Lawsuit alleges Montana’s Board of Public Education violated state open meeting laws

ByAlyssa R. Elliott

Apr 18, 2022 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The state’s biggest union and a statewide nonprofit news firm have sued Montana’s Board of Community Instruction, alleging it violated the state’s community participation open meeting legal guidelines.

The Montana Federation of Community Personnel and the Each day Montanan are inquiring a Lewis and Clark County judge to void action taken by the Board of Community Training in early March.

The plaintiffs allege the board did not give proper community discover prior to it voted against an update to the Montana teacher code of ethics designed by an schooling advisory council that would have bundled “equity” as part of the code.

In this audio clip from that March 10 meeting, chairwoman Tammy Lacey asks board attorney Katherine Orr’s advice on the action.

Lacey: “Your assistance to the board would be to not consider action at this board conference since it hasn’t been appropriately found to the community. Is that proper?”

Orr: “That’s right.”

For the duration of that assembly, Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras and other customers of the board disagreed with the lawful advice.

Board of Community Training Govt Director McCall Flynn declined MTPR’s ask for for remark Wednesday, stating it has not nonetheless been formally served with the complaint.