A group of Newberg School District parents are taking the district and individual school board members to court.
A trial is underway Tuesday in Yamhill County Circuit Court that could result in current and former school board members paying out financially for what parents allege were violations of Oregon’s public meeting laws that cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in severance pay and legal fees.
The parents allege four school board members “secretly met in quorum” twice in 2021 to discuss the hiring of a controversial attorney, Tyler Smith, and the firing of Newberg School District Superintendent Joe Morelock. The parents say the school district failed to properly notify the public about one of the meetings, as well as an executive session.
