A group of Anson New Tech students turned out for the Anson County Board of Education's regular monthly meeting Thursday night, June 24, in support of their former English teacher, Megan Clement, who was asked to resign in May.

"I was given the option to resign or be released," said Clement, who was only at New Tech for one school year.

She said she willingly resigned but later realized she may have made a mistake. "I couldn't take it back at that point," she said.

On their own, the students joined together to try to get Clement's job back. "I am grateful [for their support]," Clement said, "but I know that even if I don't get to stay, I'll still be their teacher. Hopefully that's what a teacher is. The job never really ends."

Addressing the school board during the public comment portion of the meeting, rising senior and president of the student body Shaniqua Sellers said of Clement, "She was an asset to our school. She was more than a teacher. And we feel she didn't have to leave. She was our English teacher but she helped a lot of people in Spanish classes, and she also helped us in history. She was more than just a teacher in school. She helped us inside and outside of school."

Sellers said that the students were told Clement was let go due to budget constraints. During the meeting, fellow students Nathan Peale and Darius Cox voiced frustrations that each year at New Tech, they have to get used to a new English teacher.

"I feel, as a student, it takes a lot to be a teacher at New Tech. When she first came to our school, it took a while for us to get used to her and for her to get used to us," Peale said. "And as time went on, we progressed as students and she progressed as our teacher, I feel like we kind of grew together. At New Tech, we are a family, pretty much. It's kind of like taking a family member away from us. It's not really fair to us as a school."

He added that over the past few years, the school hasn't been able to keep an English teacher. "We keep on getting teachers and then losing teachers," he explained. "That new teacher has to come back every year and learn New Tech and learn the students. ... As students, we have to step up and teach the teacher the culture of the school."

Cox pointed out that Clement stayed after school, using her own personal time, to work with students. "Like Nathan said, every year we get a new teacher and we feel like that's not fair to us," he added.

The school board made no decisions related to Clement's position Thursday night but school board member Leon Gatewood did thank the students for taking the time to voice their concerns before the meeting adjourned.

"If the students want to speak up for what they think is wrong, that's important," Clement said. "There's a whole generation that doesn't speak up for what's right or wrong."