It's a controversy with two parts that is embroiling the Barnwell 45 school district and has already resulted in the suspension of the Guinyard-Butler Middle School assistant principal.

One part of the controversy stems from an issue about bus drivers transporting sports teams. As early as March 2009 the district transportation director, Marcus Fields, has drawn criticism from parents and others for his handling of this issue.

Fields is the GBMS assistant principal.

The controversy took on another dimension when Fields organized a meeting Feb. 23 of African-American community leaders and some African-American district staff.

The meeting was announced by district e-mails only to African-American faculty and staff or by a flyer which circulated by hand.

The flyer stated, "Let's take back our community!" and "In honor of Black Honor Month some citizens of Barnwell have planned a community meeting to take back our community. The main focus of the meeting is to make the community aware of different issues and mobilize the community to get individuals to register to vote."

The flyer's language and apparent exclusiveness of the Feb. 23 meeting alarmed some people.

The People-Sentinel covered the Feb. 23 meeting. (See the article "Debate swirls around meeting," posted in the news section.)

That meeting and the bus issue became the focus of the Feb. 25 Barnwell 45 school board meeting as some aired their views that Fields' actions were discriminatory and driven by a hidden agenda.

About 90 parents and adults crowded into the district conference room for the February meeting.

Two sheriff's deputies, one Caucasian, one African-American, were also present and stood behind the school board as the meeting transpired. No physical confrontations occurred.

Only two parents spoke during the public comment part of the meeting.

Stacey Wilson raised several questions about bus transportation for sports teams. Wilson, who is also a teacher in the district, has a son on the baseball team and a daughter plays soccer.

"How is the decision made to determine which sport takes priority and is to be provided bus transportation? Are the bus drivers given a choice as to which team they want to drive? Or is our transportation supervisor given the authority to decide which sport deserves transportation?" Wilson asked the school board.

The second parent, Ryan Guest, has three children in the district.

Guest said he was concerned by reports that the e-mail invited only African-Americans to the Feb. 23 meeting and that it was only sent to African-American employees of Barnwell 45.

"'...take back our community...'" he said, quoting the flyer about the Feb. 23 meeting. "Take back from what?"

"I'm not going to tolerate a social or political agenda. I found it ironic that it was only sent to one group of people," Guest said. "It seems we are putting more emphasis on diversity than on quality education."

"The bottom line is I want everybody treated equally," he said. "We should all take back our community."

Wilson in her comments said that employees received a Feb. 24 e-mail reminding them not to use the district e-mail system for personal e-mails.

"Our district frowns upon employees using cell phones during the day; therefore I have come to rely on my e-mail as my sole form of communication throughout the workday. Our district e-mail has been a resourceful way for our employees to share information. My concern is that one controversial e-mail has sent negativity spiraling through our community and it has caused our once vital e-mail privileges to meet its demise," Wilson said in her comments to the board.

District employees often use school e-mails to communicate non-school information to other employees but "the e-mails were always sent out to everybody," she said.

Valenda Black, a school board member, apologized to the students who were recognized during the meeting for academic achievements.

"I hate that you are seeing these distractions. I apologize for the distractions and what adults do. You have no control over that," she said.

Abraham Sexton said he wished more people came to the meetings regularly and "maybe this will cut down on all this confusion that is going on."

The day after the board meeting, Feb. 26, Fields was placed on "administrative leave," with pay, pending an investigation, said Barnwell 45 Superintendent, Roy Sapough.

"An assistant principal was placed on administrative leave. This is standard operating procedure when we have an investigation to put an educator on paid administrative leave," he said.

Sapough said that the investigation involved "specific allegations that may or may not have happened" that involve "violations of district policies and procedures."

When called by The People-Sentinel, Fields would not answer questions as to whether he had been suspended or not or about the e-mails, but referred them back to the district office.

Other rumors swirled after Fields' suspension that bus drivers were going on strike because of his suspension.

Both Sapough and Presont Fields, a bus driver and Marcus Fields' father, denied the rumors.

"We have bus drivers out all the time," Preston Fields said. "I know it might appear like that at this time. When people call me about it, I tell them to call the district office because they made the decision."

Fields said his son was on suspension.

Sapough said there were four drivers absent March 1.

"As far as I can tell, it's legitimate (absences). There were four drivers out this morning (March 1)," he said.

That number of drivers absent is not unusual and the district has seen days when as many as four drivers did not work on one day, Sapough said.

Preston Fields said it makes it hard to run the routes with his son suspended because Marcus, as a qualified bus driver too, fills in as well.