OSHKOSH, Wis–Two members of the Oshkosh Area School Board accused of setting up fake Facebook pages are cleared of any wrongdoing. An investigation document released by the school district says there was “insufficient evidence” that the board members violated policy when they created separate Facebook pages under aliases to allegedly undermine the Board of Education and the school district.
Speaking on behalf of the accused Board members, Tim Hess and Kelly DeWitt, their attorneys acknowledged that the Facebook page with the alias “Mike Melter” belonged to Hess, and the Facebook page with the alias “Missy Green” belonged to DeWitt. The Facebook pages in question have since been deleted.
The investigation document said the Facebook pages provided information about school district issues and posted opinions on those issues. It also noted that the information on those Facebook pages didn’t appear to post any confidential information privy to only board members.
The investigation document said there is insufficient evidence that the rights of others were violated by limited content or that confidential information was posted. It also said board members’ use of the sites as outside activities would appear to be beyond the reach of the board policy.
The Oshkosh area School Board issued the following statement:
“The Board recently investigated potential policy violations by two board members regarding social media accounts used to undermine the Board of Education, the District and district staff. It was determined that insufficient evidence exists to find a violation of Board Policy.
Regardless of the determination, this is a serious concern and this behavior is not in line with our expectations of each other as elected officials. We believe that our community deserves both the facts and our collective commitment to ethical and professional leadership.
Speaking on behalf of Dr. Hess and Ms. DeWitt, their legal counsel acknowledged that the Facebook page with the alias “Mike Melter” belonged to Dr. Hess and the Facebook page with the alias “Missy Green” belonged to Ms. DeWitt. The alias pages have been deleted.
Our guiding principle as a district is unequivocally ‘Students First.’ The Board is deeply disappointed that board member behavior has diverted attention and efforts away from our core mission of education and the betterment of our district’s future. Any deviation from this focus diminishes the educational opportunities available to our children.
