ROCK SPRING, Ga. – Are Walker County education leaders intimidating teachers into not presenting problems to the school board?
Jim Barrett, the head of the Walker County Association of Educators, made that accusation Tuesday night during a forum for school board candidates running in the May 24 Republican Primary. Barrett, the forum’s organizer and moderator, said more teachers would speak out against certain school policies, if only they weren’t scared to lose their jobs.
“There is a culture in Walker County, whether the administration wants to admit it or not, that says you don’t talk to people,” Barrett said. “If you say there is a problem, you are the problem.”
Karen Stoker, an incumbent in the board’s Post 1 who is running unopposed for re-election, told those in attendance at Georgia Northwestern Technical College that to her knowledge, intimidation has not been an issue. But if she’s wrong, she said, teachers and parents and students should feel free to reach out to her – or any other member of the board.
“I get phone calls, emails, text messages, face-to-face conversations almost on a daily basis,” she said. “I really don’t feel like that has been something that has been prevalent.”