School board member Mark Gremaud at a Perryville School District meeting.
Perryville, Missouri School Board member Mark Gremaud is in big trouble after he told another school board member,
"Kathy, you are just a woman, the only thing you know is laying on your back with your legs in the air splayed."
Ouch. Poor, poor judgement and inappropriate in all ways. The school board censured him, by a vote of 4-3, and asked for him to resign, something he has not yet done. Almost equally outrageous is this vote was not unanimous. Board member Jeff Weilbrecht defended Gremaud's comment by saying "nobody is perfect" and noting Gremaud had filled in as a bus driver when the district needed it. That's nice, but his offensive and unprovoked comment shows a gross lack of judgement.
The school board released the following statement:
Statement from Mrs. Nancy Voelker, President of the Perry County School District 32 Board of Education
Last night, the Board of Education voted 4-3 to censure board member Mark Gremaud for comments made during a closed session meeting on Aug. 12, 2015.
The Board then voted 4-3 to request the resignation of Mr. Gremaud.
As the president of the Board of Education, this situation and this process have been tremendously difficult. I want it to be clear that our Board of Education must operate with transparency and in the best interest of the children and staff we serve. That is especially true when it comes to our own conduct as board members.
I assure you that the comments for which Mr. Gremaud was censured were unprovoked. This is a fact uncontested by six members of the board. The discussion was not about teachers, students, farmers, or any other conjecture you may see on social media. We were discussing board procedures and board behaviors. Mrs. Carron’s statement was not directed to Mr. Gremaud, but was rather directed to the entire board. Mrs. Carron made a reasonable comment in a reasonable manner, before Mr. Gremaud’s unprovoked verbal attack.
Mr. Gremaud apologized at that time. However, the seriousness of the statement and the manner in which it was spoken made it impossible for us as a board, or a district, to end the matter with an apology.
District 32 does not tolerate discrimination of any sort, not against our students, staff, board members or community members.
Our sole purpose as a Board of Education is to serve children by providing excellent educational opportunities, and by providing a safe and professional environment for our staff.
I am confident that the measures taken last night serve that purpose, and that the administration and staff of District 32 schools remain focused on doing what’s best for children each and every day.
I humbly ask that you pray for and offer support to our teachers, administrators, support staff and students as we move forward.
For more coverage, see this news report from
KFVS.com.