MOUNT PLEASANT — A dozen students and their parents gathered across from Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary School on March 1 protesting the replacement of two teachers in the midst of the school year.
"Bring back Ms. Bowman and White," the children chanted and held signs condemning the Charleston County School District.
They were students of fourth grade teacher Kirsten Bowman, who was abruptly transferred to another school for the remainder of the school year. Parents of children in her classroom received an email from Principal Michelle Conner at the end of the Feb. 29 school day notifying them of the change in teachers without explanation, according to information provided to The Post and Courier.
Parents said another teacher, Judith White, also was unceremoniously removed from her classroom last month. The two educators had been outspoken critics of air quality at the school, which the students said continue to affect their health.
"I want Ms. Bowman back because she was trying to get us healthy classroom conditions," said Jake Mayer, a fourth grader at Whitesides. "She got transferred for it, and that's not fair."
Fourth graders at Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary School in Mount Pleasant participate in a noon protest outside the school on March 1, the day after their teacher, Kirsten Bowman, was transferred to another school.
Bowman, who has taught only at Whitesides since joining the school district in 2019, now will be teaching fourth grade at Sullivan’s Island Elementary School, and White, who spent 25 years at Whitesides, is serving as an interventionist at Jennie Moore Elementary School, according to an email from CCSD spokesman Andy Pruitt.
"The decision was made by the district after ongoing conversations with counsel, school administration, and HR personnel about how best to address ongoing concerns specific to Whitesides raised by the teacher," the email read. "Ms. Bowman is a talented and dedicated teacher and continues to be a valued employee of the district."
A nearly identical paragraph, in which only the teacher's name was changed, referred to White.
Whitesides, which was built in 2010, has undergone a litany of mold, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide testing after complaints last spring, according to Jeffrey Borowy, chief operating officer for the school district. In October, district officials suspended in-person learning for two days after two students suffered medical emergencies at the school.
Borowy said that while CO2 levels in the school have been elevated at times, they have never exceeded the upper limits set by Occupational Safety and Health Administration. School officials continue to maintain that the medical emergencies were not connected to air quality issues.
Since then, Steve Hamer, the district's associate of facilities management, said his department has worked diligently to monitor and improve the system that feeds fresh air into the school. The district plans to replace this portion of the 14-year-old HVAC system by the end of the calendar year, Hamer said.
Students outside the school on March 1 described ailments such as headache, weakness, dizziness and nausea — symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the Mayo Clinic. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can kill. Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a naturally occurring gas in the Earth's atmosphere, but at higher levels it can cause rapid breathing, confusion, elevated blood pressure and irregular heartbeat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The demonstrators returned to class after the short noontime interruption. Their parents called the teacher reassignments retaliatory, and said they wanted to set an example for their children that people shouldn't be punished for speaking out.
"It is no coincidence that both teachers were the most outspoken staff members at Whitesides Elementary School about the air quality problems that continue to exist in the school," said Alicia Cledaras, the mother of a fourth grader in Bowman's class. "This is an unnecessary and flagrant disruption to their classrooms. Their students are devastated by their teachers being ripped away mid-year."
Pruitt denied accusations of reprisal.
"The transfers were in no way in retaliation for either teacher voicing complaints about CO2 levels at Whiteside or otherwise exercising her right to free speech," the email statement continued. "Furthermore, neither teacher has been threatened with termination or any adverse employment action for speaking with the media."
Meanwhile, students are left heartbroken without their teachers for the remainder of the year.
"We didn't get to say goodbye to her," Catelyn Jones, a fourth grader, said of her favorite teacher, Ms. Bowman. "She was trying to make the school a better place for all to learn."
