YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown City School District CEO Justin Jennings and the board of education have hired separate attorneys to defend against a lawsuit that accuses the board of not keeping meeting minutes for nearly two years.

The board unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to allow its insurance carrier, Liberty Mutual Insurance, to pay for legal representation in the civil action that claims the board failed to comply with Ohio’s Public Meetings law.

Specifically, the lawsuit accuses the board of not keeping minutes from June 2019 through March 2021.

Jennings has hired the law firm of Baker Hostetler to represent the district.

Former school board member Dario D. Hunter filed the lawsuit last month to force the board to provide minutes of approximately 61 meetings held during that time period and to begin making records available after all future meetings.

Hunter claimed he spent years attempting to obtain meeting minutes without success.

“The law requires them to have minutes of the meetings available to the public upon request,” he said. “It is not that the board has missed maintaining records of one or two meetings; this his been consistent.”

The board, according to Tuesday’s resolution, plans to hire the law firm of Pelini, Campbell and Williams, or any other law firm identified by its insurance company to represent it in the litigation.

Jennings, in a May 20 memo to board President Ronald Shadd, wrote the district cannot be sued separately from the board. Jennings argues the allegations of the lawsuit are based on actions taken by both the board members and employees of the district.

Because Jennings as CEO has operational and managerial control of the school district he has decided to hire Baker & Hostetler to represent the school district, the memo noted.

Jennings noted he was comfortable with the board using the law firm of Roth Blair for advice and guidance.

However, Jennings, on July 23, sent letters to Travelers Casualty and Surety Co., and to Liberty Mutual Insurance, stating the board does not have the authority to file an insurance claim in connection with this lawsuit because he has complete operational, managerial and instruction control of the district.

After the meeting, Shadd said because the insurance carrier has agreed to pay for the claim, the district should allow a firm approved by it to represent it.

Since the lawsuit was filed the administration and the board slowly have been updating its board meeting records

The board meeting minutes from April 27 and 30 and July 13 were approved by board members during Tuesday’s meeting. Board member Jackie Adair objected to accepting the board minutes, saying they are insufficiently detailed and, in the case of April 27, have been provided nearly two months after the actual meeting.

Adair has voted against approval of all past board minutes, since the lawsuit was filed.

rsmith@tribtoday.com