HERNANDO — Some DeSoto County School Board members want a legal process by which an elected peer — another school board member — can be ousted for concerns including malfeasance and abuse of power. They passed a resolution in November formally asking lawmakers to consider granting that authority in the current legislative session.
A new law “would give school boards more authority when situations arise that cause concern in the community,” school board President Jerald Wheeler said in a statement to Mississippi Today.
For now, there is no legal mechanism for a school board to remove one of its members, said Jim Keith, attorney for the DeSoto County School Board.
The board members may get their wish to change that, at least in terms of a bill.
Sen. Kevin Blackwell, a Republican from Southaven, has filed Senate Bill 2068, which would allow a school district’s local governing authority, by majority vote, to remove a school board member for breach of public trust, neglect of duty and abuse of authority. The school board would first have to vote on a recommendation. Rep. Kimberly Remak, a Republican from Olive Branch, is the primary author of House Bill 573, the House version of Blackwell’s bill. The bill now has multiple coauthors and bipartisan support. Remak did not respond to requests for comment.
On Dec. 30, Sen. Michael McLendon, a Republican from Hernando, announced on Facebook plans to introduce the Whiteside Accountability Act, a separate bill that, if passed into law, would provide “a statutory recall process for school board members who engage in conduct that undermines student safety, including actions that defend or minimize sexual crimes against minors.” The bill would give the power to school board members to remove other board members.
McLendon introduced the Education Leadership Accountability Act on Jan. 14.
DeSoto County School Board members’ interest in ousting another elected board member stems from public calls for Michele Henley to resign after she wrote a letter and testified on behalf of Lindsey Whiteside, a former volunteer assistant girls’ basketball coach at DeSoto Central High School who had already pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a minor. At least nine other district employees wrote letters of support for Whiteside.
On Oct. 13, a judge sentenced Whiteside to three years of house arrest and seven years of probation — a much lighter sentence than the 30 years that prosecutors sought. The sentence divided the tranquil Memphis suburbs in Mississippi, where Whiteside was also a youth pastor.
Whiteside pleaded guilty earlier that day to committing sexual battery against a minor who attended her church. Some people, disturbed by Henley’s testimony and that some school district staff also wrote letters vouching for Whiteside’s character, began calling for Henley’s removal from the school board. They took to social media and spoke out at school board meetings.
“Disappointment, outrage, neglect of power” are a few reactions McLendon has heard from constituents since the conclusion of the Whiteside trial.
“It’s one thing to write a letter on the character of a person that you know, but writing the letter on official letterhead and using your elected title carries weight as an authoritative figure,” McLendon said of Henley.
Henley did not respond to multiple requests for comment by Mississippi Today.
DeSoto County School board member Michele Henley listens to public comments during the DeSoto County School Board meeting in Hernando, Miss. on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayIn a statement posted to Facebook on Oct. 15, Henley said the letter she wrote did not express support for Whiteside’s actions “or endorse her behavior.” The letter, shared in the post, describes Whiteside coaching and supporting Henley’s daughter in basketball.
As for her testimony, Henley wrote, “Contrary to what has been claimed, I did not testify for the defense. I was subpoenaed by the District Attorney to appear in court. While on the stand, I was asked whether I condoned Lindsey’s actions. My response was no. When asked about what her sentence should be, I stated that such a decision was for the judge to determine.”
‘A mechanism is necessary’
A half-dozen DeSoto County residents told Mississippi Today they believe Henley abused their trust when she wrote a letter of support on Whiteside’s behalf. The victim’s family said they felt Henley exercised poor judgment in supporting Whiteside over a district student.
The family members also said they felt Henley’s actions should be grounds for removal from the school board. After making a statement condemning Henley’s actions, the school board passed a resolution formally asking the legislature for legal recourse to grant them the power to oust one of their members, due in part to public outcry.
