Grand Haven Area Public School Board (GHAPS) secretary and owner of the The Unicorn Tavern, Kristal Boyd, was recently arrested for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI). That is a bad look for an elected official, and could also put The Unicorn’s liquor license in jeopardy. Unfortunately, we all have experienced embarrassing nights and lapses in judgment, but not owning up to our mistakes and instead trying to cover them up is a much bigger problem.
Upon the news of the arrest becoming public, Boyd took to social media while GHAPS board President Nichol Stack was busy responding to parent emails, both making excuses and misleading the public. Sadly, this is emblematic of the way GHAPS leadership has routinely dealt with issues in recent years.
Boyd responded on social media with the following.
According to Boyd, she was not driving. She was sleeping in her car. She knew she had too much to drink, and rather than drive, she took a nap in her car. As opposed to taking a neutral stance and waiting for the facts of the incident to be revealed through a legal procedure, GHAPS board President, Nichol Stack, continued the misdirection by appearing to blindly accept Boyd’s version of events.
In a response to concerned parents Stack wrote the following:
The noteworthy part of Stack’s response is the characterization of it as a non-moving violation. On social media, Boyd made it clear she was not driving, saying “I knew I couldn’t drive,” while Stack stated it “did not involve a moving violation…” While these explanations are partially true, they are misleading. Whether due to arrogance, or a lack of sufficient consequences for prior misleading statements, these two elected officials did not display any forethought as to what would happen should the police report became public.
The officer’s report paints a much different picture than the one conveyed to the public by Boyd and Stack. First of all, Boyd was arrested in the parking lot of the Beechtree Party Store. Secondly, Boyd told the officer she had a few drinks after work at The Unicorn Tavern and then left the establishment in her vehicle. Third, the officer observed the car running, active brake lights, and Boyd’s foot on the brake pedal, which led him to direct Boyd to place the car into park once she woke up after he and others repeatedly knocked on the window. Boyd was described as “bewildered” when the officer informed her it was 0500 (5:00 am). The Unicorn had closed at 2300 (11:00 pm) the night before.
The officer’s report contradicts both Boyd’s statements on social media, and those of school board president Stack’s emails on behalf of the board. Both made sure to say it was not a moving violation. While still technically being illegal, had Boyd been napping in her car, at her restaurant, without having driven, she would have ensured the safety of herself and everyone else, too. But, she was intoxicated enough to fail a breathalyzer test six hours after she supposedly had her last drink. Additionally, according to the “Excited Utterances” section of the report, the officer explained that Boyd, “repeatedly informed me [him] she was aware the she had driven while intoxicated.” Specifically, when allowed a courtesy call to her husband later in the evening, Boyd stated “I knew after I had that wine that I shouldn’t drive, that’s why I pulled over at the gas station.”
Misleading the public does nothing to help district leaders gain the trust of the public at large or the parents of the children they are responsible for during the school day. Boyd was arrested on September 25, 2025. Now, nearly a month later, the school board has yet to make a public statement.
Sadly, a lack of trust and transparency from GHAPS district officials has become a pattern which has been consistently mentioned in district survey responses. Whether it is a bond proposal that is essentially a blank check (it also hid future plans to demolish Lakeshore Middle School and included fancy luxuries like Steinway pianos and a state-of-the-art athletic field house), or claiming sexually explicit books are “high quality literature,” or claiming attorney-client privilege in an attempt to keep a taxpayer-funded, independent embezzlement report from the public, it appears GHAPS leadership has not yet learned their lesson. Just recently when announcing the closure of Mary A. White Elementary School, (MAW) local park officials spoke at a school board meeting to explain they had not been included in any discussions regarding GHAPS plans to convert MAW into an outdoor preschool center that would utilize their park resources.
GHAPS has continually chosen secrecy and falsehoods to achieve their goals. In the case of Boyd’s recent arrest, the “cover up” does nothing to offset her terrible lapse in judgment, but it is just par for the course and yet another clear example of why GHAPS leadership has a trust problem.