FOLKSTON, Ga. – The parents of a Georgia teenager who was banned for life from her alma mater were met with opposition Tuesday night when they spoke before the Charlton County School Board, asking the superintendent to reconsider the ban.
Chaquoya Brown, who was the 2016 Charlton County High School homecoming queen, was permanently banned from her high school. She wasn't at Tuesday evening's meeting because she's in college, but her parents spoke on her behalf, as well as a local judge who has a personal connection to the case.
Maria Brown, Chaquoya Brown's mother, argued her daughter's case before the Charlton County School Board, questing whether an assistant principal has the power to ban a student from a high school for life and inquiring whether the school board signed off on the punishment.
Charles Brown, the former homecoming queen's father, told school board members that he raised his daughter to respect authority.
"Contrary to what some of you may believe, she lives a high standard," Charles Brown said. "She does not live a consequence-free life. I guarantee you she does not. Some may have, but not my daughter.”
The battle began in August 2017 when Chaquoya Brown, a recent graduate of Charlton County High, stopped by the school during lunch as a visitor to see her sister. She refused to leave campus when told, according to the assistant principal, who in turn had police serve her with a criminal trespass warning.
When her story was publicized on social media, a man named Jerold Moore, who lives in the Tampa area, allegedly threatened school board attorney Patrick Brooks and his family online. Moore was arrested and charged with terroristic threats.
Patrick Brooks' father and local judge, Kelly Brooks, said Chaquoya Brown endorsed him by liking the threatening Facebook posts.
"No one should like these posts. Unfortunately, one person likes these posts," Kelly Brooks said. "One person likes these posts -- one person -- and that person is Chaquoya Brown.”
Chaquoya Brown's mother argued that her daughter liking a Facebook post does not mean that she agreed with everything the post said.
”She pushed like, and I can give you access to her page, and she just likes, like, likes," Maria Brown said. "Sometimes she doesn't even read it, and that may be the case in this situation.”
The school board did not make a decision Tuesday night. The school superintendent, who attended the meeting, said he's taking the comments under advisement and will rule at a later date.