Douglas County School Trustee President calls commenter ‘piece of sh*t’ during Joey Gilbert hearing
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Thu, 07/27/2023 - 8:25am
Douglas County School Board Trustees are being accused of unprofessional behavior following a recent board meeting during which the board voted 4-3 to fire current legal counsel — Maupin, Cox and Legoy (MCL) — who they say did not readily support their bid to ban transgender students from partaking in sports.
The firing of their counsel was in favor of the controversial Reno-based attorney Joey Gilbert, who has no background in education law and will cost significantly more money than MCL. Gilbert stated that while he is not an expert, he plans on hiring experts in the field — including the MCL firm the board fired during the meeting — should he need to.
During the meeting, trustees shouted at each other, argued with public commenters, and at one point, Trustee Board President Susan Jansen called a public commenter a “piece of sh*t” when it appears she believed her microphone was not on.
During the very first public comment, resident Sherry McGuffin spoke on behalf of Rich McGuffin who was not able to attend the meeting due to the workday scheduling.
McGuffin said that Jansen promised to “always be respectful and transparent” during a town hall meeting, but now, Jansen and the other trustees are attempting to “hijack” the school board for their own political agenda.
At the end of her comment, Jansen cut her off saying “Thank you!” and as seen in the video stream, a moment later she covers her mouth and can be heard saying to Trustee Katherine Dickerson, “He’s a piece of sh*t and so are you,” referring to the McGuffins.
During the very next public comment, during which Alice Meyer is discussing the fact that Gilbert has experience in DUIs, immigration, and “rioting at the Capitol on Jan. 6,” Jansen says under her breath, with her mic still on, “How is that relevant?”
“How this qualifies him for the job, I don’t know,” Meyer said. “Educational law is a specialized area of law and Joey Gilbert has no experience with it.”
Other commenters also called out the board on their behavior during public comment. Trustee Doug Englekirk chose to look at this phone during the entirety of public comment, while other trustees "rolled their eyes" and "refused to pay attention," according to commenters.
All of which is in direct violation of the board's own Code of Conduct which states:
Board members carry a public trust and should carry out their duties in a professional and courteous manner. Board members should strive to present their views in a professional and respectful manner, working with fellow board members in a spirit of harmony and cooperation in spite of differences of opinion. Board members should extend every courtesy to those who appear before the board. Non- verbal communication must be respectful.
Jansen also attempted to violate open meeting law multiple times during the meeting, which included attempts to call for votes without allowing for public comment, initiating motions which is not allowed as board president, and not following due process during voting, among others. Jansen was reprimanded several times by current counsel regarding these violations.
To learn more about the rest of the meeting, please click here.
