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Community rally, recall petitions and a ‘sick-out’ dominate Liberty meeting public comments
Summary
Hundreds of parents and teachers packed the Feb. 3 Liberty board meeting. Speakers reported mass student absences, filed recall paperwork for two board members and demanded superintendent accountability; board president said the board will place the concerns on a future agenda.
Dozens of parents, teachers and community members filled the Liberty Elementary District boardroom on Feb. 3 and used the meeting’s public comment period to press for accountability from governing board leaders and the superintendent.
Public comment and claims: Hundreds of parents and staff described an ongoing staffing exodus, alleged financial mismanagement and asked the board to remove or investigate leaders. Multiple speakers said they organized a districtwide absence to draw attention to the issue; one speaker said 1,660 students were absent districtwide, and provided school-level absence reports.
Who spoke and what they said
- Parent and volunteer April Smith announced a political-action group and said, “Across the district, 1,660 students were absent to show support for our teachers and staff.” Smith also said a parent-led group filed paperwork to begin circulating recall petitions for two board members and asked volunteers to sign up.
- Several speakers said they had filed formal recall paperwork to remove board President Brian Parks and Vice President Chris Kenyon; multiple public speakers called for the board majority’s removal and urged sign-ups for recalls.
- Vicky Johnson, identified as president of the Liberty Education Association (the district teachers’ union), told the board teachers compiled a list of districtwide issues including removal of educational-services staff, financial mismanagement, class-size and substitute shortages, a “culture of intimidation,” and that teachers were asking the board to act.
- Multiple parents and teachers described high-profile resignations among educational-services staff. Board members acknowledged the resignations and said administration would be asked for documentation; one trustee urged a third-party climate survey to ensure anonymity and encourage staff candor.
Superintendent response and board remarks
Superintendent Dr. Court Munro acknowledged the spike in absences and said that in his outreach with neighboring districts several reported declines in student attendance tied to a nationwide “Day Without Immigrants” action. He described outreach to principals and said Rainbow Valley Elementary had the highest absences that day (he gave an approximate number in the 300s). Board President Brian Parks said the board would add the concerns raised by public commenters to a future agenda so trustees and administration can discuss them directly.
What wasn’t decided
There were no board votes stemming from public comment. Several speakers asked the board to call for the superintendent’s resignation or to support the recall petitions; board members did not take those actions during the meeting.
Next steps
Board members asked administration to bring more detail on staff resignations, financial questions raised by commenters and program changes. Some trustees requested a study session to discuss budget priorities and personnel issues ahead of March contract and budget items.
