Derry Area School Board probes member Sean Kemmerer's compliance with policy - TribLIVE

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A Derry Area school board member is under scrutiny by his elected colleagues.

The board voted 8-1 this week to have its solicitor investigate whether Sean Kemmerer has violated board policy and confidentiality.

The board moved to have solicitor Ned Nakles investigate Kemmerer’s conduct “to collect information bearing on the issue of whether, while acting as a board member, or while representing himself as acting on behalf of the board, the member has violated confidentiality, has acted in ways which violate Board Policy No. 011, Principles and Leadership, or has otherwise violated his responsibilities as a board member.”

The cited policy, in brief, charges that school directors should: “advocate earnestly” for public education; “lead responsibly,” including working cooperatively with other board members; “govern effectively;” “plan thoughtfully;” “evaluate continuously;” “communicate clearly;” and “act ethically.” The board reviewed a proposed revision of the policy at its Thursday night meeting.

In a statement released following that meeting, Kemmerer said he believes the investigation is a waste of taxpayers’ money and stems from his conduct “outside of the board” — specifically, livestreamed chats that he posts on his Facebook page and has dubbed “Hangin’ With Mr. Kemmerer.” He says the chats are intended for directly engaging with constituents “in a very open, transparent manner.”

The school board, in its motion, asked Kemmerer to cooperate with the solicitor’s probe and to “maintain all social media posts, emails and texts as part of the investigation.”

Derry Area Superintendent Eric Curry referred requests for elaboration on the investigation and for a response to Kemmerer’s statement to school board President Dave Krinock, who could not immediately be reached for comment.

Kemmerer’s social media site is described as the “official Facebook page for Derry Area School Board Director Sean M. Kemmerer,” with the additional note that opinions on the page are solely his and “do not in any way represent the Derry Area School District or the board as a whole.”

In his statement, Kemmerer addressed a recent livestreamed presentation during which he says he made reference to consuming alcohol. “I wanted to make it clear that in no way do I advocate underage drinking,” he wrote, adding that he wanted to “clear up any concerns, and apologize to any parents who felt that those comments were unprofessional at the time.”

Kemmerer also has used his Facebook page to post recordings of recent school board meetings because, he noted, the district does not archive them on its website after the sessions have been livestreamed via YouTube.

Curry said the meeting videos haven’t been archived because the school board on Thursday conducted the first reading of a new policy that would provide for maintaining them for a time on the district website. After two more required public readings, Curry said, the video policy “should be fully adopted at the April board meeting” and will be vetted by the solicitor and board to assure it “will be legally appropriate and reflect the desires of this local board.”

In other pursuits outside of his official district capacity, Kemmerer is the member of a local wedding band and founder of the Derry Area Philanthropy Committee. The committee has partnered on charitable efforts during the recent holiday season and is working on projects for Valentine’s Day and Easter, according to the group’s Facebook page.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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