The reinstatement of Frederick came with modifications to her contract, which board Chair Debbie Hardy said has always been a valid document.
Key parts of those modifications include giving the superintendent and the state 48 hours notice of an attempt to dismiss her.
Upon the vote to reinstate her, the audience applauded and board member Claude Cooper presented her a bouquet of flowers.
“Welcome back, Dr. Frederick,” Gary Grant of Concerned Citizens of Tillery and the Halifax County Black Caucus, which issued a statement criticizing her firing Tuesday, shouted.
Frederick was elated by the vote. “When I see all my family here and supporters, all I can say is praise God. I can't thank you enough.”
While Frederick has made it known she plans to retire in June of 2016, she said following the vote, “Halifax County is my home.”
Cooper, who is serving his first term on the board, said the enmity between certain board members and Frederick has been strong. “It's not new. It's been this way for years. It happens over and over.”
Speaking with media afterward, Frederick said, “I'm excited. I'm just elated.”
Frederick said the system has plans in place to continue not only student improvement but improvement of the school system as a whole. “We have made growth and we're going to help to make sure it's steady growth. We've seen growth in our children. We're going to see change. We have the support of the children and the support of the community.”
In the wake of Frederick's reinstatement, the caucus called for the removal of those responsible for Monday's vote.
“After considering all the dysfunction caused by these individuals, in particular Charles Hedgepeth, during the course of their tenure, including prompting the state Board of Education to take more authority over the affairs of the Halifax County Board of Education, it is indisputable that their latest illegal seizure of the power to fire … Frederick warrants their immediate removal by the state Board of Education, the state Attorney General or representatives in Halifax County in the (state) legislature … Our children do not deserve to be represented by board members who are disruptive, uncooperative and obstructionists.”
The caucus also called on other organizations and citizens to join the effort to remove the board members responsible for the vote. “Just as the county system is stepping forward and getting its issues cleared,” the statement said, “it will be virtually impossible for continued forward movement with these … renegade board members who think they are not answerable to anyone or entity.”
The caucus said “the actions of these board members cast less than favorable light on a school system that has recently been cited for its progress in addressing its financial obligations and the educational well-being of the students in the Halifax County Schools. Such adverse actions will also hamper the current effort to merge the three county school systems.”
