BLYTHEWOOD – A Richland 2 School Board member said Tuesday she will stand on her record in the face of a recent Richland County Sheriff’s Department report that alleges she threatened the life of Westwood High School’s head football coach.
“I have been a voice for the children of District 2 for the last 23 years, and my record is impeccable,” Melinda Anderson said. “It is very difficult to dispel untruths.”
According to the report, Anderson was in a meeting at Westwood High School on Oct. 7 with Acting Superintendent Debbie Hamm and the District’s Human Resources Officer, Roosevelt Garrick Jr., to discuss the treatment of her grandson by head football coach Rodney Summers. Hamm, who filed the report, told the Sheriff’s Department that during the meeting Anderson said, “I’m so angry I just want to kill the coach, and I have a gun.” Summers was not present at the meeting.
Anderson denied making the threat and said Tuesday that the incident report was “not accurate.” She also said she was not interested in trying to debunk what she characterized as false statements.
“I will not lower my standards to try to disprove some foolishness cooked up by certain administrators,” Anderson said, although she could not offer details on why such a statement would be attributed to her, or to which administrators she was referring.
“I don’t know who’s behind it all,” she said.
The Board issued a statement early Tuesday indicating that they had addressed the issue and that threats and harassment would not be tolerated. Neither Hamm nor Summers wished to press charges, according to the report.
