Pierce County has been notified to retain documents related to the recent firing of Library Manager LaVonnia Moore, a request that generally precedes litigation.
Other published articles have said Moore has filed a wrongful termination suit against Pierce County, but The Times was unable to locate a suit in the local judicial circuit or the United States District Court. County Attorney Adam Craft said he is “unaware” of any suit being filed.
Moore was fired June 18 after the display of a book that was deemed “inappropriate” for children.
Moore and library staff reportedly posed for a photo with a display for the summer fun reading program. The display, allegedly developed by other library volunteers, included a book on transgender youth entitled When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff. The post was on the library’s Facebook page, but has since been taken down. A local group, the Alliance for Faith and Family, highlighted the post and circulated it asking concerned citizens to contact their county commissioners and local and regional library officials.
Wade Herring, an attorney with Hunter Maclean in Savannah, recently provided The Times with 17 pages of emails and messenger exchanges detailing the discussions that led to Moore’s firing.
Herring said the documents “speak for themselves”. Herring confirmed he is representing Moore, but declined additional comment.
The messages include exchanges between Regional Library Director Jeremy Snell, county human resources director Elena Ryals, County Manager Raphel Maddox, County Commission Chairman Neal Bennett, Commissioners Troy Mattox, Randy Dixon and David Lowman and residents, including Christopher Dardis, Crystal Winn, Jackie Bennett and Kim Strickland. Some of the emails from local residents are believed to be affiliated with the Alliance for Faith and Family.
The citizen letters all cited opposition to the book based on religious and moral objections and all of them called for Moore’s firing.
Three Rivers Regional Library (TRRL) Director Snell fired Moore June 18 after consulting with the members of the Pierce County Library Board.
Exchanges between R. Maddox and Ryals confirmed what had long been suspected in the commun ity. Pierce County’s move to the Three Rivers System was an effort to “compromise” but in the end the controversy over LGBTQ displays and bathroom policy in the Okefenokee Regional Library led to the Pierce County Board of Education withdrawing its funding from the library entirely.
One of the main reasons cited for the change to the new library system is that the TRRLS allowed local library boards a greater degree of self autonomy to set its own policies and govern its facility.
One of the exchanges on messenger said Moore knew what she was doing by displaying the book and inciting more controversy.
“She needs to go immediately,” one of the messages read.
In the aftermath of Moore’s firing, Snell reported receiving a much larger volume of emails in support of Moore and asking her to be reinstated.
Snell asked in another email if the library board would reconsider Moore’s termination and reinstate her to her position.
Responses to that request were not in favor of Moore’s reinstatement.
The library board was originally scheduled to meet for its quarterly meeting July 15, but that meeting has been delayed due to a scheduling conflict that would result in a lack of quorum.
The local library board meets quarterly and includes Lana Blankenship, Jacqueline Moses, Malayna Wetherington and Mandy Williams.
Since the controversy erupted, board member Laci Gillis has submitted her resignation. Austin Burgess was appointed to fill her position.
There are two vacancies on the board due to the withdrawal of the BOE’s funding. The BOE previously had two appointees on the board.
The next library board meeting has been scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, at the Pierce County Library.
During last year’s controversy, the Pierce County Library had experienced a budget shortfall after the county slashed its share of library funding by $25,000 and the school board eliminated its $15,400 in funding altogether. Only the City of Blackshear maintained its funding.
The three entities jointly fund the local branch and the regional system provides the remainder of the funding through a state grant.
After the Pierce County Library joined the TRRLS, the county restored its funding and provides $77,000 annually. The City of Blackshear maintained its funding of $12,514 per year. The school board never restored its funding.
Moore
