ST. FRANCIS — The St. Francis School District has agreed to implement several changes following an incident where they denied media access to a public board meeting in early June.
The settlement comes after TMJ4 took legal action by filing a verified complaint with the Milwaukee County Corporation Council.
In video of the incident, St. Francis Superintendent Deborah Kerr refused to allow TMJ4 to attend the meeting and threatened to call police if we didn't leave.
The settlement agreement, which was approved by the St. Francis School Board Monday evening, outlines specific requirements the district must follow regarding open meetings going forward.
Watch: St. Francis school district agrees to changes after denying media access to public meeting
According to the agreement, the district must complete a one-hour training on Wisconsin Open Meetings Law within 60 days and review board policies on open meetings and public comment.
Additionally, the board cannot prohibit any member of the public, including media, from attending open school board meetings.
The agreement also requires that doors to meeting venues be unlocked at least 15 minutes before a public meeting begins.
Kerr and School Board President Chris Finch did not respond to requests for interviews about the settlement. Kerr sent an email saying, "The School Board will provide a statement as soon as is practicable."
This story was reported on-air by Megan Lee and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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