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An ongoing legal battle between Grand Erie District School Board and barred trustee Carol Ann Sloat has reached a conclusion — or at least one chapter of it has.
In November, a panel of justices overturned four decisions the board made that prevented the longtime trustee from participating in — and, in some cases, even watching online — meetings for more than a year.
Despite that, in December, the school board announced they would appeal the decision.
“I have found that (Sloat’s) transgressions, if any, were minor, and the sanctions imposed in their totality to be unreasonable,” Justice Nancy Backhouse had written in her 31-page verdict dated Nov. 15.
Sloat’s alleged violations included sharing in camera information with Ontario’s ombudsman and a board staff member who did not have clearance to review them, waiting in the wrong spot during in camera portions of meetings, and sighing while watching a meeting as a member of the public.
In her ruling, Backhouse wrote Sloat was “unfairly dealt with and unfairly targeted,” by the board.
That decision was upheld on Thursday when the board’s appeal was denied, and the board ordered to pay Sloat $5,000 in costs.
The motion was “dismissed without reasons,” leaving the board of trustees “respectfully, disappointed with this decision,” the board posted to its website on Friday.
The board will “continue to uphold professional conduct in the boardroom and fulfil our governance and fiduciary responsibilities with a focus on student achievement,” while continuing to address “any inappropriate conduct, especially that adversely affects our staff,” the statement continued.
While it closes this chapter, the trustee’s battle with the board seems to be far from over.
In June, the board brought new sanctions against Sloat, saying she breached at least six sections of the code of conduct related to treating others with respect, confidentiality of closed session information, acting with unimpeachable conduct, and working with other trustees in a spirit of trust and respect.
She has asked the divisional court to review the board’s decision in this case as well. It is scheduled for June in Hamilton.
After that, Sloat hopes everyone will be able to move on. “It’s time to worry about students here,” she told The Spectator on Friday.
She is currently allowed to attend meetings, but may not ask questions or participate verbally.
The Spectator previously asked the board how much it is spending on legal fees through a Freedom-of-Information request, which was denied.
Celeste Percy-Beauregard’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report on stories about Brant County. Reach her at cpercybeauregard@torstar.ca.
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