Group asks Horry County school board member to resign after sharing Facebook post

Horry County school board member Sherrie Todd was asked to step down by a local organization after sharing a controversial post on her Facebook page.

The Horry County Alliance for Educational Justice (HCAEJ) called for Todd’s resignation on Thursday, saying the post was “completely offensive, inappropriate, insensitive and beneath someone who has the responsibility of caring for the most vulnerable citizens of Horry County: our children,” according to a release.

“In spite of Mrs. Todd offering what we consider a half-hearted apology that ultimately passed the responsibility to others for the post being shared, we call Mrs. Todd’s judgment, sensitivity, and integrity as a school board member into question,” the release said.

The post, likely referencing recent allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, said, “I’ve already decided that whoever wins the Democrat Nomination in 2020 sexually assaulted me 40 years ago.”

In the release, HCAEJ officials said Todd’s endorsement of the post “betrays her gross lack of consideration” of the citizens, including children, who are survivors of sexual assault. The organization cites the S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence statistics, saying one in five women and one in 71 men report being raped in their lifetime.

Todd, reached by phone Thursday, said she did not intentionally share the post and was unsure how it got on her page. She said her daughter or granddaughter might have accidentally shared the post while using an iPad linked to her account.

Reporter David Weissman contributed to this report.

Hannah Strong: 843-444-1765, @HannahLStrong

This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 7:54 AM.