In the wake of the fallout from a strongly worded, widely read Facebook rebuke of the presidential election of Donald Trump, Lynchburg City School Board member Jenny Poore resigned Sunday.
Despite the attention her Facebook comments have received, Poore told The News & Advance on Tuesday the social media blowback was not the sole reason she chose to step down from the school board.
This fall Poore twice sat out the Pledge of Allegiance at Lynchburg City School Board meetings to protest the deaths of Terence Crutcher and Keith Scott — black men killed by the police. Now she said her decision to sit — along with fellow school board member Derek Polley — prompted public scrutiny.
When her outspoken election comments garnered attention, Poore said she decided to step down.
“My number one responsibility as a School Board member is the work of the board and the schools,” Poore wrote to The News & Advance via social media. “I could not do that work and respect the work of my colleagues if I were a lightning rod for outside distractions. To preserve the integrity of the board and our school system, I needed to step away.”
She stated she was not asked or pressured to step down, and the decision was her own.
“I was very vocal after the election. However, I have always been very vocal. It seemed like after this election there was new scrutiny on people voicing dissent. I didn’t want that to blow back on the board and our schools. That blowback needed to be for me alone,” Poore wrote.
When asked, in hindsight, if she should have handled the situation differently, Poore replied:
“I’ve thought about that a lot. I am who I am. I have never been any different. Those who know me know this is pretty much what you get, an outspoken and sometimes loud liberal who advocates, for better or worse, for those who for whatever reason can’t.”
She added she would have considered her language more carefully had she known the post would go public but said her conscience compelled her to act.
In her Facebook post reaction to Trump’s election, which contains about a dozen profanities, Poore was sharply critical of voters who chose him, particularly straight white males, a demographic that heavily favored Trump at the polls.
“We are a nation of selfish fearful morons who thinks we can still be friends with people and like pictures of their dogs and kids on facebook even though we just voted to gut every last protection they had as human beings."
She also expressed concern about what Trump meant for those outside of that demographic.
“The country I thought was mine was a mirage. The collective promise of decency and hope is not for me, it’s not for women, or people of color, or LGBTQ people, or the mentally ill, or the disabled, or the people on the edge,” Poore posted at 4:29 a.m. Wednesday following the election outcome.
Poore also accused Trump of having “an obvious and clear amphetamine addiction,” criticized his refusal to release his tax returns and called him a “sexual assaulter” for his treatment of women.
In her post, Poore went on to say “f--- you and your s----- straight white man version of America.”
She added Trump’s opposition would multiply and push back against what he represents.
“We will weather this storm because that’s what we do, that’s what we have always done, this is your last hurrah, boys. Tomorrow there will be more of use,” Poore concluded at the end of her post.
In the wake of the controversy, several of her colleagues shared their admiration for Poore at Tuesday’s Lynchburg City School Board meeting, where they addressed the matter individually.
Board Chairman Michael Nilles was not at Tuesday’s meeting, but Vice Chair Regina Dolan-Sewell read a prepared statement on his behalf, in which Nilles wrote Poore was a “sincere and committed advocate” for LCS, and he “appreciate[d] her desire to do what is best for the division.”
Others members who spoke in support of Poore were Sharon Carter, Polley, James Coleman, Katie Snyder and Dolan-Sewell.
“She really was a champion for different students of all backgrounds,” Carter said.
Polley said he appreciated her mentorship on the board and for making him feel welcome.
Coleman described Poore as “one of the most intelligent individuals I've ever met in my life” and praised Poore for her “incisive mind” and ability to communicate and simplify complicated matters.
“She was a spokesperson for the causes of those who could not speak for themselves,” Coleman added.
Poore told The News & Advance equity in the division had been a primary concern for her during her time as a school board member.
“Making sure that every kid in every classroom has the same opportunity for success and happiness regardless of the seat and the school they are in has always been my motivation. Making sure we are in a position to educate the whole child with regard to their physical and mental health, and being as knowledgeable as possible about their strengths and challenges in a way that allows us to help them grow up to be strong adults who contribute to society, that is it for me. That’s the power of strong public education,” she wrote to The News & Advance.
With her time on the school board behind her, Poore said she plans to take a break from board service but “would love to devote myself to the issue of poverty in our city because I think there are a lot of untold stories there that directly impact the school system’s ability to educate our children. I want to help my community in whatever way I can.”
In spite of the controversy sparked by her statements, Poore said a number of people have reached out to her to thank her for speaking out.
School Board social media policy for members, adopted in August, does not prohibit political statements. Restrictions are limited to creating or altering content regarding the division or speaking on behalf of the board.
In Lynchburg, school board members are appointed by City Council rather than elected.
Lynchburg Mayor Joan Foster previously told The News & Advance the process to find a replacement for Poore will begin by advertising the position, reviewing applications and conducting interviews before a new member is appointed.
Foster did not have specifics on the timeline but expected the position to be filled by January.
School board members serve three-year terms and can re-apply for those terms twice, serving a maximum of nine years. Poore’s second term was scheduled to end in late June.
