Mar 26, 2008 6:30 pm US/Eastern
School Board Member Resigns After Racial Slur
CARROLL COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) ―
Eyewitness News has learned that Jeffrey Morse has resigned after using a racial slur.
Peggy Lee reports Morse submitted his resignation after a board meeting Wednesday where comments were heard from the community. The resignation is effective immediately.
Morse was appointed just last year to the Carroll County school board by Governor O'Malley. He was on site in Manchester where a new high school is being built when he made the racial slur. African-American parents were outraged.
"That's why he should be removed or he should have to step down because he's not a person who needs to be teaching our kids," said Carroll County parent Katrina Cobb.
School board member Morse was referring to the very dark colored rock that costs much more to excavate. He says it's referred to in the construction industry by a certain name. But that word offended many.
Morse tells
Eyewitness News, "I made a mistake, I was wrong."
The head of the Carroll County NAACP met with Morse about it last week.
"I find it offensive to have used that term in any terminology. More importantly he represents the Carroll County Board of Education. It makes me wonder how he will view other minority students when he makes a comment like that," said Jean Lewis with the NAACP.
Lewis says she understands why parents are expressing concern that chairman Cynthia Foley and others didn't initially accept Morse's offer of resignation.
"By not accepting it, they kind of condone that behavior and it's just not right," said senior Juliana Cochran.
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