The Lake Pend Oreille School District has been cleared of wrongdoing in connection with a complaint filed over the relocation of the district’s alternative high school. Superintendent Becky Meyer announced the findings, alongside those of a district internal and legal review, at a school board meeting Tuesday night.
Complaint Allegations
The complaint, filed by Jackie Branum, a retired West Bonner School District superintendent, alleged misuse of consent agendas, manipulation of attendance data, misallocation of public funds, and open meeting violations. However, the Bonner County prosecutor and the Idaho Department of Education’s Special Education Dispute Resolution Office found no wrongdoing by the district.
Meyer argued that the move would allow students to take elective classes at Sandpoint High School and the district’s career technical center, set to open next month. Opponents argue that the move puts struggling students back in an environment they left by enrolling in the alternative school.
Findings and Response
Bonner County Prosecutor Louis E. Marshall found no wrongdoing by the district, while the Special Education Dispute Resolution Office rejected the grievance. The Idaho Department of Education so far has ‘not found a violation of state law or policy,’ though a final report has yet to be issued.
Meyer pointed out that many of the complaint’s citations to Idaho Code are inaccurate, inserting language not found in statute. Branum argued that she relied on ‘a digital search engine index to compile statutory summaries,’ using Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence.
Original reporting: Idaho Education News — read the source article.
