A Fresno County Grand Jury report revealed a Fresno Unified trustee leaked confidential closed session information to the media in violation of the Brown Act.
The Grand Jury recommends that the district’s board members receive ethics law training with a focus on Brown Act violations.
Driving the news: The Fresno County Grand Jury received complaints from citizens about information that was discussed in closed session meetings held by the Fresno Unified Board of Education getting leaked to the media.
- The Brown Act, which guarantees the right of the public to attend and participate in meetings, allows for elected bodies to discuss certain things behind closed doors and away from the public’s eye, including litigation and personnel decisions.
- Disclosing confidential information that was discussed in a closed session meeting is a violation of the Brown Act.
The big picture: According to the Grand Jury report, information from a closed session Board of Education meeting “was disclosed to local media and published.”
- “The Grand Jury, while not a prosecutorial body, was concerned about leaks from confidential closed sessions to third party members in seeming violation of the Brown Act and inquired into concerns expressed in the received complaints,” the report reads.
- The report did not name the FUSD trustee in question, nor did it name the media outlet that published the confidential closed session information.
- The Grand Jury found that current elected school board members were unaware of the consequences that could arise from violating the Brown Act.
What we’re watching: The Grand Jury recommended that all school districts in Fresno County should further emphasize ethics law training, particularly for Brown Act compliance, for all elected members of school boards.
- It also recommended that the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools provide direction to the school districts to each develop an onboarding checklist for newly elected board members to identify and monitor state-mandated training requirements, such as Brown Act training.
What they’re saying: A spokesperson for Fresno Unified told The Sun that the district is currently reviewing the Grand Jury report and will ensure compliance with any recommendations moving forward.
