Addison Community Schools recall, Michigan (2017)
| Addison Community Schools Board of Education recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Mike Karabetsos Dave Luke Michael Murphy |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
Petitions to recall five of the seven members of the Addison Community Schools Board of Education in Michigan were rejected due to petition wording and residence locations in July 2017. The five petitions were part of two separate recall efforts. Board member Irv Dentel filed recall petitions against his fellow board members Jim Driskill, Mike Karabetsos, Dave Luke, and Michael Murphy, while Julie Naughton, a resident of Manitou Beach, filed a recall petition against Dentel.[1][2]
Recall supporters
Driskill, Karabetsos, Luke, and Murphy recall
In his recall petitions against Driskill, Karabetsos, Luke, and Murphy, Dentel said his four fellow Addison Community Board of Education members violated the Michigan Open Meetings Act and “failed to monitor the superintendent’s inappropriate, unprofessional communications with students.”[1]
Dentel was the only board member to vote against a resolution in June 2017 that said Superintendent Steve Guerra had committed no crime after he was accused of harassment by two students. The board voted on the resolution after three separate investigations concluded no crime was committed.[1]
Dentel recall
Naughton filed a recall against Dentel after he filed his recall petitions against Driskill, Karabetsos, Luke, and Murphy.[1] Naughton said Dentel "demonstrated a pattern of intimidation towards fellow board members and Addison Schools staff. He has made false accusations of legal impropriety, consumed copious amounts of valuable staff time and bullied fellow board members. Mr. Dentel is in violation of the board ethics policy and should be recalled.”[3]
Recall opponents
Response by Dentel
After the recall petition was filed against him, Dentel said, “If our freedom to express opposing opinions or views, even unpopular ones, is intimidation, then our First Amendment rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution are in jeopardy of being squashed by those who do not share the opposing view.”[3]
Background
Superintendent accused of harassment
In January 2017, Superintendent Steve Guerra was accused by two students of harassment. Guerra went on voluntary, paid leave while the Michigan State Police, the Lenawee County Prosecutor’s Office, and staff at the Lenawee Intermediate School District investigated the students' claims. The three investigations separately concluded that no crime had taken place, and Guerra returned to work in June 2017.[1]
After the investigations concluded, the Addison Community Board of Education voted 6-1 to approve a resolution that Guerra committed no crime. The resolution did say, however, that Guerra “engaged in inappropriate interactions with students.” Irv Dentel was the only member to vote against the resolution. The board added a written warning to Guerra's personnel file and directed him to receive corrective action training.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
The recall petitions against Jim Driskill and Mike Karabetsos were unanimously rejected by the Lenawee County Election Commission due to unclear wording. The recall petitions against Dave Luke, Michael Murphy, and Irv Dentel were not considered by the election commission because those three members did not live in Lenawee County.[1]
Recent news
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See also
- Addison Community Schools, Michigan
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- School board recalls
External links
Footnotes
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