By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
The Van Buren Public
Schools Board of Education unanimously expelled Belleville High School senior Anthony Allen, again, following a seven-and-a-half-hour
marathon re-hearing last Thursday.
Allen, 17, and four
16 year olds originally had been expelled after a daylong, Nov. 3 disciplinary hearing. Allen's family and the families of
three of the other boys sued the district, seeking to be put back into BHS and asking for $1 million each for their troubles.
On Thursday, about 100
people crowded into the small administration building board room, spilling out into the hallway and adjoining offices, to
hear the proceedings.
While the Nov 3 hearing
was closed to the public at the request of the parents, the post-lawsuit, Nov. 29 meeting was wide open to the public and
the media.
Besides the expelled teens and their families, jammed into the room were teachers, parents, and community
members seeking to make some sense of the boys who posted their pictures with drugs, guns, money, and BHS student ID cards
on MySpace.
All three Detroit television
stations sent cameras and reporters and Detroit-area newspapers sent their reporters, most bailing out about midnight.
The re-hearing was ordered
by Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Stephens on Nov. 27 as she granted preliminary injunctive relief to the four students expelled
or suspended for the rest of the school year for violations of the school handbook.
If the district didn't hold another hearing within 72 hours
of her order on Nov. 27, the students would have to be put back into the general population at Belleville High School, she
said.
The board set the Nov.
29 hearing to begin at 5 p.m., with the intention of granting new hearings to all four students that evening, in the presence
of a court stenographer, as ordered by Judge Stephens, who was critical of the district for not having an electronic or stenographic
record of the original closed sessions.
The court-like session
dragged on, since the boys' new attorney Clifford Woodard questioned every witness and piece of evidence at length.
The Nov. 29 session
ended at 1 a.m., with only Anthony Allen's case decided. The board expelled him again, on reduced charges that nonetheless
required expulsion.
The board dropped complaint
#5, listed as "Criminal Acts" in the student handbook and #45 "Weapons Use / Possession" because they felt they had insufficient
proof to find him guilty of those two while on school grounds.
His charges for gang
activity, intimidation and obscenity/profanity stood and got him expelled.
Because of the judge's
intervention, the district started providing two certified substitute teachers for the four expelled students on Nov. 30,
the next day after the judge's ruling. The four are being taught in the back conference room of the administration building
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are being prepared for semester exams, said School Supt. Pete Lazaroff.
Judge Stephens didn't
want the boys to get behind in their classes while the lawsuit against the district wended its way through the courts.
On Thursday, Supt. Lazaroff
committed to providing teachers for the four teens through the first semester, including Allen who was officially expelled
twice.
At about 11:45 p.m.,
after hearing all the evidence and witnesses and deliberating, the board voted unanimously to expel Allen and then took a
break. The large crowd was reduced to about a dozen people besides the families of the expelled students.
Re-hearings were still
scheduled for three 16-year-old 11th graders: expelled brothers Albert McGee, II, and Deonte Bruce-Ruffin and Tory Sykes.
About midnight, however,
the boys' attorney Woodard decided he was too tired to offer adequate defense to his clients.
"I want to be on the
top of my game," Woodard said, explaining why he wanted to postpone the final hearings until another day. He said he had already
taken part in 12 disciplinary hearings that day for the Detroit Public Schools. He also had missed that evening's opening
of "Lion King," he said.
School Supt. Pete Lazaroff
wanted to continue the hearings until they all were over, and after much discussion, Trustee Bob Binert made a motion to continue
the hearings and it failed 4-3.
Voting to continue were
Trustees Toni Hunt, Martha Toth, and Binert. Voting against continuing that evening were Secretary Victor Hogan, Vice President
Keith Johnston, Treasurer Ralph Nodwell, and President David Peer.
Woodard said Judge Stephens'
order was not crystal clear about when the hearings needed to be completed, so he tried to call her or one of her friends,
but at midnight judges and their friends were not answering their phones.
Woodard and the boys'
parents (who were sworn in for this purpose) went on record that they did not oppose postponing the final three hearings and
signed statements to that effect.
A few hours later, early
Friday morning, Woodard, Lazaroff, and school district attorney Kevin O'Neill met with Judge Stephens in Detroit and she hand-wrote
a new order giving them authority to extend the hearing time beyond Nov. 30 without penalty.
The final three hearings
were to be held beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 3. Woodard also agreed to waive the written notice of the meeting required
by the school handbook, but Lazaroff said they sent them anyway by registered mail, first-class mail, and hand-delivered mail,
just to be safe.
