Melanie Knight expressed her concerns about school administration during a meeting last week of the Durant Board of Education.
She previously spoke to the board in October and said she had made a request before and offered a solution to what she saw as a problem with parents being unable to communicate with board members and administration.
“I was told that my solution wasn’t feasible so I don’t like to bring a problem forward without offering a solution but that’s what I’m going to do today in hopes that you guys see a way that is more feasible for you to address the problem and parents’ availability to communicate with the administration outside of these and speak within the board meetings,” Knight said.
Knight told the board that she has a degree in child development from Arkansas Tech University with a minor in psychology.
She said that she has a certification to teach in Arkansas and is on the board of directors of the Owen Foundation which is an autism center in Durant.
“I’m on the National Board for Exceptional Athletes which is for cheerleaders who have differing abilities which we have our own Durant students who participate in that,” Knight said. “My advocacy is not in this room only and my advocacy is not to be a nuisance. My advocacy is to say the things that other people don’t want to say or, they want to say it on social media and never want to bring it into this room. What I see as problematic is that we are allowed to make public comments, but we are not allowed to ask a question.
“When I tried to ask a question, Mr. Moring stopped me mid-sentence and corrected me that it had to be a comment and not a question.”
Knight said that parents don’t know in advance what is going to be said in a meeting and all they see are generalized topics, so there is no means to know in advance what comment they would like to make.
“A lot of people in the community see it a problem that we have a meeting at noon,” Knight said. “I don’t see that as a problem because you haven’t offered the public an opportunity to speak and ask questions, so our presence in these meetings doesn’t really mean anything. So, to change the time to seven o’clock does nothing. It doesn’t give an opportunity to any parent that’s had any sort of question, comment or concern because it’s not an option currently on our agenda.”
She said board members are elected officials whose job is to serve their constituents.
“In the past when I’ve asked questions after a meeting and Ms. Janie (Umsted), who’s always very kind when I speak to her, told me that she wasn’t sure legally what she could talk about outside of the meeting,” Knight said. “So, I felt a little bit like, if I can’t ask you a question in the meeting and you’re not sure what you can talk about outside of the meeting, it doesn’t really give an avenue there.”
Knight said she has sent nine emails to Superintendent Mark Moring and none of them have been answered and that she has been turned down to be a substitute teacher in the district.
“I told you at the beginning about myself, what my qualifications are,” Knight said. “I applied to substitute teach and I was told Mr. Moring’s personal opinion was to not proceed with my application to you guys. When I asked what factors were taken into consideration, I never received an answer.
“His representation of me for my advocacy affected our students in our district when I would show up at the middle school and they would say, ‘We’re nine subs shorts today.’ Well, my advocacy and his opinion of me caused him to not even forward my application. I’m actually certified and we have many teachers who are not, and I can’t even substitute in your district? It seems problematic.
“Also, after the last meeting whenever I asked for this, offered what I thought was a solution for parents, there were governing officials of the Choctaw Nation here coincidentally in that meeting who found me afterwards and told me how eloquently I spoke, how professionally I spoke.”
Moring and board members did not address Knight’s concerns, but they thanked her for speaking.
In other agenda items during the meeting, the board accepted the following resignations: Beth Bean, curriculum director for Durant Schools; Eva (Kady) Fryrear, DHS math instructor; LouAnn Lively, DHS cheer coach (only); Maegan Morgan, Durant School District; Maci Bookout, WI fourth grade teacher; Amberlyn Walsworth, WI special education teacher; Jaci Hatton, DMS special education teacher assistant; Frederick Booth, DMS special education teacher assistant, and Rebekah Ervin, WI special education teacher assistant.
The board approved the following employments: Haleigh House, summer services speech language pathologist; Lynette Bourne, career and technology director for Durant Schools; Keely Daniel, DHS special education/English instructor; Danny David, DHS special education instructor; Susan Hall, DHS science instructor; Ashley Eggenberg, DHS health science instructor and director of nursing for Durant Schools; Jordan Nichols, DHS aviation I instructor; Jarett Pratt, DHS math instructor and assistant with DHS athletics; Haley Hollenbeck, DHS head cheerleading coach; Kevin Matthews, DMS athletic coordinator; Gena Smith, DMS social studies teacher; Valerie Smither, DIS sixth grade math teacher; Shayla Love, DIS fifth grade special education teacher; Elizabeth Dunn, GW school counselor; Leslie Henderson, GW first grade teacher reassignment from fourth grade teacher; Caitlyn Anderson, GW fourth grade teacher; Cassandra Brawdy, NWH special education teacher reassignment from fourth grade teacher; Terecia Webb, NWH fourth grade teacher; Lisa Jackson, WI fourth grade special education teacher; Janna Jones, WI fourth grade teacher; Mattie Tonubbee, summer services teacher assistant; Tara Stelzig, DHS special education teacher assistant and assistant girls’ basketball coach; Trevor Gordon, DHS assistant football coach; Tessa Claborn, DMS special education teacher assistant; Corina Boston, DIS special education teacher assistant; Grace Krueger, DIS special education teacher assistant; Mark Lawrenson, DIS teacher assistant. recess aide; Rebekah Le-Roy, DIS special education teacher assistant; Rebecca Reeve, DIS special education teacher assistant; Hanna Ham, NWH special education teacher assistant; Hannah Percell, GW special education teacher assistant; Elizabeth SanMillan, GW special education teacher assistant; Donna Ramsey, WI secretary; Lora Gwinn, WI receptionist; Brandy Gould, WI computer lab assistant; Melanie Hearon, ISS aide/teacher assistant at WI; Maddison Davis, WI special education teacher assistant; Rachel Ables, WI special education teacher assistant; Catherine Pfaff, WI special education teacher assistant, and Makayla Sexton, WI first grade teacher assistant.
The following contracts were renewed for grant funded personnel contingent upon grant funding availability for the 2026-2027 school year: Delinda Knox, Safe Schools; Abbey Rowley, Debbie Crites and Hannah Manous, LPCs; Garrett Scott and Yubelis Williams-Diaz, prevention specialists, and Leah Nabors, social services provider.
