Albright Remains Center of Controversy in Chardon
The Oct. 17 Chardon Schools Board of Education meeting was a quiet affair, with regular board business concluded in under an hour.
The Oct. 17 Chardon Schools Board of Education meeting was a quiet affair, with regular board business concluded in under an hour.
But public comments at the end of the meeting once again veered toward cultural issues, including condemnation of books and study materials available to students, complaints about the district’s curriculum, renewed calls for the resignation of an embattled board member and continued concerns about a lack of adherence to the dress code outlined in the district handbook.
At the Sept. 19 meeting of the board, member Todd Albright was censured over what board President Karen Blankenship characterized as multiple violations of policies and procedures. Before and during that meeting, Albright was the subject of a student-led protest and public comments characterizing his response to dress code complaints as inappropriate.
On Aug. 31, Albright requested the presence of Chardon High School Principal Doug Murray, Chardon Middle School Principal Adam Tomco and Superintendent Michael Hanlon to assess student attire at the corner of Allynd Drive and North Street after school hours.
Albright’s censure at the September meeting — which was covered by several local television stations — brought a coalition of his defenders to the October meeting.
One of those defenders was Pam Crawford, of Chardon Township, who said the September meeting allowed for only one side to be presented.
“What I witnessed last month was nothing less than an orchestrated attempt to destroy,” Crawford said. “I happen to know Mr. Albright and his family, and what I know of them is not evil as suggested by some in the crowd and those who use the media.”
Crawford said while it was true dress code complaints could have been handled differently, four people were involved with the event, and only one – Albright – had protesters outside of his home. Hanlon, she said, would have known whether a request from Albright would violate board policies.
“But instead of advising that it would be a violation, he participated in that violation and two district administrators were invited to do the same,” Crawford said, adding there are problems in the district which go unaddressed.
“There are teachers and parents and students who are afraid to speak out in public, in society, because they are afraid to be rebuked, ridiculed or canceled if they say anything that misaligns to the opposition’s agenda, or if you take a more conservative viewpoint,” Crawford said. “Although some don’t want the criticism of curriculum and policy rules enforced, it might be time to look within with a new set of eyes.”
Jen Gorton also took the podium to speak out against what she saw as a violation of the state’s Open Meetings Act. Gorton alleged board members coordinated and pre-planned Albright’s censure, even before adjourning to executive session to discuss the action at the September meeting.
Gorton said she believed a violation occurred based on board members’ references in Blankenship’s statement to direct quotes from a city council meeting, the board policy handbook and Facebook comments. According to guidance from the Ohio School Boards Association, however, court rulings have held that separate one-on-one meetings between an administrator and individual board members do not violate the law, nor would a request for information from an administrator who then met with individual board members.
Gorton also referenced a statement by board member Keith Brewster who said, in part, that Albright made “baseless, broad and disparaging claims about (Chardon) Schools.”
Gorton questioned whether those claims had truly been looked into and declared false.
Paper Trail
Through multiple public records requests, the Geauga County Maple Leaf obtained emails and private messages between Albright and staff, board members, administrators, teachers and members of the public since his January swearing-in.
While multiple emails included repeated requests for information on the district’s handling of transgender students, some communications center around accusations of misconduct, including allegations of sexual harassment against an administrator.
However, like the accusation of exposing children to pornographic materials discussed by Blankenship in her September statement, records show Albright did not disclose specifics of the allegations, thereby preventing the district from investigating further.
On June 6, Blankenship sent a written statement to Albright compelling him to provide specific information related to the allegations against the administrator, with a warning that failure to do so could place the district in a precarious legal position and pose liability for both the board and Albright.
“I also want to caution you that under these circumstances, if any individual brings a claim against the board of education, the district’s insurance carrier may take the position that you would be excluded from such coverage and thereby responsible for your own defense costs and potential losses,” Blankenship wrote.
Albright responded later that evening, stating he received a legal recommendation to divulge the details of the complaint without the name of the accuser(s), “with the understanding that an investigation would be limited and/or incomplete, but that potential behavioral violations would be recorded about this individual for future reference or action.
“If that is what you would consider compelled compliance, I will do that. I will state upfront that I don’t want to repeat what it is alleged and quite likely to have been said as it’s indecent and vulgar,” Albright wrote.
Although none of the records indicated the results of any investigation, or whether one eventually took place, the administrator moved to a new role in another district in July.
Another speaker at the Oct. 17 meeting, Nichole Meyer, referenced further public records submitted by Albright, including conversations with Jonathan Broadbent, who sits on the board of the Protect Ohio Children Coalition.
Those records of conversations between Albright and Broadbent show the pair discussing board business, with Broadbent urging Albright not to resign his seat on the board in the face of “stupid” news articles he characterized as “disinformation” and a “smear campaign.”
“Chardon Schools are in an absolute panic about having to answer to an education-aware school board member and will make up any sort of goofy nonsense,” Broadbent said.
In response to community members condemning Albright last month for comments on social media invoking Hitler’s indoctrination of youth, Broadbent forwarded him an article titled, “Deep State Nazi Hidden Axis,” Meyer said.
In the text messages, Albright said the Chardon board of education has “condoned anarchy.”
“Buckle up brother, this isn’t going to be easy. But nothing easy is worth having. Especially the issue of our children’s future,” Broadbent said.
“And it will be worth the price, even if it’s paid in blood,” Albright responded.
“From these texts, it is clear to me that these men feel they are fighting a war,” Meyer said at the board meeting. “The battleground? Our schools. The enemy? Anyone who disagrees with their extreme ideology. The victims? Our children’s education.”
Video of the meeting is available online at G-TV.
