Covenant School parents are asking the Franklin Board of Aldermen to unseat one of their own, after she spread misinformation about the shooting at the school in March.
Alderman Gabrielle Hanson’s claims have been refuted by Nashville police.
Parents say she’s minimizing the horror that students and teachers experienced that day.
“We parents walked the halls of Covenant about a week after the shooting. We saw where the victims fell. We saw the damage throughout the school. I saw where my daughter held her friend and classmate while gunfire erupted outside her classroom door,” says James Rowlett, a Franklin resident whose children attend the Covenant School. “I think it’s an abomination that an elected official had the audacity to spread unfounded gossip and conspiracy theories about such an unspeakable tragedy suffered by many of her fellow citizens.”
Rowlett is one of many Franklin residents calling for Hanson’s resignation. The alderman faces dozens of formal ethics complaints.
“I struggle to imagine more insulting, undignified behavior from a city alderman,” said Jared Sullivan during an earlier public comment period. “She has openly promoted conspiracy theories and refused to own up to her mistakes when confronted by fact. She is unhinged and unfit to serve this community.”
The Metro Nashville Police Department has found no evidence to support Hanson’s claim that only specific individuals were targeted. But in an interview with SuperTalk 99.7 host Matt Murphy last month, the alderman stood by her statement.
“There’s a lot of facts that are out there that aren’t quite factual,” Hanson said.
Franklin’s Ethics Commission will hold a public hearing on the complaints against Hanson on June 15.
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