Trinity board members deny Sunshine Law violation

Two Trinity School Board members say there was no violation of the Sunshine Law when they voted on several personnel issues last week.
Several people in the community, including board member Gerald Chambers, questioned whether the board violated state law when it hired a new solicitor, an acting superintendent and a consultant.
Chambers questioned why the three were at the meeting if they didn’t know ahead of time that they were going to be hired.
The Sunshine Law states that decisions must be made in public meetings not behind closed doors. But what about presumptive board members who are not yet seated? Four members were seated for their first Trinity meeting last week.
Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, said it doesn’t violate any law for prospective members to meet before they are seated. Many newly elected agency members meet ahead of time with good intentions, she said.
“But I think they are jumping the gun,” Melewsky said, adding they have to be careful they are not violating the purpose of the law because it can create barriers to public input.