, behind the Administration Center building, 705 Waterford Dr.
