Evidence Shows Why Harvey’s Residency is in Question
While St. Louis Board of Education (BOE) president Karen Collins-Adams has told St. Louis Public Radio that Dr. Robert S. Harvey meets the BOE’s three-year residency requirement, evidence to the contrary continues to surface. This follows Dr. Harvey’s previously scheduled swearing-in ceremony being cancelled without explanation. Collins-Adams now blames the missed swearing-in on winter weather. The January BOE meeting happened over Zoom, but it is unclear if this would have actually been a hurdle to Dr. Harvey being sworn in and beginning to serve.
Questions still remain as to whether the BOE attempted to verify Dr. Harvey met the residency requirement prior to his unanimous selection to serve the remainder of the term vacated by former BOE member Ben Conover. Dr. Harvey has extensive experience working for charter schools and currently works for a philanthropic nonprofit that is focused on promoting equitable education policies. He also recently worked for FoodCorps, a nonprofit that supports policies promoting fresh and healthy food availability in schools. Dr. Harvey is married to KSDK’s Travis Cummings. Social media posts indicate that the couple married in September 2024.
Online searches indicate that Dr. Harvey had previously owned a house in Florissant, which Zillow says was sold in October 2024. This is corroborated by property records from St. Louis County. These records indicate that Dr. Harvey bought the house in May 2022, before selling it on October 28th 2024, not long after the couple married.
This timeline is also supported by posts on Cummings’ Instagram account, which features two posts that appear to indicate that the couple still lived in Florissant in 2024. The earlier post indicating that the couple lived at the Florissant home in 2024 is an Instagram “reel”, which shows the couple entertaining at the home in July of that year. The video features a sign welcoming guests to “The Harvey Manor” and shows the couple and their guests enjoying a summer day on a back deck at a suburban home that appears to be Harvey’s previous home in Florissant. The video features shots showing some of the home’s architectural features. These include a rear door, windows, and other features that match those seen in photos from the home’s previous real estate listings on Zillow.
The second Instagram post that seemingly confirms the couple’s city tenure beginning in the past two years is one featuring numerous shots of the couple at a home that appears to match the property they purchased in October 2024, just days before county records indicate the home in Florissant was sold. The couple’s new house is located in the city’s Benton Park neighborhood. The photos feature both inside and outside shots of the property. The pictures appear to have been taken by a professional to commemorate the couple’s move, and they are accompanied by a message including the hashtag #newhome.
Dr. Harvey was again contacted and offered the opportunity to comment or provide evidence that he meets the residency requirements for taking his seat on the board. He did not respond. President Collins-Adams was also again asked for comment, along with whatever evidence she had referred to in her comments to St. Louis Public Radio regarding Dr. Harvey meeting the BOE’s residency requirements. She has also not responded. According to reporting by St. Louis Public Radio, Dr. Harvey’s swearing-in has been rescheduled for February 10th.
