School board censures District 9 Representative Kissa Rodney after debate over family ties to Violet Action Committee

The St. Bernard Parish School Board voted March 24 to censure District 9 Representative Kissa Rodney after members said Rodney's earlier statements at a March 10 meeting omitted material information about family ties to a local economic committee.

Board member Miss Harris moved for consideration of censure, saying the action was required to record what she described as a breach of the school board's code of conduct. Harris told colleagues the measure was not about criminal ethics but about professional conduct, adding that "when we say something that is incorrect, that is misleading, that is omission, we have to own it and come back to the table and acknowledge it." The motion was seconded and debated at length.

Rodney denied intentionally misleading the board. "I did not know they were on the committee," she said, describing a post-meeting phone call and subsequent inquiries she said she made to the Louisiana Board of Ethics. Rodney said she called an ethics staff attorney and was told there was no apparent financial gain to family members; she said she would have abstained from voting if she had known of a conflict. "I did not misrepresent myself," Rodney said.

The discussion centered on whether the issue fell under the board's internal code of conduct (professional courtesy and disclosure) or the state ethics code (conflict of interest tied to financial gain). Board members pressed both legal and procedural points; Mr. Rodriguez urged caution and proposed seeking a formal advisory opinion from the state ethics board before taking disciplinary action, an option other members debated and ultimately did not pursue.

Three members of the public spoke during the meeting'one defended Rodney and urged the board to focus on community needs, and others urged attention to Violet and its representation. Andrew Roads said Rodney had worked for Violet and urged the board to consider local priorities; Lewis Shorbed and Thomas Johnson also spoke about Violet's history and needs.

At the conclusion of debate the board conducted a roll-call vote. The public record shows the motion carried; the minutes record multiple affirmative votes, at least one "no" from Henry J. Rodriguez and at least one abstention. Under board procedure the member named in a censure does not participate in the vote. The censure records the board's determination under its code of conduct and does not itself impose state ethics sanctions.

The board moved on to the rest of the agenda after the vote. The school board did not place a formal, public request in the meeting record for an immediate advisory opinion from the Louisiana Board of Ethics about the underlying matter; several members had discussed the possibility during debate.