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Committee weighs change to attorney communications after trustee concern about one-on-one calls
Summary
A Colleton County policy committee member proposed amending the district's board-attorney policy so attorneys must share communications with the full seven-member board; counsel said the current policy routes calls through the superintendent or board chair and recommended clarifying internal reporting rather than immediate policy change.
The Colleton County School District policy committee on June 1 heard a proposal to change how the district's legal counsel shares information with trustees after a member complained that one-on-one calls leave some members uninformed.
Committee member Mr. Murk urged an amendment to policy BDG so that "all board members should be privy to any discussion made to the attorneys by one or more board members," saying individual calls can exclude the rest of the seven-member board.
Board counsel Allison Hannah replied that the district's policy and administrative rule are standard and that the attorney "reports to the district board." She told the committee that calls to the law firm typically go through the superintendent or the board chair and characterized many of the concerns as internal reporting issues rather than a defect in the written policy.
Trustees discussed tradeoffs: some said channeling calls through the chair or administration helps control billable hours, while others emphasized transparency to all members. Mr. Nixon urged trustees to consult BoardDocs and existing policies before contacting counsel and noted the cost implications of multiple members separately requesting legal advice.
The committee did not vote on a formal amendment. Instead, members asked counsel and staff to review the attorney contract and to draft clearer internal procedures on when and how counsel is contacted and how trustees are informed. Chair Sharon Whitken said staff and counsel will work with the board chair on any amendments to consider at a future meeting.
The committee's action items include a review of the attorney contract and proposed clarifications to internal communications; no final policy change was adopted at the meeting.
