From The Delaware Gazette A second court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a member of the Olentangy Board of Education who alleged that his colleagues violated the state’s open meeting laws.
The 5th District Court of Appeals upheld a Delaware County Common Pleas Court ruling that dismissed Adam White’s lawsuit against his fellow board members.
White alleges that a series of emails between the four other board members – who were trying to craft a response to a 2012 Columbus Dispatch editorial critical of a district policy – is a violation of Ohio law.
The editorial was in response to a policy the board adopted that required communications between board members and staff to pass through the superintendent or treasurer after White launched an independent investigation into expenditures of two of the district’s athletic directors. One later resigned and both were required to reimburse the district for improper spending.
The court cited a 2002 change in the state’s open meeting laws, which did not address electronic communication between members of a public body.