Killingly BOE rivals issue statements to sway public sentiment. Dueling narratives emerge.

The Killingly school board chairman and a censured member have laid out wildly different versions of the events that led to an unprecedented reprimand vote this month though a pair of open letters to the public.

A day after the board voted on Wednesday to censure member Susan Lannon, the Democrat issued a statement to the “citizens of Killingly (and our families from sending communities)” in which she said she was “astonished to learn what depths some of my colleagues on the Board of Education would go to in an attempt to bully and silence me.”

The board, by a 7-1 vote, approved formally reprimanding Lannon after accusing her of improperly reaching out to officials from Community Health Center, Inc., of CHCI, as well as members of the media, on a proposal by the group to operate a student-based health center at Killingly High School.

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Lannon explains why she asked about CHCI health center costs, staffing and timelines

Several board members blamed Lannon for the company’s decision to withdraw its proposal. In her letter, Lannon said her emails to CHCI were sent when she was still a member of a board subcommittee tasked with exploring student mental and behavioral health service options.

She said her queries to CHCI were part of a “due diligence” process in which she attempted to compare CHCI’s plan to that of Generations Family Health Center, the company whose own proposal for a high school health center was rejected by the board last year.

“When I learned there was a cost associated (with the CHCI proposal), I questioned this - as I’m sure many did,” Lannon wrote.

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Lannon said she was curious why the district would pay $25,000 in center start-ups costs to CHCI when Generations was willing to come in with no such associated costs. She also questioned CHCI’s staffing model and the time it would take for the agency to begin offering services.

Lannon has also accused board leaders of improperly inviting state representatives to a preliminary meeting with CHCI and laid out those concerns to board chairman Norm Ferron and Vice Chairman Kelly Martin in an email later forwarded to media outlets.

“Ultimately, as a result, I was removed from the ad-hoc committee,” Lannon wrote. “CHCI’s decision to not enter a contract with our district came Tuesday, January 10th, over forty days after my email to CHCI. Ultimately, the decision not to enter a contract came from weeks of contractual demands and changes - a process I was not a part of.”

During the board’s Jan. 11 meeting, Martin accused Lannon of sabotaging the CHCI proposal through her questioning and by forwarding an email thread between herself and Lannon on the topic to The Bulletin.

The Bulletin has requested though a Jan. 12 state Freedom of Information Act request all documentation related to CHCI’s withdrawal from Superintendent Robert Angeli. That request had not been fulfilled as of Tuesday morning.

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Killingly BOE chairman Norm Ferron's side of the story

In his own press release sent out on Jan. 12, Ferron blamed any confusion on the school-based health center topic on “a continuing campaign of intentional misinformation from a very small minority of citizens.”

Ferron reiterated the board’s rejection of the Generation’s proposal in March came mainly out of a concern to “protect parental rights.” He said the Generations plan, unlike the CHCI option, did not require parents to formally opt into services.

The Generations rejection vote sparked a citizen-led petition, a state Department of Education investigation and a decision to hold a formal inquiry into accusations the board failed to uphold its state-mandated duties to protect students’ welfare.

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Ferron argued the district has a host of student mental health services in place, including a school psychologist, social workers and counselors and has the ability to refer parents to additional community resources. He said there are also in-place safeguards to address parental abuse, including the mandated reporter system.

Ferron also directly addressed the CHCI proposal and its failure – which he laid largely at the feet of Lannon.

“I personally was excited about the possibility of contracting with CHC, and I was not alone,” the Republican wrote, noting the company boasted a successful track record in 36 school districts. “CHC pulled themselves out of consideration at the last minute. They plainly stated their reason why. They are not interested in going into an area where they aren't welcomed by the entire community.”

Ferron said a member’s “unauthorized, premature, and completely uncalled for attack on CHC helped to cost us this opportunity.”

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More on what a censure means for Lannon

Ferron also defined the censure process “since it appears that many area malcontents aren't aware of Google or even a dictionary,” as a vote “expressing severe disapproval of a member.”

“It was well-deserved in my opinion,” he said. “It isn't a gag order or a removal. Elected officials cannot be suspended or removed by a board vote. Oh, and by the way, and I feel a little bit embarrassed for some people by being forced to explain this, but rule-breaking has nothing to do with free speech.”

Ferron also suggested members of the public contact CHCI directly and express support for the company’s proposal.

"Let them know that the trolls are not the majority here, not even close,” Ferron said.

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Killingly BOE chairman, reprimanded member issue dueling statements