Police remove woman from School Board meeting after long speech

Terry Webster

Friday, Feb. 25, 2000 | 11:23 a.m.

Police officers escorted a persistent School Board critic from Thursday's meeting after she refused to acknowledge her time limit for speaking and continued to criticize the renaming of Madison Elementary School.

Although school police escorted West Las Vegas activist Marzette Lewis out of the board room, she stayed in the lobby and occasionally interjected comments from there.

Lewis presented the School Board with petitions containing more than 1,100 signatures protesting the plan to rename Madison after Assemblyman Wendell P. Williams, D-Las Vegas. The school is scheduled to be rebuilt by August 2002.

Citing a policy posted on the school district's Internet website, Lewis said the district cannot remove one person's name from a school and place another person's name on it.

"This is ludicrous and you all have gone stone and buck wild crazy," she shouted at the board, which did not take any action on the issue Thursday other than to order Lewis removed from the room.

When Lewis kept talking, School Board President Mary Beth Scow called in school police, who attempted to escort Lewis out of the meeting. Lewis shouted that she was not going anywhere and would "sue the entire district" if anyone touched her.

Police then spent about 15 minutes talking to Lewis, who finally agreed to leave the room.

Lewis has said School Board member Shirley Barber and Williams have refused to talk with her and have sent her letters back unopened.

But Yolanda McKinney Arrington, director of Academic Support, Education Accountability and Government Relations, produced a memo dated Jan. 13 that states Lewis has used vulgarities and made accusations against McKinney Arrington, Barber and Williams.

"I am not going to subject myself to it," Barber said.

McKinney Arrington said school officials have told her it is "in the best interest of the Clark County School District not to be subjected to these irrational tirades of Mrs. Lewis."

Lewis called them "liars."

Several speakers at the meeting supported having Madison being renamed after Williams and commended School Board members for the work they are doing.

Speakers supporting Williams, who is the Assembly's majority whip and chair of the Education Committee, cited the "outstanding contributions" he has made to education and the community.

Lewis and others who oppose Williams say he is not a role model and they cite a court order to pay more than $51,000 in child support to buttress their claim.

In regular action, the School Board reserved making a decision on adopting a Policy Governance Model as its governance system. The program would cost $24,500 in funds from out-of-district resources and $7,000 from the school district. The board will further discuss the matter at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 29, prior to a special board meeting on zoning issues at 5:30 p.m.