Turlock school board member’s colleagues voted unanimously to sue him, records show
Six Turlock Unified School District trustees voted in January to sue fellow school board member Jeffrey Cortinas, the only board member not present for the vote, according to records newly obtained by The Bee.
The lawsuit aimed to force Cortinas to wear a mask at board meetings or attend remotely after he repeatedly did not comply with the state’s public health rules then in effect. The school board and district dropped the lawsuit in March, one month after filing it and the day after California officials announced that mask requirements for K-12 schools would lift.
District officials previously did not respond to questions about when and how the school board decided to pursue the lawsuit. Through a Public Records Act request, The Bee learned the vote was taken during closed session at a special board meeting Jan. 12, a Wednesday. The school board holds regular meetings on Tuesday evenings.
School boards may discuss legal matters in closed session, meaning the public cannot attend. However, boards are required to mention on a public agenda any litigation they’ll discuss in closed session, and they must publicly report certain actions taken.
An agenda shared with The Bee in response to the records request was printed Jan. 7, suggesting the board considered legal action within a week of canceling a meeting just before it was supposed to begin.
The school district later blamed Cortinas for that meeting’s cancellation, saying in court documents that he refused to wear a mask or alternative face shield and drape and would not participate from a separate room. The board met virtually from Jan. 10 until March 15.
Meeting minutes show all trustees except Cortinas were present for the closed session Jan. 12 and voted to initiate legal action. Cortinas was present for about an hour and 15 minutes of the more than two-hour-long public meeting that followed, according to the minutes.
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
