COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus City Schools Board of Education released a report on Tuesday alleging that censured board member Brandon Simmons was solely responsible for creating a controversial document.
During an executive session Tuesday night, board members voted to waive its attorney-client privilege and release a 12-page report created by a legal firm, Scott Scriven. The law firm was hired by the board to conduct an investigation into a complaint against Simmons regarding the leaked document titled "Taking Control of the Task Force Narrative."
The investigation examined whether Simmons was the only person to create the controversial document and if other board members played a role in its creation.
The leaked six-page document outlined driving a wedge between the Columbus Education Association — the union representing over 4,500 teachers and education professionals — and the Columbus School Employees Association.
It also listed methods to put off sharing “bad news” with the public to later meetings if there is other “good” news to share. It also detailed rewarding “good” media outlets with “priority interviews” and “priority seating.”
According to the report, Simmons authored all versions of the leaked document and the topics discussed in them were his ideas. The report also states that board members and district employees were not aware that he made different versions of the documents.
Additionally, the report said that Simmons did not fully cooperate with the investigation and did not provide documents when requested. The investigation found that Simmons “destroyed (or attempted or destroy) relevant evidence and possibly given other evidence to another individual or individuals to maintain.”
The full report can be found by clicking here.
Board President Christina Vera said releasing the report was an important step to rebuild trust in the community.
“We have students who are depending on us, and we need to serve them and move forward. The Superintendent’s task force has done important work, and we need to continue to get community input on that work. We owe it to our students to continue to work on their behalf,” Vera said.
“The reality of this situation remains: my colleagues actively participated in the development and execution of the document,” Simmons said in response to the report. “My colleagues refuse to acknowledge any of their involvement in this process and have now gone so far to misuse the District’s resources in an effort to skirt any accountability.”
Simmons said he will not further discuss the situation until he receives guidance from his legal counsel. He also expressed concern that school board violated Ohio's Open Meeting law and that members used the executive sessions to make decisions behind closed doors.