The School City of East Chicago Board of Trustees wants to ensure it doesn’t end up in the City Council’s shoes with board members not showing up at meetings.
The board introduced at a Tuesday meeting a policy change to its bylaws that would “sanction or censure” any board member who misses six consecutive regular or special board meetings “without a justifiable excuse.” That number of consecutive absences “may constitute a refusal to perform or neglect of official duties,” according to the submitted change.
“Board Members should meet their responsibilities to the community by being a fully engaged and participating Board Member, adopting this Policy is a step in the right direction,” School Board Member Jesse Gomez, who heads the Policy Committee and was once a City Councilman himself, said in a release.
Should a member miss that many meetings, he or she would be subject to a hearing before the rest of the board in an executive session, the policy change states. That board member would be advised in writing at least five days before that executive session to appear and could be represented by an attorney if they choose.
The executive session must also occur at least five days before the next regular School Board meeting at which it would vote on any action against the member, according to the policy. Any motion to sanction or censure would occur with a “yes” vote from two-thirds vote of the board.
Sanctions would include those enumerated by state law, Gomez said Wednesday, but the board may also enact its own at its discretion.
School Board President Joel Rodriguez said in the release that while no current members have had any issues of that nature so far, the policy’s being introduced “to show that the high expectations the Board has of our Superintendent, our staff and our students, is the same high expectation we have of our fellow Board Members.”
The Board will vote on the policy during its Feb. 22 meeting at 1401 E. 44th St.
The School Board’s action comes on the heels of the City Council’s decision to enlist the help of the State Attorney General’s office and State Board of Accounts in how to deal with jailed Councilman Robert “Coop” Battle, D-3rd. Council President Juda Parks confirmed Tuesday the council discussed the matter in executive session Monday.
Bryan Corbin, spokesman for the Attorney General’s office, said by email Tuesday the office hasn’t received a request from the city yet, but while it couldn’t help the city directly, there are other avenues in which it could offer assistance.
“As the lawyer for state government, the Attorney General’s office routinely advises and works with our client, the State Board of Accounts. If needed, we can confer with the SBoA on this unique and tragic situation,” Corbin wrote. “We all must respect the legal rights of the accused in the criminal justice system, though we understand the frustration of city constituents over the interruption in representation in one council seat.”
Battle ran unopposed in November in his bid for re-elected. He received 308 votes while he sat behind bars in the Lake County Jail. He is currently being held without bond at the Porter County Jail in federal custody awaiting trial for murder and drug charges. He has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is expected to begin in August.
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Battle was sworn in to office in January while in jail. Indiana law permits Battle to hold his seat, and collect the $42,365 salary that it pays, until he resigns, admits his guilt on any of the charges or is found guilty in court.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.