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Whitney Lanning
Whitney Lanning is an at-large member of the St. Joseph School District Board of Education in Missouri. She assumed office on April 17, 2023. Her current term ends in 2026.
Lanning ran for election for an at-large seat of the St. Joseph School District Board of Education in Missouri. She won in the general election on April 4, 2023.
Elections
2023
See also: St. Joseph School District, Missouri, elections (2023)
General election
General election for St. Joseph School District school board, At-large (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for St. Joseph School District school board, At-large on April 4, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Rick Gehring (Nonpartisan) | 19.6 | 2,088 | |
| ✔ |  | Whitney Lanning (Nonpartisan) | 17.7 | 1,883 |
| Jennifer Kerns (Nonpartisan) | 17.4 | 1,854 | ||
| Amanda Cook (Nonpartisan) | 12.1 | 1,288 | ||
| Don Crabtree (Nonpartisan) | 11.3 | 1,206 | ||
| Bradley Huett (Nonpartisan) | 8.5 | 903 | ||
| Brian Shewell (Nonpartisan) | 6.0 | 642 | ||
| Harold Barr Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 4.8 | 508 | ||
| Jonathon Bell (Nonpartisan) | 2.1 | 220 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 41 | ||
| Total votes: 10,633 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Shawn Harper (Nonpartisan)
- Joe Yegge (Nonpartisan)
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Whitney Lanning did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Harassment charge (2024)
On March 5, 2024, Whitney Lanning was charged with harassment after an alleged altercation with fellow school board member Isaura Garcia. The incident took place after a school board meeting on February 26, 2024, and it was reported that Lanning yelled at, threatened, and chased Garcia. Garcia released a statement saying, "As a public servant, I can no longer sit idly by while a member of the Board of Education attacks, verbally abuses, and bullies other board members, District employees, and members of the public. This behavior is unacceptable, and the members of our school, our community, and our children deserve better."[1][2][3] In response the incident and accompanying charge, Lanning stated, "This was not a disagreement over school related issues, in fact, it wasn’t a disagreement at all. My child was attacked in an effort to discredit district staff. As a mother I’ll always defend my child, and all children for that matter.”.[1]
On April 3, the St. Joseph School District's Board of Education censured Lanning in a 3-1 vote. This censure served as a formal expression that the school board disagreed with Lanning's actions, but did not have any accompanying disciplinary measures.[4] Also on April 3, Lanning appeared in court where she entered an initial plea of not guilty.[4]
On June 11, Lanning had another hearing where she entered a guilty plea to the harassment charge. She was placed on probation and must complete an anger management course.[5]
See also
2023 Elections
External links
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Candidate St. Joseph School District school board, At-large |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 KQ2, "Security video shows apparent incident between SJSD board members that led to harassment charges," March 18, 2024
- ↑ The Lion, "‘This behavior is unacceptable’: Missouri school board member Whitney Lanning charged with harassment of fellow board member, called on to resign from nonprofit," March 11, 2024
- ↑ News-Press Now, "Lawmakers demand Lanning resign," March 12, 2024
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 KQ2, "SJSD Board of Education votes to censure Lanning, votes down censure of Garcia," April 3, 2024
- ↑ News Press Now, "Lanning pleads guilty in harassment case," June 11, 2024
