Resident raises pedestrian-safety concerns near Truman and alleges board president intercepted candidate filings

Two members of the public used the meeting’s nonagenda public comment period to raise separate concerns: the lack of pedestrian infrastructure near Truman High School and an allegation concerning handling of candidate financial disclosure forms.

Pedestrian safety concern: Beth Ann Pollock said she frequently rides the No. 129 bus and has observed students walking on the narrow shoulder of Green Lane near Truman High School. Pollock described students “walking on the shoulder of Green Lane” and said the shoulder “is very narrow,” urging the board to coordinate with the township council to pursue a sidewalk. A board member responded that the council will discuss the issue and urged Pollock to attend the township meeting on March 20, 2025, where the matter would be considered.

Allegation about candidate filings: Barbara Garwood said she and another resident dropped off statements of financial interest at the district administrative building intended for the administrative secretary. Garwood alleged the documents were intercepted by Board President Jim Morgan and that the forms contained personal information not yet released by elections officials. She said she believed this could be a “violation of [the] code of ethics” and asked the board to look into it.

President Morgan responded on the record, saying that the secretary at the administrative office was a substitute that day and that he returned the forms to the secretary at about 4 p.m. He said the forms in question are public documents and that he “never looked at them” before depositing them on Mary Anne’s desk. The meeting record shows a short exchange on timing and security footage was referenced by a speaker as existing, but no formal board investigation or vote was recorded at the meeting.

Why it matters: The pedestrian-safety concern implicates public infrastructure affecting students’ routes to and from school; addressing it would usually involve coordination with township officials. The allegation about handling of candidate disclosures raises an ethics question that the board may need to document and, if warranted, investigate according to district policy.

Ending: Both matters were raised during public comment. The transcript records the complaints and the president’s response, but no formal board action was taken during the meeting on either issue.