Dist. 113A School Board Member Accused of Misconduct

A member of the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education was accused Monday of asking a district employee to obtain private documents from the superintendent.

School Board President Lisa Wright reported during the board's general meeting that a complaint was filed by a district employee against a current school board member.

"The board member, who shall remain nameless, asked an employee to remove a document from [Superintendent Tim Ricker's] desk," Wright said.

The board member requested that the document be copied while the superintendent was out of his office, she added.

The report elicited a strong reaction from school board member Janet Hughes, who said she wanted to speak with her attorney before Wright continued.

Wright said she was sharing the information with the community on the advice of legal counsel, and because she wanted district staff to know the "majority of the board" supports them. Any employee approached by a school board member in the future should notify the superintendent, she said.

"This isn't an employee we can punish," Wright said. "This is a volunteer who sits up here with us as an elected board member who chose to act outside of the board's code of ethics."

Ricker declined to comment on the situation.

Patch could not reach Hughes for comment after the meeting. Check back Tuesday for updates.