Woodard told Judge Stephens
that the school district acted in good faith and he agreed that he would come up with no new witnesses or evidence for the
Dec. 3 hearing that wasn't available on Nov. 29.
This was one of the
concerns of the district, that Woodard, having seen the evidence put forth by the district, would reconfigure his defense
and seek out new evidence and witnesses.
Opening statements
On Nov. 29, the hearing
started with William J. Blaha being voted hearing counsel. He is a part of the Collins & Blaha law firm that represents
the district, but he has not been a part of the suspensions or litigation, so he could run the meeting, according to a Supreme
Court decision quoted by the school district's lead attorney Lori Steinhauer.
(Blaha is member of
the State of Michigan Safe Schools Initiative Work Group, which advises the Michigan Department of Education Office of Safe
Schools.)
Seated at a table with
Woodard were Anthony Allen and his mother Veronica Young. The session was expected
to proceed similar to a courtroom case, but with relaxed rules of evidence.
Before anything could
get started, Woodard said he wanted Board President Peer to recuse himself from deliberations, based on a comment printed
in The Ann Arbor News that said he would stand behind his previous decision on
the expulsions.
Blaha said in case law,
mere knowledge of a case or having taken a position previously does not disqualify a participant. He asked Peer if he could
keep an open mind and be fair and Peer said he could.
Then Woodard raised
the issue of racial overtones by quoting the Dec. 28, 2006 issue of the Belleville-Area
Independent where board members Johnston and Hunt were quoted about the changed
culture of the high school, how school officials are letting the students run the district, disruptive students having a different
culture, how Belleville used to be a pretty little town, etc.
Both Johnston and Hunt
confirmed they made the comments quoted and that they were not racial in nature and the whole article had to be read to get
the full idea, not bits and pieces.
Johnston said that his
comments were "not about color, but about character," and a portion of the audience erupted in applause.
Hunt said she stands
for the safety of every student and she could make a fair decision.
Woodard wanted Johnston
and Hunt to recuse themselves from deliberations but Blaha allowed them to continue.
Then Woodard quoted
the May 17, 2007 issue of the Independent, where substitute teacher and parent
Antionette Foster told the board they needed to get some diversity training in the school before there were problems.
Foster said teachers
are responding differently to different students.
"They don't know how to deal with students from Detroit
or Ypsilanti," Foster said, noting the new students don't know what is expected of them in the Van Buren Schools.
She said her grandparents lived in Sumpter Township
and her parents lived in Belleville for 20 years and she said 10 years ago this area looked a lot different. She said she
didn't feel that, as a school employee, she should give specifics in a public forum, but she said discipline is not being
administered fairly across the board. One student gets suspension and one doesn't for the same infraction, the article said.
At that meeting in May, Lazaroff said he would
sit down with Foster to get specifics and to tell her what the staff is doing to try to address the issue.
At the hearing Thursday Lazaroff said the promised
meeting did not take place because she failed to return his call.
(Foster later said that Lazaroff did not call her
and after that article was printed she no longer received substitute teaching assignments at the high school and was used
at the middle school, instead. She no longer substitutes.)
As the meat of the hearing began, Woodard said
he wanted to cross examine witnesses and Steinhour said in a 6th Circuit Court case in a disciplinary proceeding, it was found
that there is no right to cross examine administrators.
"If I didn't want to cross examine, I wouldn't
be here," Woodard said. "She can cross examine students until the cows come home ... It's the administration side that should
be tested."
Steinhauer said she had no objection to a few questions
to administrators, but not full-fledged cross-examination.
Steinhauer gave an opening statement that noted
it is a sad fact today that violence in schools is escalating and school districts have the responsibility to keep the students
and staff safe. She said schools shouldn't be places where students should be intimidated and fearful.
She said
the issue first came to the administration from a parent who saw a posting on MySpace with pictures of BHS students with handguns,
drugs, and flashing gang signals. The administration investigated and the School Resource Officer found additional pictures
with assault rifles, white powder, stacks of bills, and a BHS ID.
Steinhauer said the SRO officer said when student
ID is placed with weapons it is a threat or challenge to other students. Steinhauer said the student handbook prohibits look-alike
weapons and drugs.
She said there have been numerous disruptions at
the high school.
"Van Buren Public Schools cannot condone gang behavior,"
Steinhauer stated.
She said a limo was at a school-sponsored activity
(homecoming dance) and there were school IDs involved. She said the school district has jurisdiction over outside activities
when it is linked to the school.
