Thursday, March 28, 2024

Granbury school trustee resigns

Posted

Rookie Granbury School Board member Bob Swearingen has resigned following a controversial photo on his Facebook page showing what appears to be a yoga coach inappropriately touching two females in class.

The board will hold a special meeting Tuesday to accept the resignation.

Speaking for the other trustees, school board president Mark Jackson said, “What he posted was appalling. We are in no way comfortable with it, and frankly we are disappointed in Mr. Swearingen.

“While we commend Mr. Swearingen for his public service on the school board for the last several months, we appreciate him understanding the severity of his social media post and the need to step down.”

Swearingen was elected for a three-year term in November 2019. At the special meeting, the board will consider adding the position to the November 2020 election to fill the remaining two years on the term.

Swearingen apparently meant for a Facebook post to be comical, but it was no laughing matter to Jackson.

The photo was not of Swearingen, only a lookalike.

Swearingen once worked for Granbury ISD as a teacher and coach.

Former Granbury School Board members Micky Shearon and Chris Tackett called for Swearingen’s resignation, saying the photograph depicts sexual assault.

Shearon posted, “We as a community have to draw some lines. Is this what we want representing our school system? Our town? Our kids? I say no, and Bob Swearingen should RESIGN immediately.”

Swearingen said he deleted the photo, apologizing for his posts that included “Here’s my evil twin,” referring to the man in the photo. “Except for my little wedding band, I NEVER wear jewelry (the man appears to be wearing a watch and rings).”

Jackson said he’s had about 15 emails from people wanting Swearingen to resign. He said, however, the board cannot force Swearingen to resign.

“Any personal views expressed in the public domain is their personal responsibility,” Jackson said. “We simply cannot control them. Ultimately, the public can decide who sits in the office by going to the polls. Only the Trustee can decide to either apologize or resign their office.”

Swearingen said on Facebook after the page circulated on social media, “I am guilty of poor judgment in having posted that comment/meme. It was an offensive picture and I was stupid to have used it in any way. It has been pulled once the offensiveness of it was made known and once I got past initial defensiveness (and questions about lack of humor were brushed aside). Please know that I would never condone inappropriate touching.”

Because of his far right views, Swearingen is no stranger to controversy. He drew unfavorable publicity in the Star-Telegram after his win over incumbent Rhonda Rezsofi in November.

The newspaper said Swearingen credited his victory to prayer, work, endorsements, “evil agenda items being pushed into our public schools, and a clown named Beta (sic) coming after our guns and Churches.”

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