Olathe school board member censured after he ‘yelled’ and ‘stormed out of a meeting’

The Olathe school board on Tuesday afternoon censured member Brian Connell over his pattern of outbursts, yelling and storming out of meetings.

During a special meeting, the board voted 5-2 to remove Connell from committee assignments and barred him from serving in leadership positions until further notice. It also directed district staff to enforce security measures “they see fit.”

At the May 4 board meeting, Connell interrupted and shouted at fellow board members, then walked out. At-large board member Joe Beveridge said it was the second time Connell “stormed out of a meeting and fourth time he has screamed and yelled at a board member during a meeting, including referring to a fellow board member as ‘missy’ while he screamed at her.”

Board members argued that Connell’s behavior has escalated to where staff members have said they feel unsafe.

“Unfortunately this is a pattern of behavior that Mr. Connell does when he does not get his way, and it’s unacceptable,” Beveridge said. “If a student in your kid’s class acted like this, would you expect repercussions? … If you acted like Mr. Connell did in your place of work and referred to women as ‘little missy’ would your boss just shrug it off?”

Connell defended himself during the meeting, saying that everything he does is for the kids of the district. He argued that he has a right to step out of meetings without permission.

Despite being held at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday, the board meeting was packed, with many parents and community members there to support Connell. Several laughed at and disagreed with comments that Connell had made threats or made people feel unsafe, and they shouted after the vote to censure him. One man shouted, “November is coming!” Four board seats are up for election this fall, but not Connell’s.

Connell and Robert Kuhn were the only board members to vote against the censure. The pair won seats on the board in 2021 on conservative platforms, running against mask mandates during the height of COVID-19 and pushing for more district transparency.

During Tuesday’s meeting, board president Shannon Wickliffe gave each member three minutes to speak on Connell’s censure. He asked Connell to go first. Connell asked to speak last since he was the topic of the vote, but Wickliffe did not allow him to.

Brian Connell’s reaction

Connell argued he was being accused of “things today based on feelings and emotions.”

“I was elected by a wide margin to replace the establishment, replace an incumbent vice president of the board. To change things, to be the voice, to be the eyes and ears of the community that put me here,” Connell said. “So I have a right to be here. I have a right to my own opinion, and each of you do as well. I have a right to my own feelings and my emotions.”

Connell told The Star on Monday, “On advice from my counsel I’m not speaking to the media until after my daughter graduates.” The graduation ceremony for his daughter’s Olathe high school is this weekend.

In a Facebook comment, he wrote, “I was sent an email by the district restricting my access to facilities of the district unless I do certain things” and that he wants to ensure he can attend the ceremony.

During Tuesday’s meeting, board member Julie Steele called for Connell to resign.

“Our goal today is not to silence Mr. Connell or prevent him from being able to use his voice or his vote,” she said. “Our goal is to maintain safety, regain decorum and respect, and provide assurance … there are consequences for the behavior exhibited by Mr. Connell on multiple occasions.”

Steele said Connell has spread misinformation or made false accusations of the board several times, “refused to participate in a significant portion of our annual evaluation” and “threatens board members by saying, ‘I warned you and you better watch who you pick a fight with.’”

She said she supports “future actions if Mr. Connell’s behavior continues to be a problem and a distraction.”

What happened at the May 4 meeting

During the board meeting on May 4, Connell grew angry, saying he was kept in the dark when three fellow members formed a committee to review the school board’s ethics policy. The trio came back with a completely rewritten document, and Connell pushed for answers on how the committee was formed and why they felt it was necessary to toss the old policy.

After the new policy was presented last month, Connell recommended changes, and officials reached a compromise on a new proposal.

Steele explained at the meeting that the new policy was sparked from a board self-evaluation meeting last summer — a meeting that she said Connell also walked out of for part of the time.

“You were not pleased that day and spent some time outside of the room. And we did discuss how we would move forward using the work we did and the time we gave up … and use that work to help us be a better board,” Steele told Connell. “The ethics policy is the place for that.”

Connell said the meeting last August was a “frontal attack on myself,” which is “why I got offended.”

Steele countered, “I think what you’re saying is the experience of the board workshop back in August still does not sit well with you. So to use a product from that meeting is hard for you.”

Connell argued that the members had violated board policy when Wickliffe formed the committee. Policy says that the board can establish advisory committees with no more than three members appointed by the board. And there should be an open line of communication among committees, the board and superintendent.

Others say there was no violation.

Connell and Steele continued going back and forth about how the committee was made and how the change in policy was approached, until Steele called for a vote. Beveridge said that came after Connell interrupted fellow board members six times when they tried to answer his questions.

Connell got out of his chair, pointing and shouting at fellow members as he walked out.

“This is not acceptable. This is a public meeting. We’re supposed to do the business of the board. You all are usurping responsibilities, and I’m calling for a break,” Connell said.

One board member replied, “But you can’t” call for a break.

“I’m walking out because what you’re doing is railroading myself and the community and failing to answer the questions in front of you,” Connell said.

Pattern of behavior

Later, both Wickliffe and vice president Brad Boyd sent an email to families that said Connell’s behavior did not meet the board’s standards of acting as “role models of courteous and respectful public discourse.”

On Facebook, Connell wrote that, “I am human. I am flawed. I make mistakes, fall down, try to get up, move forward and try to learn from mistakes and try to do better. And of course, because I am human this cycle does repeat itself. As long as I am alive, I suspect mistakes on my part will happen. God forbid than (sic) anyone think they too have figured out how to be or remain perfect AND be alive.”

Connell also shared a response to an email from a constituent where he apologized for the incident.

The incident this month was the final straw for board members, who argued they could not let the behavior continue. An unknown user has created a TikTok account called “BrianConnellFails,” posting compilation videos of times where Connell has lost his cool.

Connell has continually pushed for greater transparency in the district, including last summer when he shouted over board members as they debated whether to stop livestreaming meetings. Wickliffe asked Connell multiple times to control himself.

Connell was objecting to a proposal the board considered to end its pandemic-era practice of livestreaming board meetings, and instead record them to be posted online a few days later. After months of debate, the board agreed to continue livestreaming and start recording public comments again.

He told The Star on Monday that board members would not tell him why Tuesday’s meeting was called. An agenda was posted that said the board would discuss and take possible action “impacting a member.”

A district spokesperson also declined to provide The Star with details ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.