Lakota board members, once campaign partners, now in social media fight

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Once-close campaign partners now appear publicly split as Lakota school board member Isaac Adi has distanced himself from Darbi Boddy in the wake of the board’s recent censure and resignation request of her.

Soon after Boddy was sharply criticized by fellow board members last week for some of her actions since joining the board with Adi in January — and last week for her posting in a Facebook message a link to a pornographic website — he further decried Boddy’s behavior on social media.

Boddy has contended a typo on her part, which she later corrected on her Facebook posting, led some readers not to the site on sex education lessons used by some other school districts - but not Lakota - but rather to the adult site.

Adi and Boddy were the top-vote earners among eight candidates last fall for the Lakota Board of Education.

They campaigned on a joint platform — and together mailed out shared fliers featuring both of their photos and statements — promising to stop the teaching of inappropriate sex education and Critical Race Theory in Lakota Schools.

Lakota officials, however, have maintained their sex education programs follow Ohio Department of Education (ODE) guidelines and that the district does not instruct students in CRT, but rather in social and emotional learning (SEL) as called for by the ODE.

But last week’s event now appears to have created rift between Adi and Boddy.

“I am appalled by what is happening,” wrote Adi in his social media post on April 28 in reference to Boddy’s actions and her social media posts.

“I did not know that Facebook is where I needed to be doing my job as a school board member. I thought we needed experience and to behave with professionalism. Little did I know I was supposed to be policing the administration on Facebook or passing on false accusations without evidence just to satisfy my base,” he wrote.

“I thought I was supposed to work with all stakeholders to make the school district better. Now I realize I am supposed to be stirring the waters, disruptive and disrespectful. I did not know that I should say things that are not yet proven and /or without basis about the Lakota School District,” Adi said in reference to the occasions since January where Boddy has publicly accused some Lakota district administrators, including Superintendent Matt Miller, of not being trustworthy.

“I have had enough, and it is time to speak out. I know what I was going into, and knew the battle would be hard, but I did not know that the people that should know better will endorse such behavior,” he said.

When asked by the Journal-News to respond to Adi’s posting, Boddy wrote: “What is taking place in schools across the country regarding sexual materials available to students, constitutes — in my opinion — pedophilic grooming/child abuse.”

“The materials accessible in the particular links I posted have been distributed in Ohio schools — barring the one that was temporarily posted as the result of a typo, that interestingly bears the same name as the one that has been distributed to schools in Ohio.

“I don’t know if they are in the Lakota schools. I have never said that they were. They are, however, part of my list of things to look for at Lakota,” said Boddy.

In another statement she criticized Adi for not backing some of her proposed board resolutions.

Adi, she said, “opposed my motion on COVID without responding to a single word in my resolution (and also) “supported a motion to restrict my ability to look into and examine what is being taught to our children in the classrooms.”

“I could go on all day Isaac but I won’t. I’m done with this topic.”

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