Ashland residents call for transparency over complaint against school board member

More than 200 people have signed an open letter to the Ashland School Board expressing concern over a complaint filed against one of its members. 

Community members allege Ashland School Board member Kelly Maday has been denied access to a complaint filed against her and an opportunity to defend herself to the board.

Maday told WPR she requested a copy of the complaint but the request was denied.

“If I did something wrong, then I will own it and apologize and do better,” Maday said. “But I can’t do that if I don’t know what I supposedly did.”

The open letter comes as the board discussed the complaint in closed session during its meeting Monday. Ashland resident and parent Jenna Casey read the letter to the board. She and others accused the board of setting a “troubling precedent for transparency and fairness.”

“Moreover, just as Ms. Maday has the right to understand the claims made against her, we — voters and community members — have the right to know what conduct is alleged, what evidence justifies the use of public funds for an investigation, and what information informs the Board’s conclusions,” Casey read. 

She and those who signed the letter urged the board to pause any action on the complaint until Maday could review and respond to the allegations against her. They also urged the board to adopt policies that allow board members to access and respond to complaints made against them.  

Following the closed session, the board adjourned. When asked about the matter, Ashland School Board President Jessica Pergolski said no action was taken. 

“There’s nothing to comment on at this moment,” Pergolski said.

The open letter was shared on social media by a relative of Maday. Pergolski urged the post to be taken down, saying it was “very damaging.” 

Ashland Schools Superintendent Rob Prater confirmed a complaint had been filed against a board member in April and said the board is aware of the allegations. But Prater said he couldn’t discuss the nature of it, adding that the district’s legal counsel has advised against sharing the complaint with anyone.

“I fully agree with the people that are saying due process is important. It should be followed that somebody that is subject to a complaint should have the chance to defend themselves on that. They should get timely notice of a complaint,” Prater said. “I think the letter has inaccuracies in it.”

Prater said the board has addressed the complaint in a timely fashion. No investigation has begun, to the best of his knowledge, he said.

Maday says she was censured last year for another complaint

This is not the first time a complaint has been filed against Maday. She said an complaint was filed against her last year that led to her censure. 

Last July, the board voted in closed session to censure Maday due to what they deemed sufficient evidence of misconduct. The censure was based on behavior and comments made during a March 2024 board meeting that were outlined in a June investigative report compiled by an attorney who was hired by the board.

During the March meeting, Maday criticized the superintendent over what she alleged were denied requests to place items on the board’s agenda or denied requests for information on charges for use of school facilities. Maday was censured for violating board policies on code of conduct, anti-harassment, individual authority of members and board member information requests. 

She was ordered not to engage in conduct laid out in the report, but the report and its findings were never publicly disclosed or shared with her. However, court records indicate excerpts of the findings were read to Maday.

“I want to see what the investigative report says and have a chance to speak on my behalf,” Maday said. “And I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else, because it’s been hell.”

Last summer, Ashland resident Kate Ullman requested records on Maday’s censure and the district provided all documents except for the report. Attorney Victoria L. Seltun with the firm von Briesen & Roper, which compiled the findings, told Ullman the report was privileged attorney-client communication. Seltun added that state law allowed the report to be withheld because Maday had threatened legal action against the district, which Maday disputes.

In January, Ullman sued the district and board in Ashland County Circuit Court for violating the state’s open records law by improperly denying her request for the report. The suit is still pending.

Prater said he could not comment on any previous complaint or the investigative report due to pending litigation. He said it’s unknown whether the most recent complaint will be discussed openly, but he thinks the board can talk about the process for handling allegations against board members.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Ullman said the board had already spent more than $24,000 investigating the initial complaint against Maday without openly discussing the allegations or providing documentation of its findings. 

“It’s a pretty clear violation of our public expectations of transparency and open government and responsible stewardship of public funds,” Ullman said.