001[music] order. Recognize we have four out of our five board members here this evening. Mike Ars is absent. If you would please stand with me as we say the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> I'd like to recognize the purpose of this meeting tonight is to consider the matter of the cancellation of the regular teachers contract of Brian Anderson. The school of school, the board of school trustees of the Coington Community School Corporate Corporation held a conference on October 28th, 2025 at the Coington Middle School to consider the cancellation of the contract of Brian Anderson. We have since met uh in executive session to um review
002the facts and findings um from that hearing. And um I need a I want to back up a little bit. I'm apologize. We we are going to allow public comment. Public comment is going to be after our vote tonight. So we are allowing public comment, but it is going to be after our our vote. So, um um so I need a motion uh considering this matter. I'll make a motion and the move as follows. The board of school trustees of the Cington Community School Corporation has the right to cancel teachers contracts pursuant to IC20-28-7.5-1. The reasons set forth for the cancellation of the contract of Brian Anderson are proper reasons of discharge. The teacher committed the following misconduct: immorality. The teacher engaged in ongoing and inappropriate communications with the student, including emails over one-year period
003and permitted unsupervised meetings with the student in the classroom in violation of the 2526 Cington Middle School certified staff handbook. Insubordination when questioned by school administration on two separate occasions. Teacher lied about the frequency and extent of his communication and in-person contact with the student. Teachers further admitted to administration that he had deleted the emails between the teacher and the student. other good or just cause. The conduct of the teacher demonstrated a pattern of unprofessional behavior, concealment, untruthfulness, and failure to comply with expected duties resulting in a loss of trust and competence in the teacher's ability to fill the responsibilities of being a teacher for Covington schools. The board of school trustees concludes that a prepundonderance of the evidence supports the cancellation of the teacher's contract effective immediately. It is therefore considered and determined by
004the school the board of school trustees that based on the findings of fact and conclusions of law above the teachers contract of Brian answered Anderson is canceled effective immediately. >> So I've had a motion considering that. Do I have a second? >> I'll make a second. >> I have a motion and a second. Any questions? I'm going to do a roll call vote here by individual. If you approve the motion, signify by saying yay. Ryan Tally. >> Yay. >> Heather Martin, >> yay. >> Matt Hler, >> yay. >> And I vote yay as well. So, a vote of four out of our four members that are present cancels Brian Anderson's contract immediate effective immediately. >> What you need to do is have people fill this out where you say four to zero. >> Mhm. >>
005And then have and then pass two of these around sign. >> Okay. >> Should I read the public comment thing first or >> No, I do that first. Go ahead and put zero. Should I use this pen? It's like a marker. Pen. This is more like a marker. That pen. I got one. I got one. You can >> put four to four here. Four. >> Four zero. One down. I'll get you. Okay. Good. Glory to God. Mr. Anderson. >> Okay. Okay. Courtesy. This is November. Okay. Do that now. >> Yeah. Go ahead. >> All right. Mr. Ranch, would you like a copy of this? You want to be dismissed? You can go. Okay. Thank you. Uh we're now going to allow public comment for those that signed up uh for public comment. I'm going to
006read the guidelines for public comment this time. Uh guidelines for public comment. Indiana statute requires public comment be afforded at all regular session schoolboard meetings. The purpose of the public forum is to give members of the public the opportunity to address the school board. Um, sorry, I got a phone call. Um, on any matter regarding education and administration of our schools in this setting, we as board members are not compelled to answer questions or comp or respond to you and typically will not engage in back and forth dialogue in this venue. However, this board and the superintendent will note your contact information for response if appropriate. As always, we invite you to contact any of us by phone or email for followup. Individuals wishing to speak must have signed in prior to the meeting and
007returned the completed speaker sheet to the superintendent or treasurer 5 minutes prior to start of the meeting. Individuals shall address only the board president and will have three minutes for their statements. More than three individuals wishing to speak about the same topic shall be given time to collaborate to determine one presenting individual and shall be given 10 minutes for statements. The board president may at any time prohibit statements as stated by the posted public comment rules. The total lot of time for public comment is 30 minutes and individuals will present on a first come first- serve basis until all a lot of time is accounted for. Right now I have three people signed up uh for public comment. Uh first one being Mr. Brian Anderson. The only thing that I was going to bring up
008is that throughout all this, I've tried to do my job and now I'm getting death threats and yet the school had to go through the lawyers. So, I didn't find out about it until last night at 9:00 p.m. I don't know when the school found out that I was that there was a student threatening to kill me. But why did they have to go through the lawyers? Why couldn't the school contact me that there's a death threat against me? That they had to call the cops. They had to investigate. Why? Why didn't the school bother to just call me? And I just want to make a note that the supposed inappropriate communication was not sexual at all. There was nothing sexual in that. And that was part of the reason I got the death threat.
