More unrest reported at Lincoln Memorial Academy as appeal hearing gets underway

Tensions were again high at Lincoln Memorial Academy on Monday as a hearing began on whether the Manatee County School District acted correctly when it canceled the charter and re-took control of the school.

More than 40 students walked out of class on Friday, demanding the return of their former principal, Eddie Hundley. On Monday morning, another protest broke out in front of the school, but eyewitness accounts vary on what actually took place. However, there were several members of the Palmetto Police Department on hand.

Palmetto Police Captain Mike Stinson said teachers and staff briefly walked out of class, but were quickly ushered back into the classrooms by interim Principal Ronnie King, who denied anything took place.

“I have not heard that,” King told the Bradenton Herald. “I was not privy to that.”

King denied that any disruption to school activities occurred Monday. Other witnesses at the school said students were attempting to stage another protest and staff confronted them to get them back into school. Witnesses said King ultimately intervened and everyone went back to class.

Rodney Jones, a former president of the Mantaee County NAACP, was seen leaving King’s office shortly after the morning’s events unfolded and a disagreement took place in the school’s front office area.

King could be seen walking Jones from his office, down the hallway to the front where King told Jones, “You need to leave. This is school business and you need to leave.”

Jones, a vocal supporter of the school’s former administration, took a seat in the front office area and refused.

“I’m going to sit right here until you tell me what I did wrong,” Jones responded.

After a brief exchange with King, Jones complied and was escorted off campus by law enforcement.

Jones told the Bradenton Herald he wasn’t there for that morning’s events, but had come to speak with King about allegations of child abuse. Jones said he received a call from a student’s mother that the child had been violently grabbed and that Child Protective Services was at the school.

The Bradenton Herald was not able to immediately verify the allegations.

The state terminated Hundley’s teaching certification because it found he had improperly recommended a former teacher for a job in Sarasota even though he knew the teacher was under criminal investigation.

The school district also said the school under Hundley has run a large budget deficit, and the U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation of possible fraud and other improprieties. It also noted that the state had determined that because Hundley’s certificiate had been suspended, he was barred from having contact with students at the school.

The school district voted last month 4-1 to take control of the school, and later voted to name King as acting principal, despite a history of disciplinary issues.

This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 11:19 AM.