School board member talked publicly about closed-session issues.
By Pablo Lopez / The Fresno Bee
A Parlier Unified School District board member violated state law when he publicly talked about confidential matters that were discussed in closed session, the Fresno County grand jury said in a report released Wednesday.
In one incident, the school board discussed in closed session the job status of several district employees. Afterward, trustee Enrique Maldonado talked about the employees during a school board meeting, even though board President Ben Tamez Jr. repeatedly asked Maldonado to stop.
At another board meeting, Maldonado disclosed the reason behind his vote in closed session regarding an employee's grievance. "The incident ended with the police being called to restore order to the meeting," the report said.
* External Link Grand jury report on Parlier Unified School District
The report said the school district should seek a court injunction that would prohibit Maldonado from disclosing closed-session information.
Tamez said Wednesday the school board will take up that issue at a future meeting, because if Maldonado persists in talking about confidential matters, the district could be legally liable. "What he did was irresponsible," Tamez said.
But Maldonado said Wednesday he testified before the grand jury and came away thinking he did nothing wrong. "You need to communicate to the parents and employees," he said. "Everything I do is for the benefit of our children."
According to the report, district officials advised board members in August to protect the information discussed in closed session. When Maldonado rejected the admonishment, the school board voted to censure him at a special meeting on Dec. 16, the report said.
The reporter can be reached at plopez@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6434.
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1448753.html
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