- Henrico School Board Chair Roscoe D. Cooper read a list of fake names registered to give public comment.
- Citizens are required to sign up in advance to address the school board in person.
- Only one woman actually showed up to give public comment.
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Virginia's Henrico School Board was duped by public commenters, or a lack thereof, during an August 26 meeting when Chair Roscoe D. Cooper III read out a list of fake names of people who supposedly requested to give their input on the agenda.
After three hours of serious discussions about its partnership with the Henrico Police Department, the revocation of an employee's license, revisions to student education records and codes of conduct, and other agenda items, the board opened up the floor to public comment.
Citizens are required to sign up in advance using an online form in order to address the board in person, according to the agenda's public forum description.
Only one woman actually showed up to address the board in person; the rest were seemingly fake names. Much like Bart Simpson's prank calls to Moe's Tavern, names used to sign up for public comment included Phil McCracken, Eileen Dover, Suk Mahdik, Ophelia McCaulk, Don Kedick, and Wayne Kuhr, all of which Cooper read out loud.
Unsurprisingly, no individuals with these names showed up at the meeting. You can watch video of Cooper reading out the names below.