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Liberty Elementary board holds closed session on staff employment, directs counsel to act
Summary
At a May 12 special meeting the Liberty Elementary School District board voted 5-0 to enter an executive session under Arizona law for legal advice about an employee identified in the meeting as Dr. Cort Munro, then reconvened and directed district counsel to pursue actions discussed in the closed session.
The Liberty Elementary School District governing board voted unanimously May 12 to meet in executive session for legal advice about a personnel matter and, after returning to public session, directed the district's attorney to pursue the course of action discussed behind closed doors.
Board President Michael Todd opened the special virtual meeting at 11 a.m. and moved immediately to agenda item 1.2, asking the board to convene an executive session pursuant to Arizona Revised Statutes § 38-431.03(A)(3) and (A)(4) for legal advice and to instruct attorneys regarding negotiations or potential litigation related to the employment of an individual identified in the meeting as “Dr. Cort Munro.” Board member Kelly Zimmerman moved the executive-session call; Vice President Chris Kenyon seconded. The board voted 5-0 to approve the motion.
The board left the public meeting and reconvened the general session at 12:07 p.m. At that time a member moved to direct district counsel to pursue the direction discussed in the executive session; the motion was seconded and approved 5-0. The board then adjourned at 12:08 p.m.
Susan Siegel, identified in the meeting as legal counsel, joined the session virtually. Beyond the motion language and statutory citation, the board did not disclose the content of the executive session in public minutes or on the record during the May 12 meeting.
The actions taken were narrow and procedural: the board invoked the statutory executive-session exceptions for legal advice and attorney instruction, and then authorized counsel to act according to the board's private instructions. The district did not state on the public record what specific legal steps counsel was directed to take, nor did it provide additional details about the employee beyond the name used in the meeting record.
The special meeting was called for 11:00 a.m.; the board reported all five members present and held the public portion briefly before and after the executive session. No votes on budget, policy changes, or other public business were recorded during the May 12 special meeting.
