Board censures Lanning, rejects Garcia censure
By Marcus Clem
Several St. Joseph Board of Education members agreed on Wednesday to censure Whitney Lanning for her actions on Feb. 26 following a previous board meeting.
Board member Kim Miller, following a closed-door consultation with district legal counsel, proposed to censure Lanning for alleged inappropriate conduct that has prompted a charge of second-degree harassment. Lanning is accused of threatening to assault Garcia after a dispute and pursuing her as board members left the Troester Media Center.
Censure resolutions have no practical effect on a board member’s tenure or authority, and there is no mechanism to suspend or remove a board member against their will.
“Director Lanning’s actions violate the Board of Education policy regarding board member ethics, the board norms adopted by the board and are unacceptable and inappropriate for an elected official responsible for ensuring the educational welfare of the students attending the St. Joseph School District,” Miller said.
The censure motion carried 3-1-1, with David Foster, Garcia and Miller in favor, and LaTonya Williams opposed. Lanning abstained.
Lanning then offered an opposite resolution based on Garcia having allegedly disclosed information about Lanning’s child during the events of Feb. 26.
“As a board member, I believe this conduct is unacceptable for a board member,” Lanning said. “Accordingly, I propose that the Board of Education adopt a public censure of Director Garcia for her conduct.”
Garcia denied having done anything wrong, saying she made an indirect reference to discipline in the district while relaying a story about one of Garcia’s own relatives. The censure motion against Garcia failed 2-3, with Williams and Lanning in favor, and Miller and Foster opposed, along with Garcia, who did not abstain.
According to Williams, board members Rick Gehring and Kenneth Reeder did not attend, because Gehring had a prior engagement that he could not get away from amid the scheduling of this special meeting, and Reeder reported a potential illness.
Williams, who to date has served as board president, was elected to a second term on April 2 alongside board newcomers Mike Moore and Ronda Chesney. Reeder will depart the board along with Foster on April 15.
