In a rare move, the DeKalb County Board of Education will hold a hearing to determine whether board member Joyce Morley violated its ethics policy, Morley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The board met on Wednesday for a closed-door session, and voted publicly in favor of a personnel matter. No other details were given.
On Thursday, Morley said the board is attempting to take action against her regarding a previous interview with the AJC, in which she said superintendent finalist Devon Horton was not ranked among the top tier of applicants by the district’s search firm, and that the board was split between Horton and interim Superintendent Vasanne Tinsley. The board hired Horton in a 6-1 vote last week, with Morley the lone no vote.
Other board members have not discussed details about the superintendent search, noting it was a personnel matter.
“It’s just unbelievable,” Morley said Thursday, adding that it’s been a “hellacious journey” to be on the school board. “They have been after me for the last eight years, the people on this board.”
The board met in private for about 90 minutes on Wednesday, then took a public vote to adopt a motion as discussed in the executive session related to personnel matters. It passed 6-0. Morley, who attended the meeting remotely, was not able to speak about her opposition to the motion due to technical difficulties, she said.
Board chair Diijon DaCosta did not respond to Morley’s comments when reached by the AJC Thursday, but clarified that Wednesday’s vote will lead to a hearing about an “alleged violation of the board’s policy concerning failure to maintain the confidentiality of matters discussed during the executive session.”
If a board member is found in a public hearing to have violated its ethics policy, the board could issue a censure or reprimand, disavow the improper acts or statements, ask for a public apology by the board member or report the board member to the district’s accrediting agency, the policy states.
The dispute between Morley and her colleagues could become a problem for the board. The DeKalb board has been working to address concerns from accreditation agency Cognia that the board does not work together as a team.
“As we address the challenges posed by Cognia, I am honestly proud to see the progress we have made,” DaCosta said at a meeting earlier this month. “Though it hasn’t been easy, we have remained dedicated to moving past preconceived notions about our board.”
Morley has been on the board since 2013, when she was appointed to replace one of the six board members who were removed from office by then-Gov. Nathan Deal after the district was put on probation by its accrediting agency. She publicly supported Tinsley for the permanent superintendent position, arguing that the district needed stability and someone who has already proven an effective leader in the school system.
Morley said Thursday the potential ethics violation is an effort to control and silence her.
“I will remain steadfast, immovable, and I trust in God,” she said. “God does and will always have the final say.”
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