School board member lashes out at colleagues

Under fire for conflict of interest, a former Halifax Regional School Board vice-chair accused the board of racism at a meeting held Wednesday.

Bernadette Reid, the board's representative for Preston-Lawrencetown-Chezzetcook, had been investigated by the board for selling less than $1,000 worth of African products at two Halifax-area schools, including one at which her husband was principal.

She admitted at the board meeting that she may be guilty of conflict of interest but said the issue is only being raised because of the colour of her skin.

"This could have been taken care of, as so many issues that happen at this school board get taken care of, without it going public. This situation has become public because of who I am as a black woman married to a white principal in the school system,"she said.

Reid's husband, Carl, resigned this year as principal of Gaetz Brook junior high after he admitted to misspending more than $11,000 of school money.

School board chair Wade Marshall dismissed the accusation of racism.

"What we're dealing with is due diligence and public trust. And that public trust has been broken, and on my watch, it's going to be dealt with," he said.

The school board voted to ask the province's attorney general to investigate whether Reid should be removed from the board altogether.

The detailed results of the audit into Reid's activities were to be made public at the meeting, but the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, acting on behalf of Reid's husband, warned that doing so could interfere with his legal matters.

The report does say that Reid breached her duties of loyalty and good faith to the school board.