By Eamon Baird
TIPP CITY — An injunction was filed with the Miami County Court of Common Pleas on Jan. 8 alleging members of the year-end 2023 Tipp City Exempted Village Schools Board of Education for violations of the Ohio Open Meetings Act.
According to court documents, Brian Ames, on behalf of the State of Open Government Advocates, filed said injunction against 2023 board members, Amber Drum, Richard Mains Sr., Theresa Dunaway, Joellen Heatherly, and Anne Zakkour.
As stated in the injunction, the board is supposed to (1) provide notice of the time, place, and “purpose” of its special meetings, and (2) post notice of its special meetings on its website.
The injunction also claims the following:
The board uses two places on its website to post “special meetings:”
1. The “Board of Education Meeting Dates” page.
2. The website’s event page.
The injunction asserts the school board held “special meetings” on the following dates in 2023: Feb. 9, June 15, Aug. 8, Sept. 22, and Oct. 31. During all of these “special meetings,” the events page on the board’s website provided no notice of the special meeting and did not provide the purpose of the said special meeting.
The injunction continues stating that under Section 121.22 of the Ohio Revised Code, all public bodies must provide 24 hours’ notice to all special meetings, and that notice must provide the time, place, and “purpose” of those special meetings.
Thus, said court documents, the board routinely and habitually held numerous unlawful special meetings over the last two years and, therefore, violated the Open Meetings Act, which requires public bodies in Ohio to conduct all public business in open meetings that the public may attend and observe.
Amber Drum is the current board president, and Mains is the vice president; Heatherly, Zakkour, and Dunaway are no longer members of the board.
According to the board of education website, Tipp City Board of Education meetings are held at 6 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month at the Board of Education, 90 S. Tippecanoe Drive, Tipp City.
A full listing of the meetings are available by clicking on the library tab or by viewing our website at www.tippcityschools.com.
