AVON LAKE, Ohio — A local mom who sued the Avon Lake Board of Education, accusing the elected body of violating Ohio’s Open Meetings Act, has reached a settlement with the board.
Erin Myers of Avon Lake filed the suit in November with the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas.
The district’s superintendent, Joelle Magyar, confirmed to 3News that the board settled the suit, but did not offer specifics on the agreement or further comment.
According to a document detailing the settlement on the district’s website, the board will pay Myers’ attorney $10,900 for legal fees and pay for court costs.
Additional terms of the agreement include:
- All board actions at a meeting held on November 12, 2023, in Columbus are deemed invalid.
- All board members, along with the board’s superintendent and treasurer, will complete training on open government by March 1, 2024.
- All future board meetings will be held in Avon Lake … barring extraordinary circumstances.
- The board will maintain detailed minutes and post board-approved minutes to their website within 48 hours of approval.
The court also ordered the board to comply with all provisions of Ohio’s Open Meetings Act. The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.
“I am beyond thrilled with the final outcome of this case,” Myers says in a statement provided to 3News. “I obtained everything that I was seeking from the Board: transparency and compliance with the Open Meetings Act.”
The statement goes on to say in part,
“I am optimistic that the terms of our settlement, particularly the agreed injunction against further violations of the Open Meetings Act, will build the trust between the District and its voters that is necessary to maintain our top-rated school system.”
Myers’ attorney, Matt Miller-Novak, released the following statement concerning the lawsuit,
"Before filing this Action, Ms. Krumm Myers pleaded with the Board to follow the law, and its leadership rejected her pleas for transparency. Sometimes, when elected officials believe they know better than the people they are elected to serve, they find out in more difficult manners that they do not in fact know better."
3News reached out to members of the Avon Lake Board of Education, the district’s superintendent, and treasurer for comment, and received the following response from Superintendent Joelle Magyar:
“This matter has been settled.”
According to district documents, the board “maintains that it has acted in accordance with the law at all times and denies all fault or liability for any damage or claim whatsoever as alleged by Ms. Myers.”
The document goes on to say that the board was willing to resolve the litigation “by way of a settlement agreement that would enable the avoidance of additional expense and uncertainty arising from continuing the litigation.”
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