On Wednesday morning, June 28th, the Yancey County Board of Education held a special meeting to, among other things, address an appeal by Mountain Heritage High School teacher Kim Higgins. The school board opened the meeting and then went in to Closed Session with Higgins and her attorney. The Board of Education spokesperson said they would have no comment since this is a personnel matter and they are not by law allowed to comment on personnel issues. Meanwhile, a group of Higgins supporters, which included teachers and former students, gathered across the street, on the lawn of the Yancey County Public Library during the hearing and chanted “We Are Heritage”. About two hours later word was received that the vote was 4 to 1 against Higgins.
The Higgins appeal is in regards to a May 22nd incident where Higgins slipped on a sweatshirt with a controversial message on it. According to Higgins she did so to relieve a student’s anxiety before taking an exam. Someone took a photo of the her and shared it on social media. Some parents and students found the message inappropriate, though others in the school and community have come to Higgins’ defense.
The decision was made to move Higgins from her position at Mountain Heritage High School to a different position at East Yancey Middle School. Higgins appealed that decision on the grounds that “the punishment does not match the crime to tarnish 28 years of a tenured veteran teacher” and that “the decision would be detrimental to the drafting and SkillsUSA program at MHHS.”
Photo: Some of the people gathered on the lawn of the Yancey County Public Library to show support of Kim Higgins.
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