Teachers’ union calls on board member to resign after media post
COLUMBUS — The union representing more than 4,000 Columbus City Schools teachers and other employees is calling on a school board member to resign after what it says is an inappropriate social media post for International Women’s Day.
James Ragland posted a photo on his Facebook page, that has since been removed, with the text: “Nice Girls Don’t Stay For Breakfast.” He captioned the photo “Happy Women’s Day! Govern Yourselves Accordingly.” Nice Girls Don’t Stay for Breakfast is a 1967 album by Julie London.
“By disrespecting and dehumanizing these leaders on a day set aside for honoring them, Mr. Ragland has demonstrated he is unfit to serve,” Columbus Education Association President John Coneglio said in a released statement. “He must resign immediately.”
Ragland said in an email to The Dispatch that his post was “unintentionally offensive to many women and for that I apologize and am truly sorry.”
“As the son of a beautiful, strong, and empowered woman I admit that I should have been more artful in my musical selection. And as the father of a wonderful daughter, growing into
adulthood my attempt at shedding light on how I view women fell short of the mark. This has taken away from the celebration of the many achievements that women have made to benefit our society and I will work diligently to correct this error in judgment.”
Ragland’s current term
expires on Dec. 31. He was appointed to the school board in January 2019 to fill part of a vacant term. In November 2019, he ran unopposed to fill the remainder of the term.
“Mr. Ragland has added insult to injury with a fundamental disrespect for the core values of Columbus City
Schools,” Coneglio said in the statement. “Our 50,000 students deserve board members who lead by example.”
Columbus Board of Education President Jennifer Adair said board members must serve as examples in the community.
“I am disappointed in Board Member Ragland’s decision to make questionable posts on his Facebook page on International Women’s Day — a day that is set aside each year to celebrate the achievements of women and honor their contributions to our global society,” she said in a statement.
Ragland is the director of provider outreach for School Choice Ohio, a nonprofit group that informs Ohio families about the educational options available for their children, including private and charter schools.
This work caused the CEA to rescinded its endorsement of Ragland and took a vote of “no confidence” in his ability to serve the district in September.