Woodard said while Steinhauer talked about the
law, there has been blown up media attention on both sides. He said he hoped the school board, which would make the decisions
on the expulsions, would focus on the law and not emotion and opinion.
Woodard said he was 45 years old and black and
he doesn't like the pictures that were posted on internet, but are they illegal? That's the whole crux, he said.
He claimed the guns in the picture were not pointing
at a student ID and intent needs to be determined.
"Does the school have jurisdiction over what was
done in a private home?" Woodard said. "If it's not illegal, does the school board have jurisdiction over a private home?"
Woodard held the Detroit Public School student
handbook as an example since it sets out school jurisdiction for the school grounds or to
and from school. He claimed Belleville left that out.
(Later Steinhauer pointed out that the Safe Schools
policy covers that in the board policy book and there are too many policies to include them in the student handbook.)
"Criminal acts? What law did he break? Can't have
look-alike drugs? What's look-alike drugs? Oregano, parsley? You can't discipline someone for having a spice," Woodard said.
He questioned the look-alike weapons held by Allen
and whether the school had jurisdiction. He asked the board to look at the boys' actions to judge their intent, concerning
gang activity. He stated the board will find Anthony Allen not responsible for the charges against him.
BHS Principal
BHS Principal Sheila Brown was the first witness
called. She testified she has been BHS principal for 1-1/2 years and each student is given a handbook with a code of conduct
included. On page 25 it bans drugs and look-alike drugs, with the penalty of suspension to expulsion.
On page 21, she said, it states these activities
are not allowed in attendance at the school and enroute to and from school.
She said she was extremely concerned when she saw
the internet pictures of BHS students, guns, and drugs with BHS ID cards. She said she viewed this as safety and security
issues.
"I'm not going to sit in judgment on whether they
are real or not. I'm concerned about the safety and security of our school," Brown said.
She said a parent was surfing MySpace for her own
child and told school officials what she found. She described the steps the school took to investigate, including calling
in the parents while they took statements from the students.
She started to testify on the affidavit provided
by the limo driver, when Woodard objected, saying he wouldn't be able to cross examine the driver if he isn't here. He was
told the driver had to work that evening and couldn't attend and Woodard dismissed that as a poor excuse.
Blaha directed the board to decide whether to give
weight to the affidavit, as "reasonable and prudent people" and they couldn't judge the credibility of one not there. He allowed
Brown to continue.
Brown said the limo driver went to the parents'
house and was told it was the wrong limo and the parents refused the limo. She said that information came from a parent.
The limo went away and the parent dropped the teens
off at the dance. According to records, Anthony was not at the dance, Brown said. She said Anthony was the only student in
that limo when they picked up the other boys at the dance. Then they drove to Five Points and picked up a few more boys. Then
they drove to Applebee's and some got out. Two stayed inside.
According to the driver, Brown testified, the MMB
members surrounded the limo and the driver, who was concerned, told the boys to get back in and he drove them to another restaurant,
Ruby Tuesday's, and they ate.
Brown consulted a memo she wrote to the superintendent
that said five of the seven students checked into the dance and then were picked up from the dance. At Applebee's there was
a confrontation and some of the other people from the rival group were over high school age. One was alleged to have a gun,
Brown said.
She identified the rival groups as the MMB (Money
Murder Boys) and the MADE (Money All Day Everyday) Squad.
Brown said one of the photos on MySpace was taken
in the BHS gym.
The dance was on Oct. 13. On Oct. 22, Brown said
there were physical and verbal fights between MMB and MADE at a fire drill. On Oct. 24, there was a conflict in the parking
lot between MADE and MMB, after one student was back from suspension. On Oct. 31, a teen affiliated with MADE Squad pushed
his way into the school to see a BHS MADE Squad member and SRO Officer Kris Faull first warned and then wrote a trespassing
ticket on the teen after he turned up later that same day.
"There were so many disruptions in the hallways
... teachers were frightened ... standing areas in the halls were taped off ... parents threatened to remove their students
... They are there for an education ... Teachers have threatened to walk out ... Every administrator has questioned our safety,"
Brown testified.
Brown said after the homecoming dance, the limo
driver said three vehicles were following his limo and so he called his boss. Then he called the parents who rented the limo
and they spoke to their student and he promised there would be no more trouble.
Brown said the limo driver cleaned out the first
limo before arriving to make sure it was clean and the second limo also was checked carefully by him, and then the parent.
Any charge that the limo driver brought the guns and drugs is false, she said.
"I can't cross the limo driver," Woodard said.
