Ethics violation, other complaints filed against school board president | News

The ethic complaint stems from two votes Regan cast during the October 22, 2020 Alexander School Board meeting.

The first issue that Regan voted on was to approve the negotiated agreement between the Alexander Local Educators Association (the Alexander district teachers’ union) through August 31, 2021. This agreement included health insurance coverage for district employees and their families.

Regan’s wife is an employee within the district and during a later school board meeting, the question was posed to Regan was ‘is he covered under his wife’s insurance,’ and offered the answer was that he was.

However, according to the Attorney General of Ohio, Revised Code 102.03(D), “prohibits a member of a city school district board of education who is covered by health insurance which his spouse receives as an employee in the same school district pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement from voting, discussing, deliberating, recommending, or otherwise using his authority or influence as a board member to secure ratification of the CBA.”

The motion was passed by an unanimous vote, including Regan’s affirmative vote.

Later, that board meeting, the panel passed two Memorandums of Understanding. One was with ALEA regarding returning to after a leave absence (due to school closing during the COVID-19 pandemic) and the other was with ALEA regarding remote learners, which apparently gave teacher’s stipends for the additional hours of remote teaching.

Regan’s wife, along with many other teachers in the Alexander district, received stipends. Regan’s wife’s stipend was in the amount of $1,300.

The passage of the MOA that approved the stipends was passed an unanimous vote, including Regan’s affirmative vote.

The Alexander Local Schools Board Member Code of Ethics include “avoid conflicts on interest or the appearance thereof.”

The documents showing the two votes and other documents showing alleged violations of the Open Meetings Act and Tampering with Public Employees personnel files were filed with the Auditor of State.

One of the documents that was filed with the auditor’s office is texts and emails obtained through a public record where Regan, and board members, Lucy Juedes and Josh Collins are speaking with each other with no communication with the other two board members.

Community member, Julie Collins, who is a member of “Save Our School” believes these communications violate the Ohio Open meetings Act.

A “meeting” defined by the Open Meetings Act has three elements. One it is a prearranged gathering, with secondly, of a majority of the members of the public body, and, thirdly, who are discussing or deliberating public business. A meeting does not have to be called a “meeting” for the OMA requirements to apply—if the three elements above are present, the OMA requirements apply even if the gathering is called a “work session,” “retreat “ or any other name.

Another complaint filed with the auditor claims that Regan had received COVID-19 vaccines, through a program, at same time as his wife, a school employee. According to an Ohio Department of Health letter dated February of 2021, “The program does NOT include school board members, parents, volunteers, or early-childhood providers.”

Another complaint filed with the auditor alleged Tampering with a Public Employees personnel. The complaint stems from an action the board took to allegedly “pad” the superintendent’s file.

“I have no comment, since I know nothing about the filings,” Regan said. “Anybody can file anything they want.”

Once a person files a complaint, the agency is not required to notify the individual the complaints are against.