See You In Court! CABE Monthly Column
“See You In Court!” is written by Thomas Mooney and appears in the CABE Journal, a publication of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.
Bob has long respected Coach Rock for his firm hand in coaching various sports, and he told Coach Rock that he would take care of it. He then reached out to Pamela and proposed an in-person meeting over breakfast to “hear her out” on her concerns about Coach Rock. Pamela quickly accepted Bob’s offer, and she and Bob agreed to meet at The Greasy Spoon, a favorite breakfast spot in Nutmeg.
When they sat down together, Bob patiently listened to Pamela’s rant about Coach Rock and his dictatorial style. “My daughter wasn’t drinking,” Pamela insisted, “but even if she were, everyone deserves a second change.”
Sensing an opportunity to resolve the matter, Bob leaned forward. “What if I ask Coach Rock to give your daughter another chance? To be sure, Coach Rock thinks it is very important for students to man up and accept responsibility for her actions. However, if she admits her mistake, I think I can talk Coach Rock into taking her back.”
Pamela told Bob that she would think about it. Bob’s hopes that he might resolve the conflict between Pamela and Coach Rock were dashed, however, when he received an email from a friend. It contained a link to a post by Pamela that included a .wav file with their entire conversation at The Greasy Spoon, which Pamela had secretly recorded. Bob was further incensed by Pamela’s related comments. He was particularly upset by Pamela’s claim that his telling Pamela that her daughter should “man up” was disrespectful to her, her daughter, and to women everywhere.
Bob decided to address his concerns directly with Pamela, and he called her right up. Pamela responded to Bob’s indignation over her secretly recording their conversation, however, simply by telling him that her actions were legal and that she had every right to let the world know what she thinks of Bob and his good friend, Coach Rock.
Pamela’s antagonistic response to his concerns took Bob by surprise, and he asked Pamela if she was recording their telephone conversation as well. Pamela responded simply by saying that was for her to know and for Bob to find out, and she hung up on him.
At the next meeting of the Nutmeg Board of Education, Bob publicly denounced Pamela for secretly recording him, and he demanded that the Board take action. Board member Mal Content told Bob, however, that this situation was Bob’s problem and not a Board concern. Bob pushed back, saying that, if parents can secretly record his private conversations, all Board members are at risk. Bob urged the Board to adopt a policy prohibiting anyone from secretly recording any Board member engaged in official business on behalf of the Nutmeg Board of Education.
Is the Nutmeg Board of Education empowered to adopt such a policy?