"Did he look under the seat? I strenuously object."
Blaha said this could be admitted for limited purposes,
not as truth, but as the basis of the actions of the administration.
Then Brown read the affidavit from the driver,
who identified himself as Robert Callahan who works for Limo World Limo Service. He said he drove on Oct. 13 and inspected
and cleaned the inside of the limo and when the parent was not satisfied and wanted a different limo he left and came back.
He said two adults inspected the limo and then one Afro-American in a brown puffy jacket rode to the school with him.
Callahan said that three vehicles followed his
vehicle throughout the evening. A large group was in the Applebee's parking lot and there was an altercation and they surrounded
the limo in a threatening manner. He told the boys to get back in the limo and he called the parents.
"I was uneasy and concerned for my safety," Callahan
said in the affidavit.
Brown said she heard conflicting stories on how
the drugs and guns entered the limo -- when it entered school property or beyond.
"We have spent upward of 350 man hours on this
case, over 45 days of administrative consumption," she said. "It's absurd. We're cheating our other students in the school."
Members of the audience applauded and Woodard asked
Blaha to ask them not to respond to the proceedings and he did.
Brown said after she called the parents in, showed
the photos, and got statements from the students, she sent home a written summary of the charges on a standard suspension
notice. She said she asked the parents to take their students home for their safety and sent the notice by mail, as required.
She said these were proactive steps. Brown said
with heightened awareness, the administration saw more students wearing colors, which they won't allow. They tightened after-school
security.
Brown told of her experience, including taking
part in a couple of gang schools when she taught in Ann Arbor. She would take her classes out to Milan prison to meet gang
members to show how gang activity puts people in prison.
Brown said she also attended a gang school that
same day (Thursday) and she showed the photos to her instructor. She said the BHS staff will be educated on gang signs, numbers
on clothing, leaning in a different direction in the hallway.
Brown mentioned school shootings in the U.S. and
said she had 2,000 students and 140 staff members to protect.
"No doubt, Columbine had postings. If I wouldn't
act and things went south on us and we lost kids, we'd be having a very different conversation," Brown said.
Under cross examination, Brown said some of the
MADE Squad members said they never heard about a CD or a rap group. She said four members were rap artists, "if you will."
She said MMB is connected to GMC in Ypsilanti, which is connected to the Bloods. She said fathers, uncles, cousins, and older
individuals were in the confrontation at Applebee's.
The party at the Eagles the previous Saturday was
hosted by parents of MADE and towards the end, MMB showed up and a fight broke out involving 20-30 people, some older than
high school age, she said. One MADE was beaten so badly he was taken to the hospital, she said.
Brown said nine kids at BHS are in MADE and four
of those are into rap.
Hunt asked her to give the racial makeup at the
high school, since the Detroit media keeps saying it is 12% African-American. Brown said 38% are African-American and 45-48%
are non-Caucasian. Hunt pointed out there are nearly 50% non-white at BHS, about 1,000 students.
When asked about the dance, Brown said there were
about 1,150 students at the dance and, besides two separate instances of drinking, "...we had a wonderful dance and the community
can be proud of the students."
Woodard asked what criminal act did his client
do and Brown said, "We're a zero tolerance school under the state school code."
Brown admitted Anthony was not in possession of
a gun on school property and they can't say the limo was on school property when the photos were taken.
She said there is gang activity and, "When I see
kids with drugs and gang signs, I'm intimidated."
Asst. Principal Warren
The
next witness was BHS Assistant Principal for the 11th Grade Larry Warren. He was questioned by another attorney from the school's
law firm, Kevin O'Neill. Warren said he has been a teacher for more than 30 years and BHS assistant principal for 16 years.
Warren, who was testifying in a frail condition
since he had recently been released from the hospital after surgery, said Anthony and his parents were shown pictures and
Anthony said the substance in the baggie was parsley. He said Anthony told him he was just in the group and they were rappers.
About an hour and a half later, after Anthony left the school with his mother, Warren said his mother ran back in and said
that a MMB made a motion with his hands like a gun and the mother wanted an incident report. When Officer Faull investigated,
the MMB said it was Anthony who had pointed his fingers in a gun sign at him.
Warren identified Anthony as being in two of the pictures
from MySpace and the bag he was holding was identified as marijuana by another
student.
Warren said he was really appalled and really concerned
about these students. He said three of the four are his 11th-grade students. Warren identified Anthony in a one photo doing
a gang sign and another holding a fan of $20 bills and cutting lines in cocaine (or a look-alike) with a BHS ID card. Guns
and bullets and rifles were in the picture.
