Former Lakota school board member says his ‘should have shot them’ email about students was a joke

A former Lakota school board member who resigned after writing in an email that police “should have shot” two students arrested in the Lakota West High School parking lot told the Journal-News he was attempting to make a joke.

Todd Parnell resigned on Aug. 27, a day after the two students were arrested in the parking lot as part of police serving a search warrant in connection with their investigation into an earlier home burglary.

In Todd Parnell’s email, which came in response to an email sent by the Lakota West High School principal about the arrests, he wrote, “they should have shot them” referring to the Aug. 26 incident, Lakota School Board President Brad Lovell said during Friday’s board meeting.

Lovell then requested Parnell resign from the board. Parnell did resign later on Aug. 27, publicly citing a job opportunity that would require him to move out of the Butler County school system.

Parnell told the Journal-News after being informed of Lovell’s statement at the board meeting: “I made an ill-advised attempt at sarcastic humor.”

“Looking at it now the attempt at sarcasm was ill-advised. And given my intent to resign at the end of the year, which was my plan, and the opportunity to pursue a (job outside the district) I decided to resign now,” he said.

“As far as I was concerned, it was a bad joke and the decision to resign was mine."

But Lovell in his statement said that “the decision was made quickly to ask Mr. Parnell for his resignation from the board. Unlike a company employee, as an elected official, a school board member cannot be immediately fired.”

“Mr. Parnell’s email to Mr. Brown was abhorrent and it does not in any way reflect the values of our school board, school district leadership or our school family,” Lovell said.

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