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Contributed commentary by Montgomery County Democratic Party Chair Christine McKinney:
I am writing in response to the letter written by Teresa Crosslin that was published by Clarksville Now on Nov. 20 following her resignation from the CMCSS School Board on Monday, Nov. 17. Ms. Crosslin’s actions this week have further proven that she is unfit to serve the School Board. According to her own claims, she panicked and made an impulsive decision that has rocked the whole community, made a mockery of the integrity of our School Board, and left the families in School Board District 3 without representation again.
| MORE: Teresa Crosslin: ‘I reacted out of fear’ in resigning from School Board | COMMENTARY
Per the Montgomery County Democratic Party’s press release, dated Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 11:14 a.m., I previously stated that, “While our party respects privacy and the rights of consenting adults to engage in adult behavior in private, this incident, if true, sets a bad example for our youth. We would not tolerate this if a teacher or CMCSS employee were to engage in such behavior. We must hold our School Board members to the same standard.” The CMCSS Employee Handbook specifically states that “dishonesty” and “unreliability” are all reasons for disciplinary action. It is reasonable to conclude that Ms. Crosslin is unqualified to hold a position on the School Board based on her actions this week in response to the accusations.
Furthermore, in the press release I also stated that, “I am highly concerned with the judgment of the Montgomery County commissioners who voted along partisan lines to appoint an apparently unqualified candidate with a dubious background over a highly qualified candidate in filling an open seat.” I feel it should be reiterated that Ms. Crosslin holds no professional qualifications in education, and that there were other candidates more qualified. The decision of the majority of the commissioners does not appear to have been made on the basis of merit, but rather on feelings and personal connections.
Our county’s children deserve leadership that can make strong, evidence-based hiring decisions based on merit and integrity of the candidates. This does not appear to be the case in this instance, and I urge the county commissioners to reconsider their decision.
Christine McKinney
| MORE: County attorney weighs in: Crosslin can withdraw resignation from School Board