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Sudbury Weekly has obtained a copy of the Open Meeting Law complaint filed by Sudbury School Committee (SPS) Chair Nicole Burnard on February 14, 2025 against committee member Karyn Jones.
The complaint is inconsistent with information presented during the February 10 meeting of the SPS school committee. No Policy Subcommittee meeting took place on January 17, as cited in the complaint. According to Burnard, two people present at the meeting previously told her that they did not discuss Policy Subcommittee business, specifically a Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Student policy, at the private meeting.
In the complaint, Chair Burnard wrote: “I spoke with Ms. Jones on Saturday, February 1, 2025, and she confirmed the Policy Subcommittee met with the Director of Safe Schools on January 17th, 2025.”
Burnard’s complaint also attributes the same claim about a Policy Subcommittee meeting on January 17 to the Director of Safe Schools, Jason Wheeler.
Burnard previously told the school committee that both Jones and Wheeler stated that they did not deliberate on a Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Student policy at that meeting, which was held to discuss LGBTQ+ Parent Advisory Councils and a related effort to advance a bill regarding LGBTQ+ PACs. Jones made a public comment on February 10 stating she and then-committee member Mary Stephens had complied with Open Meeting Law—which means that she expressly denied that the Policy Subcommittee held an official meeting.
Sudbury Weekly requested comment from Safe Schools and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, but did not receive a response as of press time.
The full OML complaint is embedded below. Personal information has been redacted by Sudbury Weekly.
