BETTENDORF, Iowa — The Bettendorf school board has agreed to settle a lawsuit stating the district violated Iowa law by barring parents and journalists from attending a public meeting in May 2022.
The lawsuit was filed by the nonprofit Iowa Freedom of Information Council, WQAD, WHBF, KWQC and the Quad-City Times.
As part of the settlement, the district will reimburse all five plaintiffs $6,500 for attorney fees.
The school board also acknowledged the meeting on May 25, 2022 violated Iowa's public meetings law, which says governmental bodies are required to open meetings up to the public as well as give adequate notice of the date, time and location of said meeting. Under this law, journalists are not only allowed in the room but also permitted to record said meetings.
According to a statement from the Iowa FOI Council, as part of the settlement the school board, "Also promised that in the future, meetings dealing with school policies and procedures will be conducted in compliance with the public meetings law when a majority of school board members are present."
Nearly a year after the incident first occurred, the district agreed to approve the settlement. Then on Monday, June 26 the lawsuit was dismissed from Scott County courts.
"There is no greater obligation of a school district these days than ensuring students have a safe environment in which to learn," said Randy Evans, Iowa FOI Council executive director in a statement. "But the Bettendorf school board and school administrators let the public down by not properly conducting the school board's meeting on May 25, 2022 in compliance with Iowa law."
The May 2022 meeting was to address increasing violence among students in the Bettendorf school district. Parents had addressed the issue in several previous school board meetings and that particular gathering took place one day after a mass shooter opened fire on an elementary school in Uvalde, TX, leading to heightened emotions the lawsuit alleged.
That evening, about 300 parents in the district met with Superintendent Michelle Morse and all but one of the school board members to express concern about harassment and injuries among students at the Bettendorf Middle School.
But a sign on the door told Quad City journalists they were blocked from attending the gathering. Inside, parents were told they could not record the session.
"Officials' misguided interpretation of the law has ended up indirectly costing the taxpayers of the Bettendorf district $6,500 to reimburse our legal expenses. The taxpayers also are on the hook for thousands more the district has paid its own lawyers to defend this indefensible closed-door meeting," Evans said.
The school district has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel