Leaders were accused of Brown Act violations.
By JAMIE OPPENHEIM
joppenheim@mercedsun-star
The Merced County civil grand jury released its 2009-2010 annual report Wednesday, revealing findings from an investigation into board members from the Delhi Unified School District.
The complaint accused school board members of violating the Brown Act, a state law that requires meetings between elected officials to be open and public.
After interviewing board members, the district superintendent and the person who filed the complaint, the Merced County civil grand jury found no evidence that trustees violated the Brown Act, the report said.
The facts surrounding the complaint were vague, but the grand jury report identified two occasions when the grand jury looked into claims in which board members may have violated the Brown Act.
The first instance involved a board member's unannounced visit to a math class early last fall, which created confusion for the teacher and the students, according to the report.
The teacher was a substitute teacher and didn't know the board member, the report added.
The board member began addressing the class in Spanish about a supposed violation of the students' rights. The substitute teacher in charge of the classroom only spoke English, the report said.
After the incident, the complaint also alleged that board members serially exchanged e-mails about agenda items for a November school board meeting.
Through its investigation, the grand jury didn't find any evidence that board members violated the Brown Act; however, the grand jury did recommend that the district create a protocol for board members' visits to campus.
The Delhi Unified School District established a policy for board members' campus visits in April, said district superintendent Bill Baltazar.
The policy now requires board members to notify the superintendent before showing up in classrooms.
In related news, the grand jury declined to investigate claims that the Merced County Office of Education possibly violated federal law because the person who filed the complaint also pursued legal action with the California Department of Education.
The grand jury report also stated that a person filed a complaint against the Dos Palos-Oro Loma School District about the alleged misappropriation of funds by district personnel, but the grand jury declined to investigate the claim because the Dos Palos Police Department was already looking into the matter.
Reporter Jamie Oppenheim can be reached at (209)385-2407 or joppenheim@mercedsun-star.com.
Read more: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/07/09/1489199/grand-jury-clears-delhi-school.html#ixzz0tDWwXAij
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