At a Lexington-Richland Five School Board meeting last month, three Chapin High School teachers, Katherine Ramp, Lee Bryant and Sara Kimberlin, voiced their concerns, saying educators have been used as political pawns to aid in attacks on a certain teacher.

Ramp, Bryant and Kimberlin reached a point where they could no longer remain silent, they said, feeling a strong urge to speak out rather than not saying anything.

At the board meeting, all three teachers mentioned "attacks on Wood," adding they are unjust and should not be happening. 

The controversy began days before Election Day, when Chapin High teacher Mary Wood’s image appeared on a flyer with the statement, “Controversy is rearing around our schools…it’s time to put our parents in the driver’s seat!”

The flyer was distributed to families by the Defeating Communism PAC, a political action committee.

On the Defeating Communism PAC website, a statement reads, "We need every freedom-loving American to join us and stand against the anti-American Marxist agenda."

While the flyer made Wood a focal point of the election, it also endorsed three candidates for the Lexington-Richland School District Five school board: Catherine Huddle, Ken Loveless and Jason Baynham.

But why was Wood the target?

In her English class, Wood assigned the book, "Between the World and Me," written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, a nonfiction book exploring the Black experience in the United States.  

However, district officials instructed Wood to stop assigning the book to students, because it violates a provision that prohibits discussions on a broad range of topics related to race. 

According to the three teachers, Wood was targeted because of how well-known she was becoming in the community, which brought widespread media attention from national news outlets.

In response to the flyer, Huddle, Loveless and Baynham each issued public statements distancing themselves from the PAC. Loveless stated, “Any distractions to the campaign are unfortunate, but I will continue to stress our focus on teacher compensation and administrative support, workforce development and contractual expertise.”

Huddle also denied any relationship with the PAC, while Baynham clarified, “I contributed to an organization to support my campaign. I had no knowledge of what would be published.”

Despite their statements, Wood continued to receive hate and threats directed at her. According to statements made by teachers, Wood said she has been fearful of her and her family's safety. 

However, according to colleagues, Wood remains committed to her role as a teacher, showing up each day to support her students despite the events that have occurred.

In an interview with the Chronicle, Ramp, Bryant and Kimberlin stood in solidarity with Wood, defending her character as an educator who is dedicated to creating a nurturing, supportive environment for her students.  

When Wood sent the flyer to the Chapin English department, her colleagues Ramp, Bryant and Kimberlin were shocked and outraged by what had transpired. Ramp and Bryant voiced their frustration, calling the situation unfair. Kimberlin agreed and further stated she couldn’t sleep that night.

The teachers emphasized that while Wood has been facing intense challenges, she is not alone. Her colleagues have rallied around her and the educators said they have shown her support throughout this time. 

“We have a pretty tight-knit department,” Kimberlin said. Ramp, who is relatively new to the department, added, “Even though I’m new to the department, everyone came together to support and rally around Mary.”

In a Facebook post made by Wood, she says, "For years, I've faced attacks on my character and my teaching intentions. For years, I've held my ground in the face of relentless discrediting of my morality. My purpose is to prepare ALL students for college or the workplace past high school."

Wood also made a statement regarding comments made against her father, Mike Satterfield, a current board member of the Lexington-Richland school board.

"But last night's school board meeting where my sweet father was accused of assault for using his voice to call out a central figure to all of the hell of this nonsense and those fliers, my father, whose integrity is second to none, I found the evil perpetuating culture wars against teachers is unrelenting," Wood stated. 

During the board meeting, Catherine Huddle stated Mike Satterfield verbally attacked her. "He was inches from my face, screaming at me," Huddle told the community.

Satterfield responded and said, "As most people in the community know, there was a flyer put out that had a picture of my daughter. ... I said that was completely inappropriate and I was worried about my daughter's safety so I did express my concern."

Satterfield further said he did not raise his voice at Huddle or come close to her face.

All three teachers agree that the focus of the school board should be serving in the background, keeping the interests of the students, teachers and parents the focal point. After all, the district's mission is "to prepare all students to be college and career-ready by providing a challenging curriculum in a safe, secure, diverse, and equitable learning environment focused on academic, social, and emotional growth and development."

Bryant said this attack on Wood was not just an assault on one educator, but it impacted other educators.

“An attack on one teacher is an attack on all teachers,” Bryant said.