COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MAY 10, 2017
3A
No apparent public meetings law violation for SLSD
A complaint must be filed for a final determination by the state
Superintendent Krista Parent
By Caitlyn May
A complaint has
been fi led with the
South Lane School
District concerning superintendent
Krista Parent and a possible private
action. While the action is not prohibited
by district policy, questions have been
raised as to whether or not Parent vio-
lated public meetings law in discussing
the issue with individual school board
members.
The issue fi rst arose when a Eugene
publication noted Parent may have
violated public meetings law by meeting
with school board members one-on-one,
citing 2015 and 2011 Oregon Court of
Appeals and Coos County Circuit Court
decisions.
In the case of the South Lane School
District Board, however, according to
those involved, there was no discussion
that could lead to a fi nal decision; a
key component in public meetings law
violations. Further, according to Oregon
cmay@cgsentinel.com
School Boards Association Executive
Director Jim Greene, Parent did not
discuss anything that would be used to
determine a future vote on the matter.
“Let’s say for example, she called the
board and said, ‘I think you ought to do
an investigation’ and they said, ‘yeah
let’s do an investigation’ and a quorum
of board members agreed individual-
ly, that would be a violation,” Greene
explained using a hypothetical scenario.
He noted he was not party to the phone
calls made by Parent to the members of
the school board but to his understanding
of the events as relayed to him by mem-
bers of the school board, no quorum was
present and no fi nal decision was made.
According to Parent, she intended to
allow board members to ask her ques-
tions about a personal matter that had
been discussed on social media and
eventually led to a complaint being fi led
with the school district late last week. It
was South Lane School Board President
Sherry Duerst-Higgins who contacted
Greene to inquire as to what options
existed for Parent to share information
with the board in a manner that did not
break the state’s public meetings law.
“As long as the board does not deliberate
towards a decision, it’s not a violation,”
Greene said, noting his 20 years as a
member of the state bar and his various
work with elected bodies and public
meetings law. He also noted that the
South Lane School Board would only be
permitted to use information garnered
from the investigation into the matter
related to the complaint, and not infor-
mation they received from Parent during
their one-on-one meetings should the
issue come before the board.
Parent did note that she met with two
board members jointly, rather than one-
on-one due to scheduling. However,
because the school board is comprised of
seven members, two does not qualify as
a quorum.
The Oregon Government Ethics Com-
mission directed the inquiry as to wheth-
er or not Parent violated meetings law to
the Oregon Attorney General’s Offi ce.
However, that offi ce noted that unless
a complaint is fi led, it has no jurisdic-
tion to determine if an offi cial violated
the public meetings law. According to a
manual the offi ce created on the subject,
“The Attorney General’s only role under
the Public Meetings Law is to provide
legal advice to state agencies, boards and
commissions that are subject to the law
and to the Oregon Government Eth-
ics Commission in its role under ORS
244.260. Most district attorneys do not
have a role in interpreting the Public
Meetings Law. The exception is where
a district attorney also serves as legal
advisor to a county governing body. If
a citizen wishes to compel compliance
with the meetings law, or believes that a
governing body has violated the law, the
citizen may fi le a private civil lawsuit
against the governing body. A citizen
who believes that a governing body has
violated the provisions permitting an
executive session may fi le a complaint
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CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE
TREE LIMB PICK-UP
WEEK OF MAY 15, 2017
Th e City of Cottage Grove Public Works Department will be conducting the annual Tree Limb
Pickup May 15, 2017. Property owners will be responsible for removing any branches or limbs
placed in the street aft er May 15, 2017.
DON’T BRING:
If you have questions regarding the Tree Limb Pickup Program, please call the Public Works
Department at (541) 767-4100 or stop in at the Public Works offi ce located in City Hall at 400 East
Main Street for a brochure.
What about hazardous waste from businesses?
SOUTH LANE
COUNTY FIRE &
RESCUE
30th Annual
Spring
Rhododendron
Sale
Bring paint, household cleaners, lawn and garden
chemicals, car care products, arts and crafts products,
and just about any other household hazardous waste. The
limit is 35 gallons of waste in total from each household.
&KHFNODEHOVIRUZRUGVOLNHÁDPPDEOHFRUURVLYHSRLVRQ
caution, and danger. For your safety it is always best to carry
these items in a separate compartment (like the trunk of your
car) with secured lids to eliminate spills in transport.
(PSW\FRQWDLQHUVGUXPVUDGLRDFWLYHZDVWHDVEHVWRV
H[SORVLYHVRUHOHFWURQLFV)RULQIRUPDWLRQDERXWGLVSRVDO
RIUDGLRDFWLYHZDVWHDVEHVWRVDQGH[SORVLYHVFDOO/DQH
&RXQW\:DVWH0DQDJHPHQW'LYLVLRQDW. Up
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Oakridge, Veneta, and Vida during normal operating hours.
Also, Lane County accepts sharps, oil, antifreeze and
EDWWHULHVRIDOOW\SHV\HDUURXQGDWDOOUHIXVHGLVSRVDO
VLWHV&DOOIRUPRUHLQIRUPDWLRQ
SATURDAY
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with the Oregon Government Ethics
Commission.”
Parent said she did not believe she
violated open meetings law, citing the
requirements of the law that state a quo-
rum must be present and the board must
deliberate towards a fi nal decision.
Duerst-Higgins released the following
statement in regards to the ongoing in-
vestigation, noting that once it was com-
plete, fi nancial details related to its cost
and the cost of a third-party independent
investigator would be made public in
line with personnel and privacy laws.
“A formal written complaint was fi led
recently regarding our superintendent.
The South Lane School District Board
of Directors wants you to know that we
are taking this issue seriously and are
working in the best interest of students,
families and staff. Our goal is to be as
transparent as laws and policies allow,
and do what is best for the district and
community. We are following board
policies in seeing the complaint through.
The superintendent is cooperating with
all aspects of the complaint process. We
are in the process of hiring an outside
impartial party that will oversee the
written complaint. Please be aware that
due to confi dentiality laws the board is
limited in what we can publicly share.
It is the board’s intent, at the investiga-
tion’s conclusion, to disclose as much
as is legally allowed. Throughout this
process our top priority will continue
to be the students and staff of the South
Lane School District.”
Businesses which generate small amounts of hazardous
ZDVWHPD\SUHUHJLVWHUWREULQJWKDWZDVWHWRWKLVHYHQW
Businesses must pay for disposal of the waste, but most
FDQVDYHPRQH\E\XVLQJWKLVSURJUDPUDWKHUWKDQKLULQJ
a contractor on their own. For more information about
this program, call Lane County Waste Management
'LYLVLRQDW
Year Round Collection Sites—Paint,
Electronics, and Fluorescent Lamps
Paint, Electronics, and Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
DQGWXEHVXSWRIHHWDUHDFFHSWHG\HDUURXQGDW
YDULRXVORFDWLRQVLQ/DQH&RXQW\WKURXJKRQJRLQJ
collection programs. Check out the websites below to
ÀQGDORFDWLRQQHDU\RXRUFDOOIRUPRUH
information.
PaintCare
www.paintcare.org
2UHJRQ(&\FOHV
www.deq.state.or.us/lg/ecycle
(&<&/(
CFL Collection Sites
List of Participating Lighting and Hardware Stores
www.lanecounty.org/lamps
Residents can not place branches in the street where curbside parking does not exist.
Th is is strictly a tree limb pickup, nothing other than loose tree limbs or branches will be picked up.
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