The Andover School Committee failed to provide proper notice and follow its previously established practice for public input, according to a complaint accusing it of breaking the state’s Open Meeting Law at its March 20 meeting.
The school committee voted at its meeting to have its legal counsel respond to the complaint. The complaint was filed on April 14 and the committee has until May 5 to respond to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office.
According to Chair Lauren Conoscenti, the complaint alleges:
- failure to provide notice of compliance with the requirements of open meeting law.
- failure by the committee to follow a previously established practice of eliciting public input and comments.
- inappropriate deliberation practices regarding the decisions made.
School committee members did not identify who filed the complaint or discuss the specifics. But several parents have complained that the committee rushed through a redistricting plan that was shared for the first time with the public at the March 20 meeting. They accuse the district passing the plan five days before an election that shifted the balance of the school committee.