The Fresno County Civil Grand Jury published a report saying school board officials need more training on ethics and the Brown Act. (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)
- A Fresno County Civil Grand Jury report says that school board officials lack training in ethics law as it pertains to the Brown Act.
- The investigation came in response to citizen complaints about leaks to media from a Fresno Unified closed door session.
- The grand jury report did not state whether a Brown Act violation occurred or how the complainants knew about the alleged leaks.
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The Fresno County Civil Grand Jury says elected school board trustees need more training on ethics law, especially as it concerns leaks about confidential information.
The grand jury received citizen complaints about information given out during a closed session meeting of the Fresno Unified School District Board of Education and then published in local media.
The report does not say when the alleged leaks occurred or to what media outlet. It also does not say if Brown Act violations took place or how citizens knew that confidential information came out.
However, when the grand jury conducted interviews in its 2024-25 session, it said board members did not show a thorough understanding of how leaked information could impact a governmental body.
The grand jury recommended that the Fresno County Office of Education provide training for school board members throughout the county on the Ralph M. Brown Act, which dictates how elected officials should disclose information. Trustees routinely rely on advice from attorneys on proper procedure.
The Brown Act also guarantees the public’s right to attend and participate in meetings of local legislative bodies and is a watchdog of the “public’s right to know.”
“While several interviewees related that Ralph M. Brown Act violations erode a public’s trust in an organization, none revealed a knowledge of other legal ramifications,” the grand jury report stated. “Based on information collected by the Grand Jury, it seemed that ethics law training, particularly as it pertain to Ralph M. Brown Act violations and the disclosure of confidential information from closed door sessions, should be further emphasized.”
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Board Members Need to Have Brown Act Training Done By Dec. 31
The grand jury recommended that the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools notify school districts of the need to have ethics training done by Dec. 31. Assembly Bill 2158, enacted Jan. 1, requires elected officials to receive training on the Brown Act.
In its investigation, the grand jury interviewed administrators, superintendents, board members, and attorneys responsible for documenting training.
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The grand jury determined that districts had no standard training checklists, even though AB 2158 requires ethics law training every two years.
The grand jury also found that school board members were uncertain whether they had to do Brown Act training.
Schools Will Abide By Grand Jury Recommendations: Officials
Fresno Unified Chief Communications Officer Nikki Henry said the district is reviewing the report.
“We will ensure compliance with any recommendations moving forward,” Henry told GV Wire.
Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Michele Cantwell-Copher agreed with the grand jury that “ongoing awareness of training requirements, especially those tied to public meeting laws, is a key part of school board governance.”
“We anticipate adopting the recommendations of the grand jury to provide additional courtesy notices to Fresno County school boards to further emphasize the importance of these obligations,” Cantwell-Copher said in a statement to GV Wire.
The grand jury doesn’t have prosecutorial powers. That falls on the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.
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