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Public commenter alleges board held illegal closed‑session discussion; board approves policies with abstentions and moves to closed session
Summary
A resident alleged the board discussed a curriculum position in closed session in violation of the law; the board approved policies with two abstentions and then voted to adjourn into closed session to discuss personnel under Mo. Rev. Stat. §610.021.
At the March 7 meeting, public comment included an allegation that the board violated Missouri open‑meetings law when it discussed a curriculum and instruction position in closed session and then moved that matter to a special‑call meeting with limited notice.
Anna Lemann, who identified herself during public comment, said she filed a sunshine request and concluded that the board’s handling of the curriculum position was unlawful. "It appears that Doctor Evans brought it to the attention of the board and administration that the discussion of the curriculum instruction position and the vote to post the position was in violation of the law," Lemann said. She added that the item later moved to a special‑call meeting that was "not well advertised and not well attended," and warned that continued closed‑session violations could lead to lawsuits naming board members.
Earlier in the meeting the board considered a motion "to approve all of the other board policies." The motion was moved (mover named in the record as Stacy) and seconded (Scott). The chair called for the ayes; the motion carried with two abstentions (a speaker in the meeting said, "I have to abstain, and Janelle has to abstain"). The transcript does not record roll‑call tallies by named vote beyond those statements.
Later, a board member moved to adjourn the regular meeting and reconvene in closed session "for the purpose of discussing hiring, firing, discipline, or promoting employees, and individually identifiable personnel records" under Mo. Rev. Stat. §610.021. The motion listed persons to be admitted to the closed session: Susan Johnson, Ted Sampson, Megan Carr and Richie Crafts.
Why it matters: Public allegations of open‑meeting violations raise governance and legal risks for the board and could trigger legal review or litigation; the board also used its statutory authority to move into closed session to discuss personnel matters during the same meeting.
Provenance: Public comment and motions recorded in transcript SEG 672–SEG 736 (Anna Lemann), SEG 620–SEG 634 (policy motion and abstentions), and SEG 800–SEG 808 (motion to go into closed session and statutory citation).
