Differing accounts of heated exchange at recent city school board meeting

A local man has written state officials to complain that he was “attacked” by a Dublin City Board of Education member after the board’s May 11 meeting – a claim disputed by the board member and school surveillance video.

Dublin resident Peter Lipski detailed the confrontation with board member John Bell in emails sent to state School Superintendent Richard Woods and state Board of Education member Matt Donaldson, whose district includes Laurens County.

Lipski wrote that Bell began to “act like a crazy man” as Lipski questioned board members after the meeting. Bell later stopped his truck and confronted Lipski in the parking lot, Lipski and witnesses said.

“He’s a crazy man,” Lipski said after the board’s most recent meeting Tuesday night. “If it wasn’t for people in the auditorium, there would have been a fight.”

Bell disputed Lipski’s account of the incident, describing Lipski as the aggressor. Bell said the incident escalated after Lipski continued to insult him.

“He came at me. I walked two steps toward him and told him I was tired of hearing from him. I told him to shut up,” Bell said Wednesday. “There was no way I was going to hit him. I did not threaten him. I did not attack him. I did yell at him.”

The surveillance video, which has no audio, shows Lipski talking to board member James Lanier before turning his attention to Bell, who was still on the auditorium stage. At one point, an animated Lipski holds his arms out to his side, as if to invite Bell down. Bell then comes down the steps but stops. Interim Superintendent Marcee Pool then steps between him and Lipski, who continues to come forward until face-to-face with Pool.

A school system employee who had been nearby can be seen asking Lipski to leave as Bell began walking toward a side exit.

Bell confirmed the second incident in the parking lot.  

“He was waving his arms and hollering and screaming at me. I just told (the crowd) they didn’t need to listen to him,” Bell said.

Lipski addressed the incident in comments to the board Tuesday night.

“I’m going to keep writing, and I’m going to keep speaking. I’m sorry if you don’t like it,” he said.

Bell and board Chairwoman Amanda Smith both said Lipski approached board members prior to the May 11 meeting and told them, “You’re going to be in for a rough night tonight.” They also said Lipski began photographing individual board members, as well as Pool.

“I took that as a threat,” Bell said.

Tensions, already high over the school district’s financial crisis, have elevated after the school board’s recent split vote to move the alternative school from Moore Street to the high school campus to make way for a new magnet school. Board members twice have threatened to call police officers to remove audience members for disrupting meetings.

Officers were at the May 11 meeting but had left before the incident. Two were on hand Tuesday night.