Megan Jackson entered her third meeting as chair of the Spotsylvania County School Board expecting a smooth evening.
She was aware that Vice Chair Belen Rodas was on the road with her daughter visiting colleges, and that Battlefield District representative Nicole Cole had traveled overseas with her son for his spring break.
But one hour before the meeting started on Monday night, Lee Hill District representative Lisa Phelps called Jackson and told her that she had to take care of a family member.
While Jackson, Carol Medawar (Courtland District) and Lorita Daniels (Salem District) were at the 5:30 p.m. scheduled meeting, Berkeley District representative April Gillespie informed Jackson that she would be absent because of an illness.
“I’m sorry, we are a mess tonight — a whole mess,” Jackson said at the dais.
The board lacked the quorum of four members required to vote on any matters. That was, until Rodas — who had planned to join remotely but could not because the board was unable to vote on the matter — rushed to the meeting from the airport.
Before Rodas arrived, Jackson said there was “an informal plucking of items on the agenda” that those members who were present could run through that weren’t business or action items. No agenda was approved, but Jackson, Daniels and Medawar made their board comments and provided their committee reports, Superintendent Clint Mitchell gave his comments and regular report, followed by a recess and instructional highlights. The board waited on Rodas to approve a rearranged agenda and allow public comment.
The board took two 30-minute recesses to allow Rodas time to get there. The meeting ended after a closed session that included the approval of a hefty personnel packet.
Jackson said that while she does not have control over other board members’ decisions to attend a meeting or not, she hopes the attendance issues do not occur regularly.
“I just want people to do everything they can to make the meetings and get the business done for the students and staff,” Jackson said. “If they can’t, it’s understandable every now and then, but I don’t think it’s something that should be made a habit.”
Phelps said in a text message to the Free Press that she notified Jackson she had family matters to handle; Gillespie said she let Jackson know of her illness; and Cole said she informed Jackson of her plans “well in advance.”
Jackson confirmed that she knew of Cole’s absence nearly two weeks ago.
Jackson said that as an elected official, she believes she owes the public an explanation when she is unable to attend a meeting and represent them. A board policy addresses the requirement of an explanation, including the member’s location and reason when they want to participate remotely. But there is no policy governing absenteeism.
“This is now something else I’ve learned how to deal with,” Jackson said. “In my seven years of watching meetings, I’ve never seen anything like that before. But first time for everything, I guess.”
