On January 6, 2021 Lee County School Board member Sherry-Lynn Womack, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, medical officer, and combat veteran, attended the “Save America Rally” for President Donald J. Trump at the Ellipse, adjacent to the Mall in Washington, D.C. Her purpose for attending was to show her support for our President and to signal her disappointment with widespread election irregularities. The rally began mid-morning and ended when the President finished speaking around 12:30PM. During the rally, Sherry-Lynn Womack spoke with street reporters on the ground, who inquired about her activities in retirement – including her volunteer work with local children and her service on the Lee County School Board. In no way did Mrs.Womack infer she was a spokesman for the School Board nor did she indicate she was present to represent the School Board.
Sherry-Lynn Womack elected not to attend the subsequent rally at the U.S. Capitol, scheduled to begin at 1:00PM. Instead, she left on the Metro to get refreshments and to warm up in Northern Virginia. She heard about the violent actions occurring at the Capitol through reports on her cell phone.
In post-rally phone and TV interviews with the media, Sherry-Lynn Womack condemned the violence at the Capitol and expressed her sorrow for the loss of life and the damages resulting from the incursion. Still, at the next subsequent meeting of the Lee County School Board on January 12, 2021, the Board Chairwoman permitted local citizens, teachers, and students to personally attack Womack for attending the rally, calling her a terrorist and criminal for over 90 minutes. The Board then passed a motion to begin a taxpayer-funded investigation into whether Sherry-Lynn Womack violated policy or rules that could lead to her dismissal from the School Board.
There is no evidence that Sherry-Lynn Womack violated any policies or that she in any way set a bad example for any citizen in Lee County. In fact, her actions are perfectly within the bounds of our freedoms of assembly and speech protected by the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Pursuit of an investigation into her trip is a waste of precious education dollars. Instead of an investigation, she should be commended for her military service, her volunteer work in the community, and her leadership in Lee County. The Lee County School Board should immediately terminate this investigation and apologize to Sherry-Lynn Womack for the disrespect she has been shown.
