Conservative school board member wins fight to retain seat after 'clerical error'
Eric Meadows, Kenosha, Wis., school board member, and attorney Erick Kaardal react to a meeting where outraged residents spoke in support of Meadows keeping his seat.
Wisconsin parents spoke out forcefully Thursday night after a supposed "clerical error" threatened the seat of a conservative school board member.
During a virtual board meeting for the Kenosha Unified School District, numerous parents rushed to defend Eric Meadows, who ran for office on the platform of parental rights.
"It is convenient that you are going to remove the most outspoken member of our board who speaks for the parents and answers parents' emails," one woman said, with another parent accusing the board of "railroading" Meadows and another calling for the board president to step down instead for the "egregious error."
Meadows was told the vacant seat he won in 2022 was misrepresented as a three-year term instead of one year and he would have to step down in the spring. After hearing from supportive parents, the board voted 5-1 to give Meadows a one-year term.
Meadows joined "Fox & Friends" Friday to discuss the "clerical error" that threatened his seat on the school board.
Eric Meadows is fighting to keep his seat on the Kenosha Unified School District board after a clerical error threatens to remove him after serving one year. (Fox News)
"It took me completely by surprise," Meadows said.
"It shocked me and it disappoints me. I think the voters are upset. Obviously, there's a lot that have been speaking out on my behalf demanding that the voters' intent be fulfilled and that I stay on the board for a full three years."
Meadows' attorney, Erick Kaardal, called the error an "unconstitutional power grab" and the district got called out on it. Kaardal said this was a major "election integrity violation" and that the board was going to appoint a replacement until an election could be held.
"The community is very upset with the ineptitude of some of these mistakes that have been made. They're forcing me to be punished for a mistake that somebody else made," Meadows said.
Whether he will serve three years is still up for debate, but Meadows had a decisive victory at Thursday's virtual meeting.
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"We're going to make sure Mr. Meadows serves the full three-year term he was elected to," Kaardal added.
Fox News' Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
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