In an extraordinary meeting last Tuesday, Richland County School District One board members took a significant step. They voted to ask the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) for a comprehensive forensic audit of the district. This was the first gathering of the year for the newly elected board members.

"We can at least try to guide the state department to conduct a specific type of audit based on the board's preferences, " commented the newly appointed Board Chair, Robert Lominack.

The SCDE had previously ordered an audit, deeming the district's recovery plan insufficient and incomplete. This plan was created after a report from the South Carolina Inspector General revealed that millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted on a controversial early learning center. This incident escalated the district's fiscal status from "fiscal watch" to "fiscal caution. "

Lominack emphasized the need to start the audit process promptly, saying, "At least we should begin soon, identifying an auditor. "

The motion for a full forensic audit came from the newly named Vice Chair, Barbara Weston. It was supported by newly elected school board commissioner, Richard Moore. The motion passed 5-2, with commissioners Aaron Bishop and Jamie Devine voting against it.

"We just had an audit by the state and the district a few months ago, " Bishop contended. "What else can be found out? What more are we asking to be discovered? " He also raised concerns about the yet-unknown cost of a full forensic audit.

Lominack also updated the board on the search for a new superintendent. He estimated the process to find a replacement could take four to six months.

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Richland One Board Kicks Off 2025 with a Request for Full Financial Scrutiny

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has announced a new initiative to provide public high schools with a free civics curriculum inspired by the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The curriculum, based on Anderson University professor Dr. Matt Daniels' book Civil Rights: A Global Perspective, aims to educate students about the importance of civic engagement and responsible citizenship.

But what if this assumption is wrong? What if the real issue is not the lack of civics education, but rather the lack of representation and inclusion in the educational system itself? By presenting a one-sided view of history, are we not perpetuating the very same systemic inequalities that Dr. King fought against?

The SCDE claims that the new initiative is a response to the alarming fact that only 44% of South Carolina high schoolers earned a passing grade on the U.S. History End of Course exam for the 2023-24 school year. But what about the other 56%? What about the students who may not be equipped to succeed in a traditional educational setting? Are we not neglecting the very populations that Dr. King fought to uplift?

The implementation of this civics education comes shortly after the SCDE removed Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies from the Palmetto State's AP course roster in June. This decision has sparked controversy throughout the state, with many arguing that it is a step backward in the fight for racial equity and social justice.

By presenting a narrow, sanitized view of history, are we not erasing the very experiences and struggles of marginalized communities? Are we not perpetuating the same systems of oppression that Dr. King fought against? As State Superintendent Ellen Weaver so eloquently put it, "South Carolina played an outsized role in our nation's founding sin of slavery but has also been the scene of some of our nation's greatest acts of forgiveness and racial reconciliation." But what about the intergenerational trauma that still lingers in these communities? What about the ongoing struggles for racial equity and social justice?

The announcement comes during the 61st anniversary of Dr. King's cornerstone "I Have a Dream" speech, in which he famously declared, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." But what about the children who are still being judged by the color of their skin? What about the children who are still being marginalized and excluded from the very educational system that is supposed to uplift and empower them?