Celebrating Black History month with a betrayal

 Marlboro County High School was established in 1989. All of the high schools in Marlboro County became a big powerhouse, for sports at least. I mean, the school has struggled with educating the county from the start, you know because Marlboto County is the least educated county in the state. 

If you grew up in Marlboro County, you've always been told to give back to your community, never forget where you came from and always represent your home in a positive light.

Do you know who does that spectacularly? Marlboro County High School principal, Dr. Jamane Watson. His hire as principal was a historic one. Watson graduated from Marlboro County High School in 1996. He is the first alumni from the school lead it.

He told SCnow.com in 2020:

“It means a lot because students who attend the school can see someone who walked the same halls they do, had some of the same teachers they do, came from similar backgrounds that they have, that they can make it,” Watson said. “I have a doctorate degree. That’s the highest level of education that you can possibly obtain ... I live by example. I always tell people I am not a role model. I’m a real model.”

Unlike many graduates of MCHS, when Watson graduated from South Carolina State University, he wanted to return to the Pee Dee region.

According to SCnow.com:

Watson said, he wanted to return to the Pee Dee region but found that no district in the area needed a physical education teacher. So, he took a job teaching fourth grade in the Savannah-Chatham County Schools in Georgia.

But Watson made his way back home. He was hired by the Marlboro County School district in 2020. Watson led the school during a pandemic. While students in this rural county that doesn't have wide reaching broadband internet, worked from home because of COVID-19, the Class of 2020 received over $2.7 million in scholarship offers.

Wingate University, where Watson earned his Ph.D, lauded him on it's class notes page for becoming the  MCHS principal. 

Watson is Black History. Watson is the star that Marlboro County needs to lure the best and brightest back to a county that little to offer other than a shrimp box from Dairy Dream. 

But we end Black History Month 2022 with the betrayal and disrespect of Dr. Watson. 

According to the Herald-Advocate:

Marlboro County High School Principal Dr. Jamane Watson admitted to being “blindsided” with the news that his contract would not be renewed for the 2022-23 school year.

“I did not expect any of this,” he said. “I was kind of blindsided. I knew there were some areas that needed to be improved on. I thought I had more time to improve upon those areas that needed to be addressed.”

Watson met with Interim Superintendent Donald Andrews and three other district officials on Feb. 11 and was told that he would not be back as a principal at Marlboro County High School for the 2022-23 school year.

“I asked why, and they said they were moving into another direction,” said Watson, who is in his second year as principal at the school.

Watson was not offered a teaching contract or a demotion to an assistant principal.

On Valentine's Day, Feb. 14th, Watson job was posted online. You know what's not posted online? A listing for the superintendent position. Yeah, the person making a decision about the future of the high school isn't even a permanent employee of the district. 

He emailed a statement to the local media and this is what the Herald reported:

Andrews, in an emailed statement, said the administration did not terminate any Marlboro High School administrators.

“Any information contrary to that fact is not accurate and not supported by the administration,” he said in the statement. “As plans are being considered for the 2022-23 school year, staffing positions, among other things, may be considered as the district experiences change and growth as we move forward together. Again, our top priority is our students, their families, and our employees. I look forward to addressing our community at an appropriate time and encourage our students to contact my office directly with any comments, ideas, or concerns, as I maintain an open-door policy for everyone.”

Somebody said, haven't we learned that leaders named Donald. And I am somebody.

The announcement of Watson's "dismissal" (the district has repeatedly said no one has been fired, but the job postings are online for the world wide web to see) students at the high school held two protests, one where Watson addressed the student body and told them to return to class.

And guess what they did, they went back to class, because he asked them to do so.

According to WPDE:

Students said the protest was not about being disruptive but sending a message to Marlboro County District leaders that they are making a huge mistake. 

"It shows to me that, not only is it affecting me but it's representing from our freshman to our seniors. It represents everybody," said Alex Storman.

 

While the Marlboro County School Board continues to tell conflicting stories, you have to wonder how much trust should the public have in a board that didn't know they were using taxpayer dollars to pay for a frat house on school property?

It's safe to say that not one person on that board is worried about being financially responsible or what's best for the children of Marlboro County.

I said what I said.