Police escort school board member from meeting

Police removed Michael King from the Clayton County school board Monday night, accusing him of no longer being able to serve in his District 4 seat.

King said his rights were violated and he plans to not only appeal his removal, but file a lawsuit against the Jonesboro police for violating the federal Voting Rights Act.

“The Jonesboro police have no legal right to remove me unless a vote is taken by the board of education,” said King, who became a board member in August. “The people in the fourth district do not have representation and this whole meeting is illegal.”

The board said nothing publicly as Jonesboro Police Officer Anthony Lumpkin escorted King out of his seat.

Meanwhile, board attorney Julie Lewis talked behind closed doors with District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson and board chairwoman Alieka Anderson. The district attorney declined to comment.

“I asked you to leave your seat at the guidance of the board of education and the board of education attorney,” Lumpkin told King.

The officer said Lewis gave him a written order from the board’s ethics commission.

On Feb. 11, the ethics commission voted unanimously to remove King, accusing him of violating the board’s conflict of interest policy. King, an attorney, represented a former Clayton teacher who sued the district before he was elected.

At the time, Lewis said the ethic’s commission vote was a recommendation and King had 15 days to file an appeal. Lewis said the board would vote on the recommendation after the appeal was filed.

On Monday, district spokesman Charles White said that the policy was not interpreted correctly and that ethics commission’s vote was for King’s immediate removal.

“The school board has no action to take until Mr. King triggers any action on their part by filing a notice of appeal in accordance with the law,” Lewis said. “He does have 15 days to do that, but until he appeals, he is removed.”

King said he will file an appeal within the 15 days, which expire Friday.

The board’s ethics policy says “no disciplinary actions shall occur until all appeals have been exhausted, and the accused member shall remain a voting member of the board until that time.”

The General Assembly passed the Clayton ethics policy after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked the school system’s accreditation in August.

Earlier Monday, a Clayton County State Court judge removed King from another unrelated conflict of interest case.

That case involved James Portlock, who was arrested outside North Clayton Middle School in October. Clayton Solicitor General Tasha Mosley said King had a conflict of interest and should not be involved in the case, since several school employees would serve as witnesses. King said the judge’s ruling was not “supported by any evidence or any law.”