The Westport Board of Education Monday night will review its e-mail policies following a new round of e-mail exchanges that prompted a local newspaper to file a Freedom of Information Act request for copies of electronic board communications and a board member to boycott a meeting.
In a memo to board members included in the backup materials for Monday’s meeting, Supt. of Schools Elliott Landon said discussion of e-mails was proposed by board members and therefore was being included as part of a review of board goals for the 2004-05 school year.
The Hour of Norwalk reported today that it had filed a Freedom of Information Act request to access e-mails exchanged among board members in advance of special board meeting Friday to discuss job performance of Landon and board members.
The newspaper said the e-mails—which it said it had meanwhile obtained from board members—were about whether Landon should attend the meeting.
Hour reporter Jennifer Connic said she had been informed by school officials today that she could inspect the e-mails at the board office.
The newspaper reported that Linda Merk-Gould, the board vice-chairwoman, said she thought it was a good idea for the board to meet in the morning of the all-day session without Landon present. That set off the e-mail exchange that was the subject of the newspaper’s request.
Finally, Merk-Gould sent an e-mail saying the electronic discussions regarding the Friday meeting had “deteriorated” and that she believed the scheduled meeting “would cause more damage to (school board) communications than not having it. Therefore, I plan not to attend,” the Hour said.
Westport’s Board of Education has been the subject of two FOI complaints in recent years—the latest in August 2003 when The Hour filed a complaint over delayed access to e-mail correspondence.
The newspaper withdrew the complaint three weeks later when the e-mails were supplied and school officials said they had established a system for the public to review e-mails subject to public inspection.
