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F. Central holds annual thrifting extravaganza. See story Page 4A Sports Denmark players sign with major college football programs. Page IB FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Weekend Edition-December 16-17,2022 FORSYTHNEWS.COM forsythcountynews Q @ForsythNews (®) @ForsythNews $2.00 Tm here to make you uncomfortable' Sabrina Kerns Forsyth County News Alison Hair speaks to the Board of Education for the first time in nearly 10 months at its regular meeting onTuesday, Dec. 14. Mama Bears of Forsyth face school board amid legal battle By Sabrina Kerns skerns@forsythnews.com Alison Hair spoke directly to the Forsyth County Board of Education at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 13, for the first time in nearly 10 months. The Forsyth parent had been banned from the board’s meetings in March after attempting to read a sexually explicit passage from a school library book out loud during a meeting, making a point that the board should work to remove simi lar books from the district’s media centers. That ban has since been tempo rarily undone by a preliminary rul ing made in a federal lawsuit. She and a group of other parents, named the Mama Bears of Forsyth, filed suit against the board and school system in July alleging its actions and public participation policy vio lated citizens’ First Amendment rights. Inside School board honors vice chair, talks funding, 5A “You have silenced me and many other parents,” Hair told the board as she stepped up to the podium Tuesday night. “For that, in my opinion, you should be ashamed.” She read from U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story’s preliminary rul ing in the lawsuit, specifically pointing out the portion that states the board’s decision to ban Hair from its regular meetings - and its policy against profane language - was unconstitutional. “I’m so sorry for our community that it took this and it took the tax payers’ money to allow me to be back to tell you what all I was try ing to tell you before,” Hair said. “I hope that this case restores the free dom of speech that you took away from me and that you took away from so many others. I also hope that this case encourages all parents to stand up and speak up for their rights.” Hair used her remaining three minutes with the board to continue reading the book passage that she had started at a meeting in March before Chairman Wes McCall stopped her and asked all communi ty members to leave the room. She told the Forsyth County News it felt freeing to be able to read the full passage after months of having to censor explicit words. For her, it is important for both the board and other parents to hear the full intensity of the sexually explicit material she said is available through local school libraries. “I was really glad to not be gav- eled into silence tonight,” Hair said. Cindy Martin, a member of the Mama Bears and another plaintiff in the lawsuit, also read detailed explicit material in front of the See Books 14A Woman dies in crash at busy intersection By Kelly Whitmire kwh itm i r e@f o rsythnews.com The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is inves tigating a fatal wreck at a busy south Forsyth intersection. On Thursday, Dec. 15, FCSO officials con firmed Bonnie Hammond, 73, was pronounced dead at the scene after a crash on Wednesday at the intersection of Bethelview and Castleberry roads. According to the release, the preliminary investigation revealed that around 3:50 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14, Hammond’s car, a white Honda CR-V, was turning left onto Castleberry Road from Bethelview Road, crossing into the path of a Honda Accord which was traveling north on Bethelview Road. Two passengers in the Honda Accord suffered minor injuries. No charges are expected in the wreck. Bethelview’s eastbound lane was closed at the intersection before reopening at about 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday. The wreck is under investigation by the FCSO Traffic Specialists Unit. Construction on Ga. 400 bridge delayed By Ashlyn Yule ayule@forsythnews.com Some north Forsyth County residents might have noticed construction on the bridge at Browns Bridge Road (Hwy. 369) and Ga. 400 has halted. According to a statement from the county government sent to Forsyth County News on Friday, Dec. 9, “work on the bridge has been temporarily paused to assess the best plan of action following a routine inspection.” The inspection indicated that a portion of the substructure, or supporting structure of the bridge, did not meet the design criteria, and collaboration is underway to right the problem. See Bridge 13A Man indicted on murder, drug charges in Forsyth teen’s death By Kelly Whitmire kwhitmire@forsythnews.com A 19-year-old from Fulton County has been indicted on fel ony murder and drug distribu tion charges in connection with the death of a Forsyth County teenager. In December, Kai Hudson Bakarich was indicted by the Forsyth County Superior Court on charges of felony murder, distribution of fentanyl, posses sion of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of ANPP, a Schedule II controlled substance, in connection with the death of Kaylee Boxer, a Forsyth teen who died of a drug over dose in November 2021. According to a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office incident report, Boxer was found deceased by her father the morning of Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, after having din ner with her parents the night before. An attempt by her father to revive Boxer using naloxone, a medi cine used to combat the effects of an overdose of certain drugs, was unsuccessful. The indictment said the Bakarich “did cause the death” of Boxer “irrespective of malice, by distributing a substance con taining fentanyl.” He also faces a distribution charge for allegedly selling the fentanyl, per the indictment. Bakarich also faces two other drug possession charges unrelat ed to the fentanyl allegedly sold to Boxer. He was arrested in September and has been in the Forsyth County Jail on no bond since his arrest. “On November 4, 2021, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit began an investigation into the death of Kaylee Boxer, an 18-year-old female that died after ingesting a lethal amount of fentanyl,” Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office officials said in a statement at the time of his arrest. “After a lengthy investigation by the Major Crimes Unit and the [Johns Creek and Forsyth] Drug Task Force, Kai Bakarich was identified as the dealer that sold the illicit drugs to Kaylee.” Bakarich 50/34 Forecast! 2A Volunteer indicted in church fund theft Forsyth County News app available for download FCN case, 6A Find the app at forsythnews.com/apps for local news at your fingertips. □ 7 Volume 113, Number 98 © 2022, Forsyth County News Cumming, Georgia Toys for Tots Drop off center: ON’T FORGET! LAST DAY TO DONATE IS DECEMBER 20th! 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