GREEN — Township trustee Randy Chismar has filed a lawsuit over alleged Sunshine Law violations by the South Range Board of Education.

The complaint was filed Dec. 29, 2025, regarding a June 9, 2025, special meeting. Chismar claimed the school board did not properly advertise the special meeting by not stating a purpose or place on the school district’s website.

At the June 9 meeting, the South Range Board of Education approved the following items: a tentative agreement with the South Range Education Association, an agreement with the South Range classified employees, an amendment to the superintendent’s contract and staff resignations.

“In the past, I raised several concerns with the previous board president (Brian Bagwell), both publicly and privately, but my concerns were met with disinterest and arrogance and never addressed,” Chismar said. “Once it became clear that nothing was going to change, filing the lawsuit seemed like the only way to get the board’s attention. Now that the previous board president was voted off the board in the last election, I’m hopeful the new board will take these issues seriously and start acting responsibly.”

Chismar is hoping to have the decisions from that meeting nullified, which means the issues would have to be reintroduced to the present school board, discussed and voted on again.

“I take public trust seriously, and as an elected official, the actions of one board reflect on all of us,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure right now to cut our main source of funding, so transparency and following the law aren’t optional — they’re essential. I hope this lawsuit forces South Range to understand there are clear standards, and the public needs to have a part of, and have confidence in, how the board operates.”

Issuing a response from the South Range school board was representative Kollin Chupa.

“Our district was surprised to be served with a lawsuit alleging a violation of Ohio’s Sunshine Law. Transparency and open government are essential to ‘The Raider Way’ and our board strives to comply with all legal requirements, seeking honest communication and collaboration with our community. Our board intends to review the allegations carefully with legal counsel and respond through the appropriate legal process. Throughout this process, we will remain committed to conducting district business in an open and lawful manner. Our board’s focus is, and always has been, serving students, staff and the community. We appreciate the community’s understanding as legal proceedings will limit any further detailed communication regarding this matter,” an email from Chupa states.