A Stillwater school board member says her colleagues’ decision to investigate an employee’s complaint about her and another board member is without merit and amounts to harassment and intimidation.
Sarah Stivland disclosed the complaint and resulting investigation on the Facebook page she used in her 2016 campaign for a board seat. Longtime board member Mike Ptacek is also named in the employee’s complaint, according to Stivland’s post.
“It is clear to me now that we have a divided board, and that there are those who feel that this is an acceptable course of action to take against two sitting board members,” Stivland wrote.
“The decision to expend district funds to investigate these ridiculous claims will inevitably hamper our ability to continue to develop more efficient, effective and transparent processes for our board work,” she added.
The board voted 4-3 in a closed session Tuesday to move forward with the investigation.
A complaint about a public employee is usually kept confidential, and the nature of the complaint is typically made public only if disciplinary action is involved after an investigation is completed.
A Stillwater schools spokeswoman said Thursday that district leaders had no comment. George Hoeppner, board chair, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.
In a phone message Thursday, Stivland said she had nothing more to say for the time being.
Ptacek said he agreed with Stivland’s characterization of the investigation as an attempt by fellow board members to stifle dissent.
“That bothers me a lot,” Ptacek said.
Stivland and Ptacek both acknowledged they could say little about the complaint made against them. Ptacek added that he should be able to discuss it further once he received guidance from school officials.
The division on the board Stivland mentioned in her Facebook post is related to the 2016 decision to close Marine, Withrow and Oak Park elementary schools. The move is part of the district’s “Building Opportunities to Learn and Discover,” or BOLD, plan to help use limited resources more efficiently and equitably.
The plan divided the school community and has led to three lawsuits against the district, one of which is still pending. The three elementary schools did not reopen when classes resumed in August.
Stivland and Ptacek’s opposition to the BOLD plan was a key part of their 2016 campaigns. Board member Shelley Pearson joined Ptacek in March voting against closing the three schools.