Bible class, new principal, parents headline meeting

Christian Leadership Council Board Chair Jeff Langley and Deputy Chair Jim Yohe introduced the program to Union County Board of Education members in their monthly work session on Thursday, April 23.

Due to separation of church and state, there are some requirements for the program to remain in place. Guardians must give permission for their children to attend the program, to be offered at the high school level. Additionally, the courses cannot be paid for with taxpayer funding.

To cover the costs of supplies and learning materials, funding will instead come from private sources, and Langley thanked several local churches for their support.

“It’s non-denominational, non-political; this is not like Charlie Kirk’s program,” Langley said. “That’s well and good in its place, but this is not that. This is a general overview of the Bible taught during the school day. Our goal is to add value to a child’s public education.”

Because CLC classes cannot be held on school property, Langley said the new center will set up within a mile of the school. The bus would be provided by the CLC itself, although Langley expressed interest in hiring a driver from the school to transport the students. The most promising location is the Blairsville Church of the Nazarene.

Board members expressed interest in the program during its introduction in the work session and accepted it in their follow-up regular voting meeting.

The CLC is still finalizing some details, like who will teach the course and how the curriculum will look, so there is not a firm date for when the elective will be available for students, though the intention is to have the program in place by August.

With the retirement of Wendy Reynolds, a new person has stepped up to take on the mantle of Woody Gap School Principal. Kenny Garland detailed a storied career in education when he introduced himself before the Board of Education, ready to begin the job as soon as April 24.

Garland started in education as a math teacher, but over time coached, served in the cafeteria, drove buses and worked in central office. He has worked in both North Carolina and Georgia and has been impressed by Union County’s performance. That led to his application for the position.

“You learn from the best, and this is truly one of the systems in the state that models high performance, high expectations, and I hope to add to that in some nature, way, shape or form,” Garland stated. “Thank you for this opportunity.”

As part of the public comment portion of the regular meeting, parent Tim Sewell stepped to the podium along with his son, who is allegedly facing felony charges after an on-campus incident that Sewell explained to the board.

“I am here to address a serious concern involving my son and two other students enrolled in the school’s collision repair program,” Sewell said. “As part of this class, students regularly work with salvaged vehicles that have been donated to the school.

“During these periods, students are in the shop area, while the instructor remains in a separate classroom. This results in times where students are not directly supervised.

“On March 3, 2026, my son and two other boys attempted to sit in one of these vehicles. The car was locked, and in trying to gain access, they caused damage. It was a mistake – one rooted in poor judgment, but not malicious intent.

“Since that day, the consequences have escalated far beyond what any of us expected. We were initially told that felony charges had been submitted. Then, during spring break, each of these 15-year-old boys was formally served with two felony charges.

“These are good kids. They are not troublemakers. They have no prior history of disciplinary or legal issues, and importantly, they have already been held accountable by the school system for their actions.

“As parents, we believe in accountability. We believe actions should have consequences, but we also believe consequences should be fair, measured, and appropriate to both the situation and the age of the students involved.

“Felony charges carry lifelong consequences. They can affect college opportunities, careers and futures in ways that far exceed the scope of a single poor decision made at 15 years old. I ask you tonight to consider this situation not only as board members, but as parents, community members and leaders.

“Ask yourselves, ‘Does this level of punishment truly fit the circumstances?’

“I am respectfully requesting that the board review this situation and, where possible, engage with the appropriate authorities to advocate for a more reasonable outcome – one that holds these boys accountable without permanently altering the course of their lives.

“Additionally, I urge the board to examine the supervision policies within the hands-on programs like collision repair, to help prevent situations like this from happening in the future. This is not about avoiding responsibility; it is about fairness, proportionality and ensuring that our schools remain places where students can learn from mistakes rather than be defined by them.”

Board Member Janna Akins responded to Sewell by revealing that the board could not talk at length about prosecutions and did not have any legal power over criminal cases. That said, with Langley being there for the CLC approval that evening, the board invited him to speak on the matter generally, as he also serves as District Attorney.

“Something may be referred to as a felony offense, however, no child in juvenile court is actually charged with or convicted of a felony,” Langley explained. “This offense may be referred to as a felony because it’s attached to an adult felony statute, but a child in juvenile court is merely charged with a delinquent act that would be a felony if charged in a superior court.”

According to Langley, that means charges leveled against any juvenile would “not carry the lifetime consequences of a felony” and are kept “strictly confidential.”

After the meeting, Tim Sewell expressed his frustration over the situation, firmly believing that an injustice had occurred.

Sewell told the newspaper that, as punishment, the teens must serve a year on probation, work 40 hours of community service, provide $2,400 in restitution for the damaged vehicle, and write a report. The Sewells believe this is excessive, especially since “these kids have never been in trouble.”

Also in the meeting, the Union County Lions Club received the Extra Mile Award for its extensive support of the schools this year.

Not only were Lions Club members cited as having helped with the Backpack to School program, but they were also credited with regularly organizing vision screenings for students and having covered the costs of 16 students getting proper eye examinations and glasses.