Explosive Charge
BUT HE REMOVES SCRUTINIZED FACEBOOK POST 48 HOURS LATER
District Two Nottoway Supervisor John Roark has removed a Facebook post that appeared on his page for two days and triggered speculation about its target.
The post was interpreted by some that Roark was accusing a Nottoway bus driver of forwarding sexually explicit material from school property.
Roark says the post made no such claim — that it simply was “metaphorical” — and he encourages residents to read the language again.
‘LITTLE’ CHUCK SCHUMER
Roark made his post Wednesday morning, shortly after his photo appeared on the Courier-Record’s Facebook page. That photo came from our print edition and showed Roark at the Board’s Feb. 19th meeting, jokingly holding a cigar and root beer during discussion on the proposed Rocky Ford solar project.
One viewer, who happens to be a school division teacher and bus driver, promptly compared Roark to U. S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), calling Roark “Lil Chuck Schumer.”
Supervisor John Roark’s Facebook post (above) last Wednesday after photo from Feb. 19th Board meeting (left) was posted on Courier- Record Facebook page. Roark says his FB post was “metaphorical” and didn’t identify a particular individual by gender, nor did it state that the person is a bus driver for Nottoway County Public Schools.
It wasn’t long afterwards when Roark, on his own Facebook page, posted:
“If you are a fat, perverted bus driver that has sexually explicit material on your phone or other electronic devices on school property that you are forwarding to other people, you probably should resign before you get your family and yourself embarrassed, and you really shouldn’t be talking (expletive) about anybody.”
That post disappeared Friday from Roark’s Facebook page.
FACEBOOK FALL-OUT
There are reports that shortly after Roark’s post Wednesday, a Nottoway school employee was placed on administrative leave for a brief period of time and has since returned to duty. That employee has not replied to Courier-Record texts and emails seeking confirmation and comment.
Several Roark supporters commended him on Facebook for calling-out the alleged misconduct. But others also asked why Roark didn’t address the issue sooner.
One woman asked Roark, “When did you have knowledge of this, and what have you done to investigate this? Is there proof? Are kids on a bus with him now?”
Roark assured the woman and others, “I’ve done all I could do as soon as I knew.”
The woman responded, “Since you made a public accusation, your response is not an acceptable or valid response after the bowling alley incident. The last sentence in your post stands out. Did it take someone running their mouth about you or something you didn’t like to bring this to the public’s attention, or did you just learn of this and not have prior knowledge?”
She was referring to the Board of Supervisors’ 5-0 vote on Dec. 18th to lease the Nottoway Lanes bowling alley to a convicted child sex offender. The County and lessee terminated that agreement in January after public backlash.
Wednesday’s social media unpleasantries occurred less than a week before a joint meeting was to be held this past Monday night (March 2nd) between the Board of Supervisors and School Board.
Roark, who is now in his second term, was formally censured by the previous Board in March 2022 after an altercation involving Roark and a citizen outside a School Board meeting. ROARK RESPONDS
Roark over the weekend said his Facebook post Wednesday was simply “metaphorical.”
Roark, however, said that re- actions by the public are “very concerning. Why did so many people jump to the conclusion that I was referring to a specific individual who works for the school system? I spoke of no particular individual. My post did not identify anyone by gender or where they work.”
Supervisor Roark said that those who assumed he was referring to a specific school employee might want to call the school division. “This is very concerning. What do they know about that individual and information on that person’s electronic device?”
Roark added, “Maybe my post was an attempt to root-out perverts. Again, it’s concerning that people immediately jumped to the conclusion that I was referring to a person who works for the school division. Read my post again — It’s metaphorical and begins with the word ‘If.’”
Roark said that while the words “bus driver” and “school property” do appear in his post, he didn’t state that the person is a bus driver for the division. “I never said it was Nottoway Public Schools — it could be any school in the state.”
Roark said he removed the post Friday only after Meta (Facebook’s parent company) notified him that it had been reported as “possible bullying.”
He added, “None of my posts have ever been reported before. I took it down because it wasn’t worth my time to fight it, and I didn’t want to risk my page being removed or deactivated.”
Roark said those who immediately thought of a specific Nottoway school bus driver probably owe it to the school division, children, and faculty, to share more about what they know.
Roark said he might soon make another “metaphorical” post about other potential misdeeds in Nottoway County. He did not elaborate. “But maybe it’s time for a Facebook post to root-out fraud.”
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