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confidential information

Posted by Ed Fersch on July 12, 2020 at 9:17pm

I am wondering how you have dealt with board members sharing confidential information to the public or to specific persons. This as become an issue as information from executive session conversations and from internal emails has been shared.

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Replies

  • Jarrett Behar October 1, 2020 at 9:47am
    We had a board member share confidential personnel information in a Facebook group. We found out because the person accidentally posted it publicly instead of the group and someone in the community got a screen grab before it was deleted Ultimately because of that and other issues, we had to go through a whole process of conducting an independent investigation and then hiring special counsel to conduct removal proceedings. The member finally resigned just before the hearing, but it cost the District a lot of money. Unfortunately, if the member is unwilling to abide by the required conduct, it leaves you with no choice. I'm happy to discuss this with you in more detail offline if you would like.
  • Ed Fersch July 24, 2020 at 2:10pm
    It was a poor choice of words--the email in question was not a confidential discussion. I shared some information about an upcoming announcement with the board. One member shared it with a another person before the public announcement was made. And, I have had discussions with our law firm about this. Also spoke with the member. Just wondering what others may have experienced.
  • Charmise Desire' July 24, 2020 at 1:33pm
    I've had to face same exact concerns unfortunately. Communicating virtually is a big risk as options are limited.
  • Bill Grau July 17, 2020 at 7:47am
    I agree with the first two responses. I would like to add that you should not be having "confidential" discussion via email as it is not secure and it is something that must be disclosed if someone makes a foil request. That being said, it seems this person is violating the trust of the group. I would speak privately with them and then take the steps below.
  • Debbie Kolod July 16, 2020 at 4:45pm
    This is a question you should be discussing with your district attorney. People have been removed from boards by the Commissioner for this offense.
  • Russell Harris July 16, 2020 at 4:44pm
    Document Document. Have District lawyer in for a session on confidential information and make sure they are aware of the situation.
    Share the documentation with them.
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