WCSD Trustees consider possible open meeting law violations - KOLO

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees held a special meeting Monday to discuss possible open meeting law violations. Gunderson Law Firm was hired to conduct an investigation into the matter and present its findings at the meeting.

The investigation follows a heated conversation that took place at the September 28 board meeting between Trustee Jeff Church and Chief General Counsel Neil Rombardo. Trustee Church reportedly brought up the issue about whether former Trustee Jacqueline Calvert had moved out of the the district she was elected to represent during his board report. Rombardo interjected during the report, which led to a verbal exchange with Jeff Church. Board President, Dr. Angie Taylor, stated during Monday’s meeting that Trustee Church allegedly called Rombardo’s character into question at the September 28 meeting. She added that there was concern this could be considered an open meeting law violation, along with the fact that Calvert’s residency was discussed during a board report rather than a scheduled agenda item.

The investigation completed by Gunderson Law Firm focused on the timeline of how Calvert’s change in residency was addressed by the board of trustees and Chief General Counsel Neil Romardo. The Gunderson Law Firm representative at Monday’s meeting interviewed Taylor, Church and Rombardo, along with Washoe County resident Bruce Parks. He determined that on August 8, Bruce Parks reported Calvert’s change in residency to Trustee Church. Jeff Church then took that information to Neil Rombardo, who reportedly stated that he was not the appropriate person to look into the issue, and that it should be investigated by the Attorney General’s Office or the Secretary of State. According to the report by the Gunderson Law Firm representative, Rombardo relayed the possible residency issue to Superintendent Dr. Kristen McNeill and Dr. Angie Taylor. The investigation also revealed that Bruce Parks confirmed the information about Calvert’s change in address and filed a complaint with the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office. Parks then sent the information to Angie Taylor in early September, who reached out directly to Calvert to try and resolve the issue. Shortly thereafter, Calvert resigned her position and stepped down from the board after admitting in a statement that she did in fact move out of her district. Calvert allegedly changed her residence in 2019.

Trustees voted 5 to 1 in favor of accepting the findings of the Gunderson Law Firm investigation. They also discussed the intent to pursue further investigation into the issue surrounding Jacqueline Calvert’s change in residency during her term.

At Monday’s meeting, a WCSD legal representative suggested that board reports be removed from future meeting agendas to avoid possible open meeting law violations. The counselor added that he did not see any clear or obvious open meeting law violation, and no specific allegations have been brought against the board so far. Trustees voted 4 to 2 in favor of not removing board reports from future meetings.

During public comment, several community members voiced their disapproval with how the investigation was handled, and many were concerned that the issue regarding Calvert’s residency was not addressed sooner.

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source: https://www.kolotv.com/2021/10/26/wcsd-trustees-consider-possible-open-meeting-law-violations/

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