Tipp City Schools Face Lawsuit Over Alleged Violations of Ohio Open Meeting Act

A legal action has been filed against the Tipp City Exempted Village Schools Board of Education, alleging a violation of the Ohio Open Meetings Act.

A complaint has been filed in Miami County Common Pleas Court by Open Government Advocates and Brian Ames. Open Government Advocates, a nonprofit organization, claims to be dedicated to promoting transparency in government. The organization is located in Mogadore, Ohio, a city near Akron.

A complaint has been filed against the Board of Education and its members in 2023. The individuals named in the complaint include Amber Drum, Richard Mains Sr., Joellen Heatherly, Theresa Dunaway, and Anne Zakkour. Heatherly was chosen to fill the remainder of former board President Simon Patry’s term after his resignation in September.

Heatherly, Zakkour, and Dunaway all left office at the end of the year as their board terms expired. Tipp City schools superintendent Aaron Moran declined to provide any comment on the legal action, according to a statement made on Tuesday.

According to Open Government Advocates, the board of education has been accused of failing to fulfill its stated obligations regarding special meetings. The organization alleges that the board’s policies require them to provide notice of the time, place, and purpose of these meetings, as well as post the notice on their website.

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According to the complaint, the board has been accused of infrequently posting notice of its special meetings on its website. According to reports, the board allegedly held a series of special meetings throughout the year 2023. However, it has been brought to attention that the board failed to either post notice of these meetings on its website or provide clear information regarding the purpose of some of these gatherings.

The public is not adequately informed of the purpose of the board’s special meetings through the meeting notices. In the past two years, the board has been consistently conducting multiple special meetings that are deemed to be unlawful. A lawsuit has been filed, alleging that the Board has violated the Open Meetings Act.

The court has been requested to issue an injunction against the board, preventing them from engaging in any future violations. Additionally, the party is seeking attorney fees and court costs to be awarded.