Three resign from Moore County school board

Three of eight members of the Moore County Board of Education resigned their posts Saturday, County Commissioner Nick Picerno said. Ben Cameron, Kathy Farren and Susan Black were in the majority in Thursday's 5-3 contentious vote to fire Superintendent Robert Grimesey.

That decision drew hundreds of complaints from parents and teacher, both in person and on social media, and a restraining order against the board.

Rep. Jamie Boles, R-Moore, obtained a temporary injunction Friday blocking the Moore County Board of Education from hiring a superintendent for Grimesey.

"This is a very important issue, and I don't think the board members understand what they have done to the community," Boles said.

In court documents, Boles called for the resignation of the five school board members who voted to fire Grimesey. If they do not resign, Boles said he plans to push a local bill to recall the school board members.

The board's next regular meeting, scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m., was moved to the Union Pines High School Auditorium in aniticpation of large crowds. Much of the agenda for that meeting is designated for public comment.

No school board members have publicly commented on the decision to fire the superintendent or what may have led to his negative review.

In their letters of resignation, both Farren and Cameron obliquely referenced the vote but neither shed any light on the reason behind it.

"Over the course of time, I believe that the vote I made on Thursday will be revealed to have been the right decision for Moore County Schools," Cameron wrote.

Boles suggests Grimesey's firing based on personal animosity.

On Thursday, supporters gave Grimesey a standing ovation following the board's vote to oust him. He then thanked them in a short and tearful speech.

Grimesey became the county's superintendent on July 1, 2014, after serving as a superintendent of Orange County (Va.) Public Schools from 2009 to 2014.