School Board Discusses Social Media Lawsuit, Presents Plaque to Sherman Martin

The Wayne County School Board met in regular session on Thursday, August 11, 2026, at the Central Office at 5:30 p.m. Board members in attendance were Chairman Amanda Van Fleet, Drew Turman, Deborah Brown, Sherman Martin, and Camryn Eaton. Dr. Ricky Inman, Director of Schools, was present as well. Board member Mark Staggs was absent.

Chairman Van Fleet called the meeting to order and opened with a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and declaration of a quorum. The chairman then asked for consideration of the consent items. The agenda, the June meeting minutes, and the June and July ledgers of accounts were all approved.

The first item on the agenda was recognition of Wayne County Diamond Youth. It was a great season for all the players, coaches and parents, and the Wayne County 6U Boys team ended the season with a bang when they won the Diamond Youth World Series.

The next item on the agenda was the social media lawsuit. Dr. Inman explained that the lawsuit had nothing to do with Wayne County schools directly. He was contacted by someone who asked him/the schools to join a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit involves the impact of social media companies (such as TikTok, etc.) on students in school districts across the United States. There is no cost for the county to join, and there are no strings attached as to how the money must be spent if the lawsuit is successful. If the lawsuit is won or settled for a specific amount of money, the school district will receive 60% and the lawyers will receive 40%. Discussion followed, and all were in agreement that social media can have detrimental effects on both the mental and physical health of students.

Camryn Eaton asked Dr. Inman if he was sure the school district wasn’t just being greedy by joining the lawsuit. Dr. Inman said he had thought of that himself, but he could truly confirm that kids are experiencing more and more negative impacts from social media. He said he had thought of ways the money could be spent that would be helpful to the students, with more counseling opportunities being one way that would be helpful.

Athletic practice was next on the agenda. Dr. Inman requested approval for athletic teams to conduct practice during the school day. Sherman Martin made a motion to approve, and Debbie Brown seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

A lengthy list of non-faculty coaches from WMS, WCHS, CMS, CHS, and FHS was up next for approval. Dr. Inman confirmed that all had successful background checks. The non-faculty coaches will be helping with all school sports, including baseball, softball, football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, and golf, and some will be helping with band. The coaches were unanimously approved.

Bids for pest control, copy paper, and janitorial supplies were next on the agenda. The companies recommended by Dr. Inman were: Pest Control – Blackwelder Pest Control; Copy Paper – Better Service; and Janitorial Supplies – American Paper and Twine, A to Z, Pyramid, and Cintas. The board unanimously approved Dr. Inman’s bid recommendations.

Budget amendments were next on the agenda. Dr. Inman presented a list of line-item budget amendments for the board’s approval. He stated that no “new money” is involved in the amendments; they are to account for moving money from one fund in the budget to another. The amendments were unanimously approved by the board.

Next on the agenda was “Other.” This is when members of the audience have an opportunity to speak.

Mrs. Tiffany Thomas was the first to address the board. She said she has three sons currently enrolled in Collinwood schools, and she was especially concerned about some things with her 4th grader. The first thing Mrs. Thomas mentioned was a lack of communication between the schools and parents. She said that last year, CES had some pretty major heat and air problems, and no one notified the parents. She said the parents deserved to know when something like that happened along with severity of the problem. Parents should then be given the option to come get their child or to let them stay at home on days when the school had no heat in winter or no air conditioning in the warmer months.

Dr. Inman acknowledged the communication issues surrounding heating problems during the previous school year and stated that new procedures have been implemented to provide parents with more timely communication.

Mrs. Thomas expressed her frustration that parents of CES students are no longer allowed to go along with their child/children on field trips. She also mentioned not being allowed to attend Awards Day.

Principals Bridgette Howe from Collinwood Elementary and Steve Griggs from Waynesboro Elementary discussed safety and logistical concerns associated with parent participation on field trips. They noted that parent participation is encouraged when appropriate, particularly for local activities where participation can be managed safely. The group also discussed how previous incidents and safety concerns have influenced current procedures.

CES Principal Bridgette Howe stated that the school is expanding opportunities for parents to participate in school programs and awards ceremonies, and to volunteer through the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO).

Camryn Eaton said that he appreciated Mrs. Thomas coming to the meeting. He noted how much things have changed over the years, reminiscing about the days when he was a very young little boy and his mother was allowed to ride the school bus with him. What precious memories for Mr. Eaton and all who knew his special mom, BJ Eaton.

Greg Morris from Frank Hughes School mentioned that FHS is having a 120-year celebration in September and also noted that they had brought gifts commemorating this to the board members.

Lastly, before the meeting was adjourned, the board and audience recognized long-time School Board member, Mr. Sherman Martin. Mr. Martin served 12 years on the board and he was presented with a plaque honoring his many years of service to the Wayne County School System.

Sherman Martin then made a motion to adjourn. Camryn Eaton seconded, and the meeting was adjourned.