Missouri attorney general demands records from St. Joseph school board

By Jazmine Knight

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office will be demanding records from the St. Joseph School District’s Board of Education after “credible allegations” of illegal activity were brought to Bailey’s office.

Bailey and his team will be investigating the violation of the Sunshine Law, state ballot-measure expenditure and state conflict of interest laws. Bailey said he is addressing these concerns seriously, and that the district has three business days to turn over all requested records to the attorney general’s office or face further action.

“Public officials have a duty to maintain the highest standards of conduct, and this is especially true when public officials are responsible for the education of Missouri children,” Bailey said in a press release.

The Sunshine Law requires public transparency about the spending of public money when it comes to ballot measures and forbidden transactions between the school board and nonprofit organizations.

The attorney general is demanding records from all open and closed board meetings from 2024.

Additionally, the attorney general is requesting:

All contracts of understanding between the district/board and Community Action Partnership

All financial records that show money received or money given to Community Action Partnership

Copies of any transactions showing the spending of Board or district funds related to bond measures on the April 2024 ballot

All district policies regarding conflict of interest, concurrent employment or participation in outside organizations by board or district employees

Any communication between four or more board members, with attachments

Any communication between any board member that contains the word “bond,” “ballot,” “campaign,” “CMR/CMAR,” “CAPSTJOE,” or “115.646,” with attachments

All public records regarding qualifications, selection criteria, bidding process or discussion of a construction management at risk method