The Rochester City School District Board of Education is considering changes to a long-standing policy that allows newly elected members to attend closed-door meetings before being sworn in to office.
It’s a matter of how sensitive and confidential information — like student records and legal matters — is handled in and out of executive sessions, which are closed to the public. The policy has been in place since 1998.
“I'll defer to our general counsel on this," said board member Amy Maloy. “But I think it sets a dangerous precedent and the potential of leaking of information.”
Many of her counterparts agreed.
“We can't even really hold each other accountable around that piece right now, as electeds,” said Beatriz LeBron, the board's vice president. “We have a commissioner who went on WXXI and leaked executive session information, and this board couldn't even come to the vote to give that individual consequence.”
While LeBron didn’t elaborate further, earlier this year board member James Patterson said on WXXI’s Connections with Evan Dawson that Vicky Ramos was going to be named interim superintendent.
That was in May, when the board was having conversations about that selection in executive sessions. The board later appointed then-Deputy Superintendent Demario Strickland to the position.
“The point is that it's all in your character,” Patterson said. “It depends on, you know, you yourself. Are you the type of individual that is going to do things or say things in executive session or release information, or you're not?”
A “public body” — like a school board —can authorize any person to attend an executive session, according to state open meetings law.
But the district’s state-appointed monitor Jaime Alicea said he doesn’t think it’s wise to have soon-to-be school board members join those meetings.
“I do agree that they should be invited to board events, board meetings, committee meetings and all that,” Alicea said. “But executive session, it's confidential discussion that takes place.”
The policy would affect the onboarding process for potential new board members after next year's elections. There are three seats up for grabs including those currently held by board president Cynthia Elliott, and commissioners Camille Simmons and James Patterson.
The city school board voted to move it out of the policy committee this week to be reviewed at a later date.
