Desoto Co. parents planning to keep kids home in response to character reference letters
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DESOTO Co., Miss. (WMC) – The fallout from the Lindsey Whiteside sentencing in Desoto County continues as a group of parents say they will keep their children at home Wednesday.
The move comes as parents have been calling on the district to punish the subpoenaed educators who wrote character references during Whiteside’s sentencing hearing.
Whiteside was a former Desoto County Schools assistant basketball coach and a former youth pastor convicted of sex crimes against a child.
The initiative was started by the DeSoto County Parents for Accountability, a Facebook group with hundreds of members.
When asked why they started this movement, they sent a statement saying:
“This isn’t just about one case. Over the past several years, there have been multiple instances involving school employees accused or convicted of predatory behavior, yet the district’s response has been reactive and inconsistent. Parents should not have to rely on media reports to learn about what’s happening in our schools.”
They also sent Action News 5 a copy of the letter being sent by parents to school attendance offices:
The group said their hope is that this movement forces the district and school board to publicly address these failures, take corrective action, and establish stricter safeguards moving forward.
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