Guilford County residents raise concerns over newly-appointed School Board member

GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Guilford County Schools held its monthly board of education meeting Tuesday night with several key items on the agenda. However, many in attendance were focused on other matters.

“Enough is enough," Kay Brown, a speaker during public comment and President of the Greensboro NAACP said. "My sibling - as a black, trans youth - deserves to be seen by all educators, by every single one of you that is sitting up here.”

When going into the Guilford County School Board meeting tonight, it's a bit different than normal.

The room is filled with concerned parents, community partners and other local residents concerned about the direction the county is moving in.

“I am worried for current and future students," Nicole Quick, a GCS parent and member of Public School Strong, said. "Instead of fully funding our public schools, the majority in our state legislature have devoted their time to interfering in the function of our county school board in order to see an extremist board member who would focus on manufactured culture wars rather than the needs of our schools and students.”

Earlier Tuesday, GCS board member William Goebel resigned from his position after holding the Republican-held District Three seat.

It comes only five months after he was appointed. However, after he was sworn in, Goebel was censured by the Guilford County Republican Party. In May, he was charged with party disloyalty.

At the meeting Tuesday night, the school board swore in Michael Logan to replace Goebel in the District Three seat.

However, many in attendance were unhappy with his appointment.

“I want to thank the majority of the school board for taking another path by voting not to seat an extremist bigot and I regret he has been seated this evening," GCS parent and another Public School Strong member Isabelle Moore said.

“I challenge you Mr. Logan, I don’t know much about you but I challenge you to let me find out something about you. I challenge you to tell and prove that these accusations are wrong. I challenge you to say that kids really do come first," Martin, a Guilford County resident, said.

Logan was previously nominated by the county's Republican Party to fill the seat back in April, but his nomination was repeatedly rejected by the Democrat-controlled board.

Those at the meeting Tuesday night promised to continue fighting against the approval, claiming Logan's nomination was unconstitutional.