From The Mansfield News Journal The Ohio Supreme Court is considering whether an exchange of emails by members of a central Ohio school board violated the state open meetings law.
At issue is an October 2012 letter to the editor published with input from four members of the Olentangy school board in response to an editorial that criticized the board.
A fifth member of the board, Adam White, sued his fellow board members six months later, alleging that circulating drafts of the letter by email violated the open meetings law. That same day, April 25, 2013, the board voted at a public meeting to ratify the letter.
Events leading to the dispute began in March 2012, when White conducted an independent investigation of alleged improper spending at the district.
That September, the board voted to require that in the future, board members should communicate with district staff by going through the superintendent or treasurer first. On Oct. 11, the Columbus Dispatch published an editorial criticizing that policy, saying board members should have leeway in examining district finances on their own.