County School Board Ditches Phone-In Meetings

The Ohio County Board of Education has ended the practice of allowing members to call in to meetings, collecting $160 for participating each time they do.

The Intelligencer reports that the board voted 3-2 Monday to abolish the policy.

The school district’s attorney and the board consulted the state Ethics Commission ahead of the vote. The panel concluded that government bodies do not have to allow phone participation by members.

One board member vacations in Florida during May. She had called in to 22 meetings since taking office in 2010.

Another board member said constituents had told him they wanted the practice to end.