Lakota Schools issues notice of trespassing to board member after 'unannounced' visit
Lakota Local Schools has issued a notice of trespassing to board member Darbi Boddy, district superintendent Matthew Miller wrote in a Thursday statement. This comes after the school board voted to censure Boddy and formally asked her to resign last week, citing a Facebook post where Boddy unintentionally linked to a pornographic website.
She took down the explicit link and then posted to Facebook that she did not regret the typo, because it "exposed that a website designed for our children, has the same name as a pornographic site."
Boddy will no longer be allowed on district property without prior authorization and unless invited for official board business, Thursday's statement reads.
Miller said this is not the first time Boddy has "ignored board policy, nor is it the first time she has disrupted learning in our schools."
Boddy shared an email with The Enquirer Thursday morning that she addressed to the Lakota school board. It states her trips to Lakota schools are part of her "responsibilities as a school board member, not as a visitor."
She wrote she did not photograph children during her visit but took pictures of "literature and postings on the walls and doors of the schools."
The decision was "not made lightly" and was done in consultation with law enforcement, Miller wrote.
"The end of the school year is a time to celebrate our students and staff and all that we have achieved since August," he wrote. "It is unfortunate that, over recent weeks, instead of this being our focus, district leaders have been forced to respond to baseless allegations and escalating threatening behavior by an elected member of our school board," Miller wrote.
Lakota Local Schools is one of the largest districts in Ohio, serving more than 17,000 students and employing 1,800 staff members in Butler County.
'Not traditionally what board members have done.'
Boddy visited Lakota East High School and Liberty Early Childhood School while unescorted on Wednesday, district spokesperson Betsy Fuller confirmed. This is a violation of the district's policy which requires prior notice of any school visits.
Boddy is new to the board, having been elected in November after campaigning against critical race theory and for parent choice on masks and vaccines.
Boddy again took to Facebook after her visits and shared a message she said she sent to Lakota administrators:
I want to thank the teachers and principals that I met today on my walk through some of the buildings.
As a lot of you know I have been and will continue to come through, in an effort to better understand the culture and the learning environment at Lakota.
I fully understand this is not traditionally what board members have done, but I would like to think that any awkwardness involved will soon give way to the virtues of this kind of attention and effort.
Boddy visits two Lakota schools 'unannounced'
Boddy did not give prior notice before visiting the school buildings on Wednesday, violating board policy 9140 and its administrative guidelines for visitors, a Wednesday statement from the district reads. The policy is in place to promote school safety and minimize learning disruptions.
Boddy entered "unannounced" and went "against the request of our office staff" by exiting the main office without the school's principal to walk the hallways, according to the district's statement.
"Especially in light of recent events involving our school board, staff at both schools were understandably alarmed at Mrs. Boddy’s unannounced appearance outside of their classrooms," the statement reads. "Some staff later expressed discomfort in seeing an unescorted visitor in the building."
The district said the schools' principals notified Miller of Boddy's actions and then accompanied her for the remainder of her visits to their schools.
According to the district's policy, visitors who do not properly sign in will be asked to identify themselves or to leave school grounds. Violators who refuse to leave or create any disturbance may prompt the building principal to call on local law enforcement.
"Our school resource officers were notified, but the principals were the ones who walked with her," Fuller said.
Boddy's message to Lakota board members says the district's Wednesday message to families "makes the absurd claim that I was a visitor."
"If the scenario that was depicted in this communication regarding school staff and administrators is accurate, it is incredibly sad and telling. It describes a panic. No elected official serving as a member of the Lakota Board of Education should be reacted to in this way," Boddy wrote.
Boddy wrote that she was elected to "get an understanding of what was being taught in our schools" and said it is "imperative" that board members visit district buildings.
Fuller confirmed to The Enquirer that school board members, along with parents and community members, can visit school buildings "as long as they follow the steps outlined in our policies." She said the regularity of board member visits varies.
"This is the first time we've had a board member disregard these steps," Fuller wrote to The Enquirer in an email.
Earlier Wednesday, Boddy posted on her Facebook page "Thank you teachers for the wonderful work you do taking care of the Lakota students" along with a Facebook reposting of a message from superintendent Miller for Teacher Appreciation Week.
District 'will not tolerate' policy violations
Boddy has accused the district of lacking transparency and of approving sexually explicit curricula for students.
The district's Wednesday statement shot down those allegations, stating it is "unfortunate" that the false accusations take "time and attention away" from supporting Lakota students and staff.
"We are disappointed in Mrs. Boddy’s actions," the district's statement reads. "We will not tolerate behavior that violates our policies and procedures, especially where it interrupts the learning process for our students and contributes to an uncomfortable work environment for our staff."
The Lakota school board's next meeting is on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Plains Junior School, located at 5500 Princeton Road in Liberty Township. The meeting will also be streamed online.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Lakota school board member Darbi Boddy disregards safety policy
