{"id":598,"date":"2026-05-27T16:37:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=598"},"modified":"2026-05-27T16:37:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:37:49","slug":"midlands-school-district-faces-lawsuit-over-response-to-black-fashion-show-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=598","title":{"rendered":"Midlands school district faces lawsuit over response to Black fashion show"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A Midlands school district is now facing a lawsuit over a school board member\u2019s comments about a Black History Month event at a local high school.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=597\">Midlands school district faces lawsuit over response to Black fashion show<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit was filed against the Lexington 1 school district on May 15, after school board member Katie McCown criticized River Bluff High School\u2019s annual Black History Month fashion show in a Facebook post earlier this year. McCown called the student-run, on-campus event \u201cvulgar\u201d and \u201cghetto\u201d in since-deleted social media comments.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In the suit, mother Fynale Barnwell said those comments were traumatic for her daughter Marissa, one of the students who participated in the fashion show in late February. McCown\u2019s comments led to \u201cpublic targeting, humiliation, and emotional harm inflicted upon her child,\u201d the suit claims.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe school board member published images of students without consent on a public platform, exposing them to public ridicule, harassment, and humiliation,\u201d the lawsuit says. \u201cThe school board member acted under color of their authority as a School Board member, amplifying the reach and impact of her statements.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The suit, filed by attorney Monier Abusaft of Gaffney, S.C., claims Lexington failed \u201cto supervise and control a board member,\u201d failed \u201cto enforce student privacy and protection policies,\u201d and failed \u201cto act upon knowledge of harmful conduct.\u201d The lawsuit asks a Lexington County court to award unspecified damages.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not clear what action the school district can take over McCown\u2019s comments, which were posted to the Facebook page of her school board campaign. At a public forum on March 19, other board members said that any board member is free to speak on any issue they want, and the rest of the board doesn\u2019t have a mechanism to censor their opinions.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>School board members are elected officials accountable to the voters. Under state law, only the governor can remove an elected school board member, and only then when evidence arises of criminal conduct.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=595\">A Columbia restaurant known for chicken wings is closing its doors. What we know<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>After McCown\u2019s comments faced public backlash, the Lexington 1 school board attempted to hold a specially-called board meeting on March 19 to receive \u201clegal advice regarding board member conduct\u201d in a closed-door session. The River Bluff students and their supporters rallied in front of the school district headquarters in Lexington.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But most of the board stayed away from that meeting, which was ultimately canceled due to the lack of a quorum. The three board members who did show up later said they went ahead and meet with the attorney privately.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>School board chair Kathy Henson said in a statement at the time that \u201cIndividual board members have the right to express personal opinions. However, those views do not necessarily represent the position of the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees or Lexington County School District One.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Board policy gives the superintendent the power to manage the district, Henson said at the time, including working with schools around concerns about school activities. Board members should refer those concerns to the superintendent to be addressed, she said.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t Barnwell\u2019s first lawsuit involving the school district. Marissa Barnwell was previously the plaintiff in a suit against Lexington 1 when she said a teacher stopped her in the hallway at River Bluff in 2022 when she didn\u2019t stop as the Pledge of Allegiance was recited over the school intercom. She claimed she was assaulted and that the school had violated her free speech right not to participate in the pledge.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The family received a $75,000 settlement from the school district in that case last year, court records show.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=593\">Fatal shooting led to chase that was followed by another death, SC coroner says<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A parent sued Lexington 1 after board member Katie McCown called a River Bluff High School Black History Month fashion show \u201cvulgar,\u201d alleging public humiliation and privacy violations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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