Dear CCS Community,
Tonight, our Board is taking the unusual action of waiving the attorney-client privilege so that the legal memorandum and exhibits presented by our legal counsel about Brandon Simmons can be made public.
As Board President, I directed our legal counsel to investigate the complaint made by the Columbus Education Association and the Columbus Education Justice Coalition. I also directed our legal counsel to determine whether Board Member Simmons was the sole author of the document titled “Taking Control of the Task Force Narrative.” The report concludes that Board Member Simmons on his own authored all versions of the document.
At our last meeting, the Board censured Mr. Simmons. And I have taken him off all Board committees. I believe that releasing this report is another important step as the Board makes efforts to heal and rebuild trust with our labor partners, our staff, parents, students, and community.
We have students who are depending on us, and we need to serve them and move forward. The Superintendent’s task force has done important work and we need to continue to get community input on that work. We owe it to our students to continue to work on their behalf.
