NORTH JACKSON, Ohio (WKBN) – A Portage County man has filed a lawsuit against the Jackson-Milton Local School District for allegedly violating Ohio’s Sunshine Laws.
Those laws say government meetings and records have to be public.
Brian Ames, president of Open Government Advocates, filed the lawsuit in the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas on Feb. 1.
The lawsuit alleges the district doesn’t properly notify the public about its school board meetings or keep full and accurate meeting minutes. The lawsuit also alleges the school board doesn’t follow the proper procedure before starting an executive session and improperly using consent agendas.
Ames wants the school board to create a process for notifying the public about its meetings, take accurate meeting minutes and to take a roll call vote before holding an executive session.
He wants the board to pay him $500 for each of the 4 counts where he alleges they violated Sunshine Laws.
Ames has filed similar lawsuits against multiple school districts in Ohio and the Mahoning County Board of Elections.