The sight of a lot of Guilford County Schools buses lined up is pretty common and almost never raises eyebrows.
However, on Saturday, Oct. 31, when 74 buses were used to establish a security perimeter at a Jill Biden “Get Out The Vote” rally in Greensboro, Guilford County Schools ended up with a huge controversy on its hands.
The move upset Trump fans, school board members, social media users and many others who wondered if school system dollars were going toward partisan political events.
The matter blew up on Facebook after one poster shared pictures of the buses and asked for an explanation. Others who attended the event at the Greensboro Coliseum saw the buses and called local media outlets to complain.
Guilford County School Board Member Anita Sharpe said on Sunday, Nov. 1 that she’s very disturbed by the fact that the buses were used without her and other school board members being notified. She said that, even though she’s a school board member, she was told nothing about the plan.
She said she was told she wasn’t informed due to “security concerns” but she added that she had been cleared twice by the US Secret Service and she said certainly someone could have given a heads up to the school board. She added that other school board members had also had security clearances granted by the Secret Service.
Sharpe said that, instead, it seemed to her to be another instance of a lack of communication by Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras.
“I’ve made a public records request about this,” Sharpe said Sunday, Nov. 1, the day after Biden’s rally. “That is how I have to get all of my information.”
Sharpe said it made no sense for school board members to be kept in the dark about something like this.
“What did they think was going to happen when people saw all those school buses parked there?” she asked.
She said that, on Saturday morning, people began texting her and sending her pictures of the buses and asking questions.
“At the time, I had no idea,” Sharpe said, adding that “John Q. Public might see that and think that Guilford County Schools is supporting Biden.”
She also said she has requested information about the cost. She said she’d heard that the Secret Service was going to reimburse that money to the school system, but she knew none of the details.
On Facebook, Joanne Smith Gilbert posted pictures of the buses (see above) and wrote, “I’m curious. Was this taxpayer funded? Paid for by the Biden campaign? An in-kind contribution by our Superintendent? What was the approval process and who authorized? Someone needs to do some explaining please.”
School Board Member Pat Tillman, who posted a Facebook comment conveying what he’d heard on the matter, wrote, “I’ve been told this is handled through the US Secret Service. No campaign called GCS [Guilford County Schools]. Apparently, this is a common security practice of US Secret Service. The US Secret Service called and the US Secret Service reimburses school districts all over America.”
No question about it. Guilford County Schools DOES support Biden.
Who paid for the Drivers and Fuel for the buses. I am sure that our Mayor approved it ,if not bill her.
The current Supt needs to be shown the door . . . .ASAP, and there’s no need to have a national search for a replacement. Something smells at the school system, and I’ll bet some of the board members knew about it and decided to not inform the public.
It’s called the DEA, ask the Coop about it.
Why am I not surprised at Pat Tillman’s comment.
I’ve never heard of school buses being used by the secret service to protect any candidate or surrogate candidates in all my years
This should have NEVER been done without the school boards authority. As usual the superintendent answers to no one! How much longer do we have to deal with this tyrant?!
Yes, Your Superintendent knew about it and supported it. Yes, your local government run liberal social justice child indoctrination centers endorse Biden. Yes, they broke numerous laws in this little fiasco. Now, what are you people on the board going to do about it? #defundtheschoolboard #partisanbs
In all my years I’ve never heard of school buses being used as security or any other reason for a political campaign.
Another example of Democrats using public equipment and facilities, not to mention payroll, for their own benefit. Especially since they didn’t even bother to ask the school board. Who did they call and who gave them the okay to use the buses? If buses are a good way to control access, then hire buses from private companies. I am sure they could use the money more than the school district.
Funny I’ve not seen school busses at Trump rallies. Secret Service– That’s B.S.
Where did Mr. Tillman get his facts this time?
Interesting! I hope you guys will continue to research the truth. Were voters transported in any of the buses? Ms Contreras needs to be hard at work for the children of Greensboro or move on.
