BY LEXI SOLOMON | CityView Staff
The Cumberland County Board of Education closed 2023 with a bang by voting to join a federal suit against several major social media companies, including Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and ByteDance Ltd., the company that owns TikTok.
The board voted unanimously to join the suit as part of its consent agenda. The multi-district litigation, filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California on Oct. 10, 2022, encompasses more than 140 suits “brought on behalf of school districts and actions filed jointly by over thirty state Attorneys General,” according to Nov. 14 court documents.
The suit alleges the social media companies intentionally designed their platforms to be as addictive as possible without concern for the potential impact on adolescents’ physical and mental health. It also claims the companies did not do enough to prevent children under 13 from accessing their platforms.
In other business:
- The board voted unanimously to select Deanna Jones as its chairwoman for 2024 and Nathan Warfel as its vice chair for 2024. Jones and Warfel both held these positions in 2023 and received special recognition from the board for their service at Tuesday’s meeting.
- The board recognized three student representatives: Joey Marinelli, a senior at Gray’s Creek High School, who has Down syndrome and works at Miller’s Brew Coffee Shop in Fayetteville; Patience Weddel, a senior at Gray’s Creek High School who serves as the student body co-president; and Olivia Haynes, a senior at Jack Britt High School who serves as president of the Student Government Association, the Black Student Union and the National Honor Society.
- What happened: In brief remarks to the board, Weddel asked for metal detectors at the entrance to Gray’s Creek High School; four-day weeks to allow for mental health days; increased bonuses and stipends for teachers; additional resources for students of color; and eco-friendly options for lunch trays at Gray’s Creek, which currently uses styrofoam trays. Haynes asked the school board to focus on creating equal educational opportunities for students at schools with larger populations of students of color.
- The board recognized students who received honorable mentions in the 2023 North Carolina School Board Association’s art competition. Those students were Chloe Jones of Bill Hefner Elementary School; Yuri-Grace Dejesus of Cumberland Road Elementary School; Lyric Glover of Walker Spivey Elementary School; Raphael Joseph of J.W. Coon Elementary School; Ahmose Lock of E.E. Miller Elementary School; Emma Umana of W.H. Owen Elementary School; and Leilani Jones of Bill Hefner Elementary School.
- The board recognized two educators who received awards for their support of musical education. Richard Butler Jr., the choral director at Jack Britt High School, was named the North Carolina High School Choral Director of the Year, while Scott Pope, the principal of Jack Britt, was named the North Carolina Music Educators Association’s Administrator of the Year.
- The board recognized Shameka Joyner, assistant principal at Pine Forest Middle School, who was named the North Carolina Secondary Assistant Principal of the year.
- The board recognized the November and December recipients of the Extra Mile Award, which is given to employees who “inspire others to do their best,” spokesperson Lindsay Whitley said. Laura Moya, an assistant principal at Pine Forest High School, received the November award, while Shannon Sykes, a social worker at J.W. Coon and Gray’s Creek elementary schools, received the December award.
- The board recognized the November and December recipients of the Committed Community Support Award, which is given to community members who assist Cumberland County schools. Nick Poulos, owner of Superior Bakery, received the November award, while retired radio host Jeff “Goldy” Goldberg received the December award.
- The board recognized organizations and individuals that supported the school system’s August back-to-school giveaway at Reid Ross Classical School. Honorees included Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi fraternities; Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta sororities; Action Pathways, a local nonprofit; Second Harvest Food Bank; East Freedom Lodge No. 328; the Cumberland County District PTA Council; Chalonda Smith of Spring Lake Middle School; Delreco Lee of Reid Ross Classical School; and Tyson Johnson, the principal of Reid Ross Classical School.
- Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr. reflected on the highlights of 2023 for the school system, including an $8,200 donation from the local McDonald’s franchise; a $38,906 capital credit refund from South River Electric Membership Corporation; and a $2,000 donation from Moseley Architects.
- Connelly presented a brief video on the Friendly Dental Van, which travels to different schools to provide free dental checkups and dental health report cards to students.
Lexi Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@cityviewnc.com or 910-423-6500.
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