Lawrence USD 497 school board

After more than three hours in executive session Thursday night, Lawrence school board members reached a consensus that outside legal counsel would not be brought aboard to review the controversial investigation of a South Middle School teacher accused of making racist comments in class.

The findings of that investigation, which ended with the resignation of social studies teacher Chris Cobb, have not been revealed by the district since its conclusion earlier this fall. The school board and district officials have been vocally criticized by parents and community members for a perceived lack of transparency in the matter, and several people voiced their frustrations on Monday in a tense school board meeting that resulted in police being called to the district offices.

But on Thursday, school board president Marcel Harmon said he and his colleagues were ready to “move forward” and put the incident behind them.

“We have reviewed all information surrounding this personnel matter. We have confidence in our superintendent and administration,” Harmon said Thursday, reading from a statement issued on behalf of the board. “We are also confident that they conducted a thorough investigation that was concluded in the best interests of our students.”

After Monday’s school board meeting, which ended abruptly after outbursts from audience members made it difficult for business to continue, some on the school board raised the idea of reassessing the South investigation. Board members Jessica Beeson and Vanessa Sanburn told the Journal-World at the time that there had been allegations brought to their attention Monday evening that had not been shared with them during the investigation, prompting their interest in reviewing the process with outside legal counsel.

However, Harmon on Thursday said that, while the school board “recognizes that no investigation process is perfect,” he and his fellow board members are standing by administration’s handling of the case — as well as the settlement agreement between the district and Cobb in which the district agreed to withhold information stemming from the investigation in exchange for the promise that it would not be sued over the matter.

Cobb last week issued a statement that denied any wrongdoing and also alleged that he had been unjustly accused by a source having a “well documented history of falsehoods.” He said that he had “reluctantly resigned” after 17 years with the Lawrence school district.

“When it comes to personnel and student confidentiality rights, it is difficult to balance our legal obligations with the board’s and the community’s desire for transparency,” Harmon said Thursday. “Make no mistake: We as a school district and a community have much work to do. Moving forward, we are committed to bringing the community together to review our processes and support for families of color.”

To that end, he said, the school board has called for administration to assemble a community advisory council that, ideally, would involve representatives from local schools, faith-based organizations, and other civic- and community-based groups. The goal, school board members hope, is the creation of a “shared vision” for Lawrence Public Schools, its ongoing equity work and the involvement of community members in the process.

Part of that, Harmon said, may be a closer look at the district’s investigatory procedures — and what school board members and district officials might do to improve transparency in the future.

Anyone interested in joining that conversation as part of the council is encouraged to contact Superintendent Kyle Hayden at khayden@usd497.org. In the meantime, Harmon expects to schedule a community conversation around race sometime in January that would lead to the formation of the council soon after.