Parent files recall petition for Eugene School District 4J board member Laural O'Rourke

A prospective recall petition has been filed against Eugene School District 4J board member Laural O'Rourke following another tense board meeting and ongoing conflict between O'Rourke and other board members.

Disagreement during the meeting caused a delay in honoring a volleyball team's state championship win. The petition was filed by Lisa Wood, a parent of one of the Sheldon High School volleyball team members present at the Feb. 1 meeting.

In the petition, Wood wrote that O'Rourke's behavior was "unbecoming of a public officer" and that O'Rourke has shown "inflammatory behavior in multiple board meetings."

O'Rourke is the only Black member of the board and has previously alleged racial harassment by her fellow board members. In November, she filed a formal complaint pointing to specific instances when she felt targeted. She has made similar claims in public meetings.

What happened in the meeting?

The board meeting began about 30 minutes late due to technical difficulties. The meeting was hybrid, with three board members present in person and four present virtually, including O'Rourke.

The board members discussed items to add to their agenda. They added two items: to request an update on legislative action and to take action on a complaint heard in the executive session.

O'Rourke asked to add a discussion about board goals, which they have discussed previously at board retreats but have not yet formally decided on. Other board members, including Gordon Lafer, pushed back on adding the item, saying the board might want to discuss goals in an upcoming work session.

The board members went back and forth on whether to add the item. O'Rourke said she didn't understand why there was such extensive pushback on her item when the other two items were added without proper protocol.

She said she wasn't given an official opportunity to oppose the item about the complaint action. The hybrid meeting method contributed to this, as O'Rourke previously complained that she couldn't hear when board members weren't speaking into their microphones.

"You're singling me out now," O'Rourke said to board chair Maya Rabasa. "That is unprofessional and not okay. I would like an actual vote for all of the items. So we can be fair, and not just single out the Black board member, as you and Gordon seem to do every meeting."

The board then doubled back, revisiting the previous two items, asking for any objections to adding them to the agenda. O'Rourke did oppose adding the item to take action on the complaint discussed in executive session.

Suddenly, there was a cacophony of noise in the boardroom. Rabasa announced the parents and students from the Sheldon High volleyball team that had gathered to celebrate their win at the Oregon State Championship were leaving.

The meeting had been called to order at 7 p.m., but didn't truly begin until 7:32 p.m. and it was then about 7:45 p.m. The agenda had indicated the board would recognize the team near the beginning of the meeting, after roll call, pledge of allegiance, land acknowledgement, agenda review and the superintendent's report.

Rabasa attempted to call the question on the vote to take action on the complaint, meaning the board would vote to end the discussion. Instead, Rabasa called a recess to get the students and parents back in the boardroom. Board member Judy Newman said about 15 students had walked out.

O'Rourke said she couldn't see the audience in the virtual meeting, so she didn't know what was happening.

"We're not taking responsibility when a group of students just left the meeting," Rabasa said.

After an intermission to honor the volleyball team, the board returned to its agenda.

O'Rourke brought up the item for board goals again, which eventually passed with four members in favor and three opposed, including Rabasa, Lafer and Michelle Hsu. Amidst the long back-and-forth, O'Rourke said her voice was being blocked, saying she was being characterized "as an attacking Black woman."

The recall petition

The prospective recall petition is the first step in a long process, according to Lane County Clerk Dena Dawson:

• File a recall petition, which Wood has done.

• Submit the petition pages she wants to circulate to collect signatures, which must be compliant with law and approved by the county clerk.

• Collect enough signatures that equal 15% of people who voted in the 2022 governor's race in the designated district.

• Submit signatures to the county clerk, who then confirms the validity of the signatures.

• Schedule a recall election.

Dawson said her office has sent over information to Wood on how to put together the proper petition pages and is working to determine the number of signatures needed.

With the prospective petition filed on Feb. 2, Wood has until May 3 to meet the 90-day deadline to submit all signatures to the county clerk. If that happens, the clerk then has 30 days to look over the signatures and validate them, which would then trigger a timeline for a recall vote.

However, Dawson said it is not uncommon to have a prospective petition filed and then receive no follow-up to begin gathering signatures.

"4J is a very large district," Dawson said. "If the person seeking to recall the school board candidate never submits any petition (pages) to us, it's basically just kind of stalled in its tracks."

O'Rourke's response

O'Rourke told the Register-Guard said she has been in mental distress since the prospective petition was filed.

"I don't control the meeting. I couldn't see anybody that was in the room," O'Rourke said.

O'Rourke has previously stated that she has not felt safe coming in person to board meetings and would like to see more security protocols. This is connected to an intense board meeting May 18 when the board was discussing banning guns on 4J property. A crowd eager to speak on the policy gathered at the meeting. When they were denied public comment due to not signing up correctly, an audience member singled O'Rourke out, saying "Is my skin the wrong color?"

That incident led to seven months of virtual meetings. The board in November passed a measure addressing security and disruptions in board meetings, which essentially allows the chair to call a recess, adjourn or turn a meeting virtual depending on health and safety concerns.

O'Rourke said she has barely left her house since the prospective petition was filed, as she's afraid for her safety.

"This all goes together with the racism of this town," O'Rourke said. "There's no way this would happen to a white person."

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene school board member Laural O'Rourke may face recall