Board member defends colleagues, calls online posts "character assassination"

A board member spoke at length Thursday night to rebut what she called persistent online attacks against several elected trustees, saying the posts had crossed from criticism into "character assassination." She named the blog and its author and said anonymous posts had diverted staff time and board resources.

"This is something called character assassination," the board member said, urging the community to "rise above the noise" and asking residents to focus on students and district work. Several trustees responded during the meeting, with one colleague saying, "I'm embarrassed for us," and another urging moderation and better enforcement of the board's social-media policy.

The exchange began after the chair opened the floor to public comment on action items and expanded into a sustained discussion among trustees about the impact of partisan online groups. A trustee who spoke in support of the defense highlighted the time staff spent responding to records requests tied to the controversy and said the board had sought legal help to address misuse of the district's name on an external domain.

The discussion drew several references to the board's communications practices. One trustee said platforms administered by members can create a perception problem and urged administrators to moderate posts more carefully. Public comment later in the meeting reiterated those concerns; a resident told trustees the board's public standing could be harmed if leaders did not visibly renounce divisive online moderation roles.

The board took no formal disciplinary action Thursday; trustees characterized the remarks as part of a broader call to return attention to students and district priorities.