“The Board of Trustees of the DeSoto County School District firmly believes that a mechanism is necessary for the removal of school board members … to ensure a safe and supportive learning environment for students,” read the Nov. 20 resolution by the DeSoto County School Board.
Hope Hughes gives her comments during the DeSoto County School board meeting in Hernando, Miss. on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayEvery board member save Henley, who abstained, voted in support of the recent motion.
Katie Sasso, the mother of a DeSoto County School District student, said Henley’s departure would allow for the community to heal. Aubrie Johnson, a concerned community member, said, “It was shocking to see (someone) support a real-life predator.”
DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton wrote Henley in October that “when an elected official chooses to protect the abuser rather than the abused, she ceases to serve the public good.” Barton said he called for Henley’s resignation so integrity and confidence could be restored to the school board.
On Nov. 6, at Henley’s first school board meeting appearance since the hearing, two members of the victim’s family called for her resignation. Pam Pegram, the victim’s grandmother, asked that Henley look at her during their exchange, pausing for Henley’s response. Pegram was met with nearly two minutes of silence.
“You heard the brave young girl read her victim statement and tell everyone in that courtroom about the vile and evil things that the predator had done. You heard the despair in the victim’s mother’s letter. You heard the frustration and the anger from the victim’s stepdad,” Pegram said. “You could have any time said, ‘I’m so sorry. I can no longer support this.’ But you cowardly refused to stand up for a child that attended school in your district.”
At that meeting, the school board voted to replace Henley as its president. Henley remains a board member.
In conversation with the public
DeSoto County Parents for Accountability, a parent group that found a broad audience on Facebook, is also pushing for Henley’s resignation.
The effort included organizing a protest of the school board on Oct. 17. The group has also criticized the school board, saying it meets at times when parents can’t attend.
The parents’ rights group helped organize a boycott of the school district the week after the Whiteside verdict. They protested what they called a lack of transparency and response by district leadership.
Hope Hughes gives her comments during the DeSoto County School board meeting in Hernando, Miss. on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayNancy Kemper, grandmother of a DeSoto County student, said during the public comments section of the meeting that she was unable to attend past meetings because they were scheduled during school pickup time. She said she felt the meeting schedule gave Henley the opportunity to dodge accountability.
“I know a lot of people that wanted to come here today and they feel like it was really convenient — especially for (Henley) — that they couldn’t come and speak because they are in line picking up their children.”
Seeking a legislative response
The bills introduced this legislative session aren’t the first attempts to extend school boards’ authority, including their power to remove other school board members.
In November, the DeSoto County School Board voted to support HB 817, which Remak introduced during the 2025 legislative session. HB 817 would have allowed school board members, by a majority vote and through the local governing agency, to remove a colleague for “malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance,” breach of public trust and abuse of authority.
The DeSoto board’s vote was symbolic; the bill had died in committee.
Another bill filed this session, authored by Kabir Karriem, a Democrat from Columbus, would also allow for the removal of a school board member for misconduct and “breach of public trust.” House Bill 521 would also limit a school board’s power to request a hike in property tax.
Karriem said he hoped to prevent school boards from triggering “irresponsible” property tax increases or other rash actions. He was inspired to reintroduce his bill from the 2025 legislative session because of his constituents’ concerns in Columbus.
“When you have school board members that feel like they have complete autonomy that creates problems for the community,” Karriem said. “And there always needs to be checks and balances.”
“There needs to be the opportunity to remove bad actors.”
If one of the bills to let school boards oust another board member becomes law, Mississippi will be one of the first state to grant that power. New York allows school board members to vote out their peers for “official misconduct.” Indiana allows removal by a circuit judge, while Virginia and Alabama give that right to governors. Illinois grants the power to a regional superintendent. In 24 states, excluding Mississippi, an elected school board member can be removed by a recall vote.
There is a lot of support for the bills before the Legislature this session, McLendon said. “It’s a nonpartisan bill that holds everyone accountable for their actions when it comes to protecting children.”
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