SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City School Board member Michael Nemelka said he will file complaints against board members Nate Salazar, Katherine Kennedy and Samuel Hanson after the public release of emails and texts between board members revealed comments that demeaned him, district employees and parents.
The communications were obtained through a public records request by Raina Williams, whose five children attend Salt Lake City schools, and were released to some media outlets.
Some messages suggest active campaigning among some board members to influence the direction of the school district’s return-to-school plan. At least one email by Kennedy was sent to all board members except Nemelka regarding “an additional set of safety concerns” over returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The email states: “I have not bothered to send it to Mr. Nemelka, since I doubt he will be receptive. Please do not respond.”
Nemelka said he intended to use media reports as evidence to support his complaint.
“I want you to know that you have negated any positive decisions this board has made and made us a laughingstock of this whole state. You have demeaned me, and you have demeaned any future board member on the west side. I’m disgusted. The way you acted, the things you did in secret, if you cannot say anything good to people then you need to quit saying things in secret,” Nemelka told the board.
Contacted Wednesday, Salazar said he had no comment about Nemelka stating he plans to file a complaint. Hanson did not respond to text or email messages seeking comment.
Kennedy said she respects Nemelka and will “listen to his complaints and answer his complaint. I will try to treat his complaint respectfully,” she said.
Williams said she was glad to see Nemelka stand up for himself but she doubts that the complaint will drive any change.
“It’s clear that they don’t have any respect for him and brush him off,” she said. “So, I’m not encouraged.”
Williams said she sought the records under the state Government Records Access and Management Act to gain a greater understanding of how the board adopted a fully online mode of instruction when its public discussions centered on a hybrid model.
Williams, who has children in Salt Lake District high, middle and elementary schools, said until this experience, she trusted the board had the students’ best interests at heart.
But the texts and emails suggest “there’s just a lot of shady things happening and a lot of bullying to get what you want and manipulation between the board members. I felt like they’re not representing the kids in the district at all. The unprofessionalism and unethical behavior of all of that made me really sad,” she said.
Nemelka made the statement during a discussion on the amendments to policy on the board’s legal status, responsibilities and ethics.
The established policy states, in part, that board members “will represent the board with dignity and integrity. I will treat fellow board members, district staff and members of the public with respect and consideration, through civil discourse, exhibiting both honesty and decorum whether we agree or disagree on issues.”
It also states, “I will function as part of a policymaking body, recognizing that authority rests with the board in open session, not with individual members of the board.”
The district also has policies on discrimination and bullying with respect to students and employees.
Nemelka said conversations among board members may have also violated the state Open and Public Meetings Act.
Members of the public addressed the emails and texts during the public comment section of the board’s meeting Tuesday night, with concerns that messages were disrespectful to board constituents and disparaging of school district employees.
In one communication, Salazar, the board’s vice president, described West High School Principal Jared Wright as a “tool.”
In one exchange between Hanson and board member Michelle Tuitupou, Hanson said some school patrons “are living on a different planet.”
Chris Hatch, the parent of five kids and a business owner, said the emails and texts were “alarming” and “disappointing.”
“It was something that I wouldn’t have tolerated in my office nor would my customers tolerate with me,” he said.
Parent Molly Pearce said board members who have violated “ethical codes and board policies” should “respectfully resign.”
Amy Fehlberg told the school board news reports about their communications were “disheartening.”
“I would like to ask that we remember that these are difficult times and none of us are at our best right now. I encourage you to do exactly what we would ask our students to do, acknowledge this with authenticity, that you caused harm and ... ask ‘What can I do to make this right?’”
Texts Kennedy sent to board President Melissa Ford during a meeting on July 21 were particularly coarse.
Kennedy publicly expressed frustration that the meeting did not end promptly at 6 p.m., which was her understanding. Instead of excusing herself from the meeting, Kennedy called for the meeting’s adjournment so that she could accompany her daughter to a long-scheduled event.
Among the texts Kennedy sent to Ford after the meeting:
“You promised me”
“You (expletive) promised me”
“I (expletive) HATE YOU”
“You are not trustworthy.”
Ford apparently did not reply to the texts.
Ford told fellow board members Tuesday night that it had been a “rough couple days” for the board “and we’ve taken a hit.”
She said it was important for the board to “find a way to move forward productively.”
“I think that there’s a place in time for us to take to talk about it, and it’s probably not an open session but I do want you to know, to all of my colleagues, that I do know how hard this work is. I feel it. And I think it’s important that we talk about how to move forward and that we do that in an honest way.”
Williams said the board “barely even acknowledged” media reports about the emails and texts she had obtained.
The board “just passed over it without an apology from any of them to any of the students, principals, nothing. It was pretty discouraging and just confirmed what other people told me, that nothing will happen, that they can do whatever they want. That was very, very sad to me.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story said Katherine Kennedy sent texts to Melissa Ford during a board meeting. They were sent afterward.