009And that okay, yes, I deleted emails, but there was only proof of one email that was deleted. So multiple emails that deleted, everybody deletes emails. So I didn't cover up on that. It's the only thing I have to say. >> Thank you. >> Uh, next up I have Hope Scott. >> Hello. >> I just want Mr. Anderson to know that he's done amazing things with kids in our community in the classroom. I think it's kind of crazy that you didn't want to hear our comments until after your vote. Considering the majority of us are here in support of Mr. Anderson. >> We weren't here because this is what we wanted to see. Um, I I for one have two kids in my home who both hated math and struggled. And with the help of Mr.
010Anderson, I wouldn't say I've grown to love it, but they've stopped struggling while they were in his classroom at least. I can't speak for the other teachers, but I know he's helped my kids, >> right? >> Does anyone care about that? Do we care about the kids' education? >> Because I don't know. Do you guys have teachers knocking down the door to come teach here? >> Because there's a teacher shortage. You guys can barely keep the teachers you have. And you want to get rid of a teacher that cared about the kids. And for what? Because that was very vague, which I understand. You're not going to tell us everything that happened, but he cared about the kids. Um, she went on to high school and she still knew that if she needed help in
011math, she could go to him. She knew that he was on her side and he would help her if she needed it. She's here tonight to show her support. Mr. Anderson has made an impact on so many of the children in our community, and it would be a tremendous loss not to put him back in the classroom, which you've already decided not to. He deserves to be there helping our children excel at the subject most kids struggle in. Again, I I do want to know, do you have teachers banging down the door? Who's going to cover for him? So, are our children going to fall behind due to being short a teacher that actually cared and was able to connect with the children and help them achieve success in the classroom? I guess aside from
012just coming here to show my support for an outstanding teacher that has helped not only my daughter and niece, but all the children he's taught in our community, I'm concerned what it looks like moving forward for our children if he's unfairly terminated. When there's also a teacher shortage, which means more than likely his empty position would not be filled as quickly as needed to benefit the children of this community. I also feel as though the parents in this community deserve more transparency from the school and school board regarding issues so that we can all work together for the good of our children and future. >> Thank you for everything you did, Mr. >> [applause] [applause] >> Uh, lastly, Becky Holy Cross. >> I do not have anything written because I literally decided after I sat
013in here, I'm back out. My Brian, I've worked with you for a long time. I worked with you as building rep. You're an amazing person. You have a heart for the kids. It's amazing. And what I'm coming at this as a teacher. How do I go forward? Because we're not just standing up there remote like robotically teaching them. We're building relationships with them. That's what we do. We build relationships. We don't just go in the teachers classroom and teach and leave. Some of us go into the churches and we mentor them. I'm going away for the weekend for youth convention with 25 high school kids. Can I do that now? Should I do that now? I don't know. I'm questioning that. Like I question everything now. Um, do I keep my kid that has bad
014behavior in in school suspension for lunch, lunch detention, to write sentences when I'm unsupervised in my classroom? Do I keep a kid who's been absent for a week in a special and recess unsupervised to go through lessons? I don't know that I can do that now. I don't know that that's something that as we're teaching these kids, this is going to change how I'm going to run my classroom. And it makes me so sad. It makes me sad that things that I have done for years, can I do it? I've already changed. I will not take a picture of a kid on my phone for any reason. And I told Michelle Beck that when she asked me to take pictures of them in the outdoor classroom, I'm sorry. This is my personal advice. No. No
015pictures of kids on it. Number one, it also goes my Apple account was on our t our TVs in our home. My husband hates that. But my personal advice, no. Will I accept emails from kids? No. I respond back. Please have your parent email me. It's changing how I'm doing things, but it's also separating me from having that strong closeness with the students that they have to have. They have to know we're in their corner. And I feel like they don't if we start pulling back and we start separating what we do and we start changing who we are and how we do things with these kids, who's it going to impact the most? I can still do my job effectively, but sorry you were absent. Go to special. Your parents are going to have
016to teach you the lesson you missed. like you can't be my unsupervised so you're going to have to go to special. No, I can't take the 30 months to work with you. I don't like that that solution either, but that's the only solution I have. Like like I don't know what else we're supposed to do as teachers. And it's heartbreaking and it's frustrating for me. So frustrating to see a great teacher going off the door because who's next? Like we have to we're here as a team and we work hard as a team and we do this together. and to have someone's moral character attacked. And I've been there. I know what it's like to have my moral character attacked and to be attacked on Facebook. But I had the support of the school board
017and the and the superintendent when that happened to me. And it was awful. It was gut-wrenching. I was ready to walk out the door and be done. But the staff supported me and the admin supported me. And I don't know what all proof you guys have. I don't. But knowing Bryant Anderson, I cannot think of anything that would equal a termination. And so I'm sorry going forward if this since this is what we've done, you guys better give us some guidance on what is allowed and what's not allowed because it's going to completely change how I'm running my classroom. It's going to have to protect myself. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] [applause] At this time, I need a motion and a second to adjurnn this meeting. >> I'll make a motion to adjurnn. >> I'll
018second. >> I have a motion, a second. All in favor of adjournment I >> I >> meeting is adjourned.