Former Springboro school employee claims law violated in board dispute

Former employee Karen DeRosa says claims based on “private email illegally obtained”

A former Springboro school district employee is accusing the school board of violating the law in obtaining an email cited as evidence one of the members “colluded” with her and parents against the board.

“This was a private email illegally obtained by the district. It is not a public record,” Karen DeRosa said in an email on Friday.

DeRosa, the district’s former communications coordinator, also accused the board of violating Ohio public meetings law when they talked to Boardmember Lisa Babb about resigning.

“The Board members met outside of Sunshine Laws and made no efforts to verify the email, which I had not seen until it was distributed at the meeting,” DeRosa added.

On Wednesday, the Springboro school board accused Babb of “colluding” with DeRosa in creation of the letter and petition bearing 130 signatures presented to the board at the meeting that night.

“Lisa… your partner in crime!!!” Babb concluded a May 12 email sent to the account set up by parents presenting the letter and petition.

At the meeting, Board President Dave Stuckey read the statement criticizing Babb as the board, including Babb, sat in anticipation of comments about issues raised in the letter and petition circulated online in the days leading to the meeting.

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Stuckey referred to the email:

“It shows that Lisa Babb has been an active participant, undermining the board, compromising the board and administration integrity. She has abused her powers as a board member and she has made a coordinated effort to collude with former employee Karen DeRosa, the district’s former communication coordinator.”

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About two hours later, during the board comments portion of the meeting, Babb said she agreed with the letter and petition calling for better communication, but was not “behind” the efforts.

“These are some things I have been bringing up for months,” she said.

Stuckey also said the email was the latest example of behavior by Babb “overstepping” board conduct rules and Ohio ethics law, revealing confidential conversations from executive sessions and forwarding emails with confidential information to her personal email, violating student and parent confidentiality regulations.

“The district has no way to protect the privacy of families once that has occurred,” Stuckey said.

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The board has completed two training sessions related to this issue, Stuckey said.

“Yet, Mrs. Babb has continued to step beyond appropriate boundaries and taken this to a new level,” he added, distracting the board and costing taxpayers money.

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Babb said she had stopped sending district email to her home account after being advised by Treasurer Terrah Floyd and described other parts of Stuckey’s statement as “very misleading.”

Although Babb said she had been asked to resign before the meeting, “I’m not stepping down from the board.”

In the May 12 email to the parents group account, obtained by this newspaper through a public-records request, Babb responds to on a draft of the letter presented at the meeting.

“I think this is outstanding. Not offensive but strong!” she said.

She asks about turn-out for a gathering at Dorothy Lane Market and pledges her support.

On Thursday, DeRosa acknowledged that she helped set up the email account through which the group was formed and names gathered on the petition.

“My heart really went out to these families,” she said on Thursday, while supporting the call for improved communications.

“I simply helped a group of parents set up the account to be able to post online. I do not even know the names of all of the parents who contributed to the letter or could access the email account,” she added in a email sent Friday.

Also Friday, Terrah Floyd, treasurer for the district, declined to provide other communications related to Stuckey’s claims that the mail was the latest example of Babb’s board misconduct.

“The topic, sensitivity, and legal implications of most of the incidents qualified them for executive session discussion. Therefore, they were discussed there, and I am legally prohibited from sharing information I learned in executive session,” she said via electronic message.

Stuckey issued the board statement before “prearranged” speakers addressed the board during the meeting.

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A parents group submitted the letter and petition, urging the board and administration to respond to questions raised at past board meetings and be transparent in their actions.

“Unfortunately, when parents have spoken up or asked questions throughout this school year, they often were marginalized. On numerous occasions, school administrators have dismissed parent concerns stating the questions are only coming from ‘a small group of parents.’ In fact, many parents are still waiting for an answer to questions asked weeks and even months ago,” the group said in a letter posted online as a Google Doc.

Two parents complained about problems at Cleacreek Elementary School.

“Please give the fantastic teachers the administrative support they deserve,” parent Heather Bauer said.

But staff and residents also spoke in support of the board and administration.

“Are we perfect, no? Is it better, my god yes,” said Dave Bowman, in reference to the divisive era about four years ago that preceded election of Stuckey and two other new board members.

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