I’m standing outside waiting for my daughter to get off the Clark County school bus, and I still cannot believe this is real. Two people serving on the Clark County school board, Ashley Ritchie-Rowland and Ben Dorsey, have been publicly tied to felony theft allegations involving money from the Winchester Youth Soccer League. While our kids and families are supposed to trust this board, we are left watching this play out and wondering why nothing changes.

This is bigger than one shocking headline. Parents in Clark County, Kentucky should not have to send their children into a school system governed by people facing allegations this serious and still be told to just wait it out. School boards make decisions that affect our children, our teachers, and our entire community, and public trust matters. When that trust is broken, the damage spreads far beyond one meeting room.

Kentucky already has a way to remove school board members for misconduct, but the fact that these two are still serving shows the system is not moving fast enough for families like mine. I am calling on the Kentucky Board of Education and the chief state school officer to begin the formal process to suspend and remove Ashley Ritchie-Rowland and Ben Dorsey from the Clark County school board while these allegations move through the courts. Our community should not have to accept business as usual when the people in charge of our schools are under this kind of cloud.

If you believe our kids deserve leadership they can trust, please sign this petition. Clark County families have waited long enough. We need action, accountability, and a school board that puts our children first.