FRANKLIN, Va. (WAVY) — The city of Franklin remains in recovery mode following the Blackwater River flood of 1999 that destroyed 100 homes and 182 businesses. A storm of another kind hit in 2009 when International Paper shutdown its Franklin Mill. More than a thousand people lost their jobs and the city lost more than $13 million in annual revenue. The city’s recovery could take another hit as the public school system faces turmoil now.
Superintendent Dr. Carlton Carter’s job is on the line amid complaints from earlier this year when he reassigned the popular principal of Franklin High School.
Wednesday, Dr. Carter agreed to sit for an interview with 10 On Your Side, but upon arrival at Morton Elementary School, Carter reversed course and issued a statement.
“Ma’am, unfortunately, the School Board has directed me not to comment on this [reassignment controversy] at this time,” said Dr. Carter, who was sworn in as Superintendent in March of 2023.
At the time, Dr. Carter promised to increase parental and community engagement. The engagement turned against him on Valentine’s Day when some students at Franklin High School attempted a walk-out in protest of Dr. Carter’s decision to reassign the principal of Franklin High School to administrative duties, which included coordination of extra curricular activities.
Mayor Paul Kaplan, who has previously called for Dr. Carter’s resignation, used a pejorative term to describe Dr. Carter and his supporters in a July 9 email. The email was addressed to a former teacher who is apparently taking legal action. 10 On Your Side shared a portion of the Mayor’s email with Mona Murphy, who is a former member of the school board and the city council.
The email in part reads:
… I was a big supporter of Dr. Carter and the board until Feb. 14th when all hell broke loose and Carter and his central office staff were proven to be what we’ve discovered they are. Especially the staff. I believe some of the board has just drunk the kool-aid like I had. I found an antidote and I don’t understand why they haven’t. It’s an absolute shame what this board has allowed Carter and his thugs to get away with. I pray we will find a solution to this terrible situation very soon!
Murphy was visibly upset by the tone and tenor of Kaplan’s email.
“To call us thugs, I think is the most racist tone that you can get. [To] call our staff, to talk about Dr. Carter like that, because he has done more in the few years that he has been the superintendent than the past history,” said Murphy, who is a community advocate.
During Monday’s Council meeting and in a telephone interview with 10 On Your Side, Mayor Kaplan doubled down on the use of the word “thug”.
Regina Mobley: So you continue to stand by the use of the word thug?
Paul Kaplan: Yes, because of the retaliations that are done against staff members… against staff who have spoken out, and corroborated reports, of what appears to be retaliation and that’s why I use the word “thugs.”
10 On Your Side asked the mayor if he suspects fraud is an issue in the Franklin School system since the word thug is often associated with criminal activity.
“I don’t have any reason to believe, at this point, that anybody was padding their personal bank accounts, but I think there was there’s a possibility that [whether] they were watching the use of their money properly. My hope is that all of this gets cleared up and that they were using their money properly,” Kaplan said.
The controversy apparently exposed the mayor’s improper use of city email. The email in question was addressed to a former teacher, but was sent to Dr. Carter, members of the School Board and every member of the City Council.
During Monday’s council meeting Mayor Kaplan explained that he accidentally hit reply all instead of reply in responding to the former teacher’s email.
The one click mistake may have created a violation since the widely distributed exchange may have formed virtual city council and school board meetings. State law requires public notification when three members or more gather to discuss city business.
Later in the telephone interview, 10 On Your Side pressed Mayor Kaplan on the use of the word “thug” by revealing Mona Murphy called the statement racist and stated that the former schoolboard and council member called for his resignation.
“[Murphy] knows me very well and she knows me better than that. I have actually been a champion for racial equality my entire life,” Kaplan said.
Is an apology in order?
“Apology? Maybe for the choice of that word that I’ve used,” Kaplan said.
Did he also use the word in a city council meeting?
“I don’t know if I said the word,” Kaplan said. “I think I said I stand by what I said. But it’s certainly not intended as a racial slur in any way, shape or form. And I’ve never heard the word thug as a racial slur.”
The Franklin School Board meets Thursday evening for a regularly scheduled meeting. A full schedule of their meetings can be found here.