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Douglas County trustees unanimously acknowledge AG finding that a trustee cut off public comment
Summary
The Douglas County School District board voted unanimously to acknowledge an Attorney General finding that a trustee violated Nevada's open-meeting law by cutting off a public commentator. Public speakers urged apology and censure; the board recorded the AG opinion in backup materials.
The Douglas County School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted to acknowledge an opinion from the Nevada Office of the Attorney General finding that a trustee's decision to cut off public comment in December 2023 violated the state's open-meeting law.
Mister Russell, legal counsel to the board, presented the AG's findings (AG file no. 13897-510), telling trustees the opinion concluded the interruption was not content neutral and that the comment then being offered did not interrupt the orderly conduct of the meeting. Trustee Miller moved to acknowledge the findings and Mister Zinkie seconded; the board approved the motion unanimously.
Members of the public urged further action at the meeting. Leslie Hokanson, the commenter at the center of the AG review, told the board she was 35 seconds into public comment on Dec. 12, 2023, when the chair gavelled her and instructed officers to remove her. "The AG cannot find no justification of Johnson's actions to limit Miss Hokanson's public comments," she said, reading parts of the six-page opinion into the record and urging the board to ensure the findings remain in the district packet for public view.
Other speakers described the AG opinion as a check on viewpoint-based restrictions. Adrian Sawyer, identifying himself as a parent of three DCSD students, said the AG correctly held a trustee accountable and urged a restorative response: "While the OML opinion does not require trustee Janssen to apologize, it would go a long way in restoring public trust if she did." May Hyatt and other public commentators said the district should not treat the acknowledgement as merely procedural and urged concrete accountability.
The board's action was limited to acknowledging the AG opinion and placing it in the meeting backup materials as required. Trustees did not vote on disciplinary measures during this meeting.
The AG's finding and the board's recorded acknowledgement conclude the matter of whether the interruption violated the state Open Meeting Law; any additional personnel or disciplinary steps would follow separate procedures.
The board moved on to other agenda items after public comment closed.
