The complete text exchange initiated April 28, 2023, by the Moore County Schools superintendent when he alerted the seven-member Board of Education about a stabbing incident at Pinecrest High School was released as PDF files on May 2. The minimally redacted text communications were made public following concerns voiced by board members that “political hay” was being generated by board detractors. The Pilot newspaper, in its initial reporting on the texts, rushed to the conclusion that the board “may have violated the state’s open meetings law.” The texts were leaked to the newspaper the same day of the violent attack. A review of the texts indicate the leaker had access to the smart phone of board member Stacey Caldwell. Discussion of the Pinecrest incident, during which a male student repeatedly stabbed a female student in a parking lot before the day’s first period of classes, was added to the agenda of Monday’s previously scheduled Board of Education work session. After a closed session of two hours, the board convened in open session — open to public attendance and to live stream viewing via YouTube. Board chair Robert Levy expressed hesitancy about releasing the texts, but acknowledged that the leak to The Pilot had placed in the board in an untenable position. “Somehow, the media has gotten ahold of (the texts), anyway, and published them, irresponsibly, anyway,” Levy said during the meeting. “These are text messages which deal with school safety. I believe the media does harm to our ability to deliberate. We are hampered in taking measures to make campuses safe.”
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