"We're not about drugs and money. We're about education,"
Warren said, adding that no matter if the students are black or white this kind of thing has to be investigated.
"It's intimidating, threatening," Warren said of
the pictures. "It says if you mess with us we have guns, power. We have drugs... Certain groups wanted to fight."
Warren said the high school had 15 to 20 complaints
from parents asking, "What are you going to do about it?" He said he has spent 60 or more hours of his time on this issue.
Warren recommended expulsion of the boys as a preventative
measure, before there is a big problem.
"A rap group. We heard there was a group of rappers,"
Warren said. "They are not rappers... They are causing a lot of problems ... intimidating ..."
Warren said he asked a MADE what he had to do to
get in the group and he replied they just asked him to be involved. There are nine in the group and some don't rap.
Woodard questioned Warren about rap music and Warren
said his sons listen to rap. He said he has talked to them about how the words are demeaning to women and glorifying money
through drugs. He said his church also counsels youth on rap music.
When asked if he knew the boys, Warren said, "I
don't know these young men like I thought I did ... Sometimes parents don't know what they're like away from them."
He said before this happened, he would normally
received three to five complaints about something going on, but now there are many complaints.
Woodard asked why Warren didn't counsel these boys
like he did his own sons, instead of expelling them and Warren said once there are drugs and guns, it's too late.
School Supt. Lazaroff
The next witness was School Supt. Pete Lazaroff,
who said he has been superintendent since August 2003. He testified to the school board policy on gangs that was approved
July 12, 2004.
Lazaroff explained some pictures from MySpace with
text that indicated MADE is about to "bang" with MMB.
He said this further points to violence and danger
and poses a threat to the student body. He pointed out a fight did occur within two to three weeks after that posting.
Lazaroff said on Monday he became aware of new
information on a website and he burned it on a CD, which he played at the hearing. He said the words in the first rap song
say, "I'll be able to lie my way out of this in court." The second song talks about trading guns, and the third is a tribute
to a parent. He said the rap tunes have since been removed from the website. The same web site had videos of all four students
rapping, but he did not get copies of the video part, he said.
During the playing of the rap, there is reference
to the "Made Squad Niggers" and "I'm on the news. I'm on the radio. I'm waiting for Oprah to call me now." The beat has a
recurring line, "I can't stop now ... You can hate me now" and "Is there a problem with Ypsi Township?"
The third rap was a song to the rapper's mother,
Portia (Sykes) saying, "I'm sorry for everything." He said his dad is his role model. Lazaroff said the tribute was not objectionable.
Lazaroff said the words, which are hard to understand
in some places, said "lying to the reporters, lying to the court" and that new weapons are replaced and new rounds of ammunition.
When Steinhauer asked about the reference to Ypsilanti
Townshp, Lazaroff said the MMB is out of Ypsilanti Township. He said the high school administration did the investigation
and he sat in on some of it.
After the expulsions Nov. 3, Lazaroff said he wanted
to try to get the boys placed in other schools and he asked Anthony's mother for schools to call and she did not respond.
He said if there is a call from one superintendent to another, there is a greater chance to place a student. He said he had
two districts the previous Monday evening that were interested in enrolling him.
Steinhauer asked if
the presence of Anthony Allen in the school poses a risk to the student body and Lazaroff said yes. Lazaroff said if his own
students (he has two daughters in the school system) were in those photos, he would make the same decision.
Lazaroff said on Nov.
13 he received an email from Harold Rochon, whose son was a former member of the class of 2007. Rochon is a lieutenant with
the Detroit Police Department and has written books on gangs. He said he totally agrees with the Van Buren decision, Lazaroff
said, and he offered to help and they are trying to set up an in-service training session. Lazaroff gave the web site Rochon
provided for his violence prevention strategies: www.thetargetgrouponline.com .
Woodard made a motion
that the whole letter be stricken from the record. Lazaroff admitted he couldn't testify that this was a reputable firm because
he didn't know.
"How do we know it's
not something you made up ... tonight?" Woodard asked, adding this is the first time they heard of this. Lazaroff said he
would lose his job if he did something like that.
Lazaroff testified that
the limo driver said in a telephone conversation that the substance in the baggie was marijuana.
Woodard asked Lazaroff
about the charges of gang activity and intimidation.
"I am threatened by
the photos," Lazaroff said. Steinhauer asked if anyone else was threatened and Lazaroff said they were and he had to issue
a letter to the parents to assure them the school was taking action.
