Remember the time when two HCPSS Board of Education members (Jen Mallo and Sabina Taj) held a private text message conversation to discuss redistricting strategy during a public Board meeting on November 18, 2019 as crucial decisions on the Fall 2019 HCPSS redistricting plan were made?

Ever wonder if there was something illegal about that?

“On the basis of the submissions, we find that the County Board violated the Act when two of its members exchanged electronic messages, during a public meeting, on the business that the County Board was considering at the time.”

The full response from the Maryland OMCB for Open Meetings Act Complaint 20-19, which details the rationale beyond this decision, is shown below.

This decision by the Open Meetings Compliance Board marks the second major Open Meetings Act violation that the HCPSS Board of Education committed during the past year, most significantly during the important public meetings during the Fall 2019 redistricting process. Of note, Board of Education member and re-election candidate Jen Mallo was at the center of each of these major violations.

More details on the other major Open Meetings Act violation that the Board of Education committed in November can be found in this previous post.

Note: I did not personally submit this OMA complaint