Oregon School District Faces Lawsuit Amid Claims of Public Meeting Law Violations by Parents

An Oregon school district that became a flashpoint for controversy in 2021 due to its contentious decision to ban diversity symbols found itself in the midst of a legal battle this week. 

The Newberg School District faced trial in Yamhill County after seven parents lodged a lawsuit against the district and four school board members, alleging breaches of public meetings law.

The lawsuit, born from accusations that the board members clandestinely convened to discuss the dismissal of Superintendent Joe Morelock and the hiring of an attorney involved in overseeing the prohibition of Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ pride symbols, kicked off a legal showdown. 

The parents claimed the secretive meetings leading to these decisions lacked proper public notification, violating transparency requirements.

The board’s makeup broke down over allegations of secret meetings, and the four members mentioned in the lawsuit voted to remove Superintendent Morelock, allegedly because they felt he was too soft on the Oregon diversity symbol prohibition. The three remaining members of the board expressed disapproval of this decision.

Oregon Meeting Compliance and Allegations

However, the attorneys representing the district and the implicated members of the school board vehemently denied the accusations, affirming their adherence to the regulations outlined in public meetings law.

Chelsea Pyasetskyy, representing the board members, emphasized that mere communication among them didn’t constitute a violation. She emphasized the absence of substantial evidence supporting the parents’ claims beyond speculative assertions.

The attorneys for the Oregon district made it clear that most discussions were recorded after the meeting was videotaped, even though they acknowledged an unrecorded portion of a meeting on August 24, 2021, during which they engaged attorney Tyler Smith.

The setting for this legal conflict unfolds within the town of Newberg, nestled amidst Oregon’s renowned wine country, positioned approximately 25 miles in the southwest direction from Portland.

The ban on diversity symbols tore through the community, turning it into an unexpected battleground reflecting the nationwide ideological divide over educational policies between the political left and right.