Board member Johnston
asked Lazaroff if he was ever threatened by a parent or student and Lazaroff replied, yes, but it was not related to the student
at this hearing, Anthony Allen.
Woodard asked Lazaroff,
"What is rap?" and he said he didn't know, even though he has a bachelor of arts in music education from the '70s. He said
he did not keep up with that genre.
Woodard made fun of
Lazaroff for this and told the board this shows a lack of credibility.
After Lazaroff's testimony
the prosecution rested and Woodard said he had no proofs to present so he is resting, too. This was at 10:37 p.m.
Steinhour said the handbook
prohibits look-alike drugs and weapons and Anthony Allen possessed drugs and weapons on route to and from school and the posting
on the internet led to disruptions at the school and altercations between MADE and MMB, most recently the past Saturday.
She said because of
the disruptions, case law holds that the school board can have jurisdiction over events off campus. Steinhauer asked the board
to expel Anthony Allen.
Woodard presented his
closing statement, giving lots of colorful examples, and noting "five young black men were expelled, not because of fighting
or weapons," but because racial fears from 1968 still survive.
He said only one photo
was taken on school grounds and some photos were posted on the internet a year ago. He said the pictures were taken off campus
during non-school hours and there is no proof of any illegal items at the dance. He claimed the handbook doesn't cover going
to and from school activities.
Woodard asked the board
to look at the law and set aside their moral indignation.
Woodard said Lazaroff,
who has a bachelor's degree in music education, says "he doesn't know what rap music is, so you have to judge his credibility
on that basis."
He pointed out school
board member Johnston was tapping his foot to the rap music.
"We must guard against
letting zero tolerance become intolerance," Woodard said. "We have to educate him, embrace him ... If we label a child, he
will become what he has been labeled."
Once the board started
deliberations, Johnston said, "I like the beat to the music, but not the words. I'm upset by the lack of responsibility by
the parents ... We have responsibility to 2,000 students, staff and to our community ... I'll vote to expel."
Trustee Toth said the
photos are to intimidate and the words say, "You think you tough? You don't think you can bleed?" She said they use the gang
signs to show who they are.
Toth said this leads
to a lot of trouble in the schools and outside and tends to escalate. She said there is a relation of school activity and
gangs.
Johnston said after
the expulsion they made a second tape and then there were the problems at the Eagles Lodge.
Toth said she would
favor suspension for the rest of the year, since there have been no previous problems with the school and he is a decent student.
"I would not want him
here for the rest of the year," she said.
"I'm in favor of expulsion,"
Ralph Nodwell said, after saying he was intimidated by the photos.
"People who saw those
photos felt threatened," said board member Victor Hogan. "This is the most disruptive thing I've seen since I've been on this
board." He favored expulsion until the end of the school year and President David Peer agreed. He said Anthony would have
to reapply, but he is a senior.
"I would have been miffed
if the administration had not brought this to the board," Binert said. "What disturbs me is what the pictures represent...
what could happen. I don't want this to be brought forth into my school system ... a lot of the references on the songs were
disturbing ... And, how did they know to go to one place (for a fight)? I would expel for the rest of the year."
When Lazaroff explained
how the students were being tutored at the administration building with two teachers for four students, Toth was troubled.
"It bothers me we're
providing expensive services we've never given anyone else," Toth said. "Is this because of what the judge said?"
Lazaroff said yes, but
when they are back before the judge, they will find out more.
The board agreed that
Anthony could reapply to the school board for reinstatement in June, so he could be sent to Romulus for summer school if he
didn't get enough credits to graduate somewhere in May.
The board voted to expel
Anthony on three of the five charges for the rest of the school year. After that time is up, they will entertain a recommendation
from Lazaroff for reinstatement, if suitable.
When the board agreed
to postpone the three final students until Monday, Toth said, "It's been really tough. I got 15 calls today alone ... and
I have to tell them I can't talk to them about this..."
The same court reporter
agreed to attend the Monday session and Blaha said if some of the charges won't be brought (criminal acts and weapon possession),
perhaps proofs wouldn't need to be reintroduced, speeding the hearing along.
The session adjourned
at 12:54 a.m.
Dr. Tim McCoy, pastor
of Liberty Baptist Church in Belleville, was present with others from his church for the whole session to learn more about
the issue.
He said he was shocked
to learn about all the gang activity in Belleville.
A Detroit newspaper
reported that Woodard plans to appeal Anthony Allen's expulsion.
Ran on 12-6-07
