‘I will not resign:’ Lakota School Board member defiant after controversies, criticism

BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - Lakota School Board member Darbi Boddy said at a board meeting Monday that she will not resign in the aftermath of two recent controversies.

The controversies, one happening at the end of April, the other following last week, saw Boddy censured, asked to resign and cited for trespassing.

An online petition also circulated earlier this year to censure Boddy “for her continued disrespect and aggression” towards district superintendent Matt Miller. The petition accuses Boddy of “repeatedly attacking” Miller’s integrity and acting in a way that “undermine[s] the confidence in District leadership at the Board level.”

The late-April incident followed after Boddy authored a Facebook post the majority of which dealt with critical race theory. Boddy ran for the school board on a platform opposing CRT.

In the Facebook post, Boddy urged the school board to slow down in hiring an outside firm ostensibly to investigate whether CRT exists in Lakota Schools. She objected to hiring the firm without the board ensuring that both board members and the firm have an understanding of what CRT actually is.

Boddy read the following statement aloud at the board meeting Monday:

“I would like to publicly thank those parents and community members who have asked me to stand firm through what they see as political attacks and to remember that a desire for accountability and transparency is a Cardinal sin to most in power and certainly to the status quo.

“I will not resign and will continue to get to the bottom of issues that were behind my election. CRT is alive and well in the programs and teachings at Lakota.

“I will be proposing meaningful community conversations to define and demystify the philosophy, expose its tenents and associated programs, programs and teachings that are designed to ensure CRT permeates every aspect of a child’s education.”

School boards in Ohio do not have the authority to remove one of their fellow board members from the board.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.

Copyright 2022 WXIX. All rights reserved.