What else can happen when Democrats are in charge of activities in a city/county?
Superintendent Contreras made that wonderful decision to bus voting children to vote. Now buses and drivers are allowed for a political event.Hiw much more has to happen before someone is shown the door and asked to leave.Maybe the Queen of the school system has been given the liberty to use taxpayer money as she wishes. Can you people began to see she takes liberty’s that all of the school board is not in favor. Also when the superintendent waste money like that why should she be give more money to squander. I guess this superintendent does not report to the school board,or almost all school board is in on it.understand why county commissioners are Leary to give school board money to promote political events.I guess the logical thing to do would be to invite the opposite party the same opportunity.
Contreras is NOT the sole person in charge of the Guilford County schools. It is impossible to believe that she did not know of this beforehand. She does not understand the chain of command and that she works for the school board. Her time has come and gone several times on similar issues such as busing students to the polls last spring.
We must have a separation of powers and responsibility with the school system. We bus them to and from school, we feed them even when school is not is session all the while their parent gets money from the government to feed them. What is next? Housing them? It is time to clean house with not only the superintendent but the entire school board.
If it walks like a Biden, talks like a Biden, looks like a Biden—-it’s a Biden.
It is easy enough to find who is responsible.
I saw some wake-up TV today the 2nd. Jam-packed with the same-ol’-same-ol’. Haven’t seen the Idiot Box since then, I’m afraid to look. Halloween is gone, but not the scary polys.
Oh, I forgot. It is now “open season’ on Medicare all the way to Pearl Harbor day. Haven’t seen many XMAS ads, as the polys bought it all up—–BUT WAIT! See what tomorrow brings. Sigh.
I have some novel ideas. Turn off the Idiot Box. Break out a book, or some CDs. Meet up with your friends and neighbors. Play with your children, or grandparents.
hear that, folks? According to the school board, the Secret Service reimburses the school board for its use of the buses.
Keep in mind the Trumps still haven’t paid over a dozen cities across America for hosting rallies – even dating back to 2015.
Who’s really offering America the better deal? All the false outrage in the world can’t change the facts.
That is a bunch of bull about the secret service sets this up. The superintendent set this up and she should pay.
What do you expect from a Demoncratic Greensboro Government. Don’t hold your breath while waiting for reimbursement. Don’t think the Secret Service should pay for this. If the secret service pays this, who funds the SS. OF COURSE WE THE TAXPAYER DOES! Should be the Biden campaign that pays and they should have plenty of money since J. Biden has mostly stayed in the basement and out of public view.
The fact our Superintendent is playing political games in the middle of a pandemic is representative of her repeated stunts that she pulls without knowledge or approval. The secret service could contract with any number of entities to provide vehicles for security. Bad form and more evidence Contreras is a political hack and very unprofessional.
This is one of the reasons I voted NO on additional school tax.
This is ludicrous! GCS should not be involved in politics. We have enough going on in the school system alone without creating more drama. Who’s decision was this?
Secret service is still taxpayer’s dime. Democrat national party should be paying the tab. Board of Education members are the boss of Contreras and need to issue her a pink slip. Not just for this fiasco, but also for the deprivation of learning for Guilford County Students as well as the misuse of taxpayers money (ie. school shutdown).
WAIT! A Democrat led school board approved helping out fellow Teacher, Jill Biden?
What were we thinking!
Trump’s SS demanded this.
If anyone in Guilford county believes this bus issue is anything other than political you are completely delusional. I have seen over and over how the liberal agenda has played out in schools. We used to receive emails all the time about how we could not display anything political, talk about our personal political beliefs, etc . but that policy does not seem to apply to Democrats. What is so pathetic is that 4 years ago I heard about a school in Guilford county that literally had a staff meeting to “mourn” the fact that Trump was elected president, complete with counselors, as if someone had died. Not to mention of the left leaning political emails we get from our superintendent. Forget separation of church and state, there has to be separation of education and politics.
I sure hope they have reason to “mourn” again soon.