To the Editor,

I have seen some of the things said about Mr Woodward. What sticks out to me most is that a lot of the things I am hearing are coming from people who have issues with how he runs his ship. One of the complaints is by the husband of a woman who was running for the board. Another person complaining is doing so because he feels not enough is being done about litter. I have met these people. I like these people. But in this instance, they are in the wrong. I know they are good people, but that makes their witch hunt no less wrong.

I like Mr. Woodward and fully support his staff. And I say that from ther perspective of a parent who does not always agree with his practices. When my daughter was bullied last year, not only did Mr. Woodward call to check on her, but without even mentioning it to anyone else, he stopped by my house to check on her. Then, followed that up by going to the school, taking her a little gift, and having lunch with her. I didn’t ask for any of that. He did that without provocation and without seeking attention. And let me tell you, that made her whole day and she still talks about it and carries her duck with her. He didn’t have to do any of that. We were strangers to him. And the thing is, I basically yelled at him and told him I thought he was an idiot before he did that, and he had no clue what was going on. With that being said, I fully support him staying as our Superintendent.

I may not always agree with him, but I know someone who actually cares about kids when I see them. Some members on the board I wouldn’t trust with a cactus, let alone a child, but I fully trust Mr Woodward to support parents and children. There has been so much talk about this letter that parents received and corruption and student information getting out. Not only does that sound fabricated based on a story from Brooke County, but I have been talking to lots of parents and none of them received a letter or heard of the supposed incidents. Please, consider the parents in this situation. Check out some of the pages around Facebook. Parents love Mr. Woodward. I, personally, know of families he bought Thanksgiving and Christmas for. I know of families he has visited because of a tragic event they went through. And I know of students he spent his own money on school supplies, clothes, and extracurricular activities for. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. He has paid for gas for parents to get to work, picked students up at school and took them home when a parent could not. He has helped with child care and college applications. He genuinely cares what happens to our children and families. We, the parents, like and fully support Mr Woodward and what he is doing for our children. We want him to stay.

Jodi Kelley

Weirton