By Enterprise editorial staff
Published 4:00 am, Monday, February 22, 2016
The Beaumont school district seems perilously close to reverting to its longstanding practice of stonewalling on matters of intense public interest – if some of those responsible for dispensing information ever changed their old habits in the first place.
Last Tuesday’s soccer game between the Port Neches-Groves and Central boys varsity soccer teams turned ugly. A video shows the Central coach arguing with a referee before being given a red card and ejected. The video also shows the coach yelling at the referee while being restrained by a police officer.
It was a messy incident, and taxpayers have a right to know if the coach was disciplined by his supervisors. If those taxpayers were expecting prompt transparency from the district, they were disappointed.
“Typically, we stray away from commenting on personnel matters,” said Beaumont ISD spokesman Ron Reynolds.
That indeed has been BISD’s historical position. It also is a wrong one.
In some cases, the privacy of a public employee outweighs the public’s right to know. But it’s not automatic.
Whether an administrator, teacher or coach has been disciplined – which includes suspension – is a matter of public interest and should be disclosed. The Texas Public Information Act says so.
Thinking a reference to a “personnel matter” somehow closes the file of, say, a bus driver arrested for driving drunk makes absolutely no sense and puts the interests of the wrong person first.
So why not do the right thing the first time instead of dragging out the inevitable? Why not reinforce to taxpayers that past problems with accountability have been erased?
Anyone can talk about awards or honors. True leadership is revealed in responses to tough challenges. Public officials who respect the people who pay the bills err on the side of openness. If they have nothing to hide, they don’t try to hide it. Interestingly, the board of managers includes former high-profile public and business leaders who understood the value of that approach and embraced it.
Superintendent John Frossard needs a reset here. He and his employees should honor their commitment to openness not just in word and not just when everything is rosy.