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Mother urges board to reopen son's PE denial and says May 2023 meeting video was deleted
Summary
Joanne Perser read a statement on behalf of her son alleging the board denied his PE application in 2022 and that the unedited May 11, 2023 meeting recording was later deleted; she said the Texas Attorney General's open-records division opened a complaint (O25044863) and asked the board to review prior handling and permit a reconsideration appearance.
Joanne Perser, speaking for her son Benjamin Perser, asked the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors to include a written statement in the official meeting materials and to schedule an in-person reconsideration after a prior denial of his professional engineer (PE) application.
Perser told the board that the licensing and registration committee recommended denial in November 2022 on grounds described as insufficient professionalism and inadequate qualifying engineering experience, and that the board affirmed that denial at a May 11, 2023 reconsideration meeting. She said staff had access to updated NCES materials and supplemental experience information before the May 2023 appearance but that those materials did not resolve the committee's concerns.
Perser raised a separate, serious procedural concern: repeated public-information requests for the original unedited recording of the May 2023 meeting were denied by the board's open-records staff, she said, and she reported that the Texas Attorney General's Office opened an open-records complaint (ID O25044863). Perser said the May 2023 video recording was later described as deleted in December 2025 and urged the current board—many of whom were not serving at the time—to examine whether prior staff and the prior board complied with law and record-retention obligations.
Board staff noted they would work with Perser to receive the submitted materials and coordinate scheduling for any requested in-person reconsideration. The board did not take immediate formal action on the request during this meeting.
Why it matters: Perser’s statement combines a licensing appeal (request for reconsideration) with an open-records allegation that may require administrative follow-up; the board and agency staff are the parties in position to determine whether records and procedures were handled consistent with statutory obligations and internal policy. The AG open-records complaint and the claim that a meeting video was deleted elevate the matter beyond a private licensing dispute into potential procedural and transparency issues.
What happens next: A board staff member said staff would coordinate receipt of materials and scheduling for Perser’s anticipated in-person appearance before the board.
