OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Two Oshkosh Area School District board members admit to using fake profiles to promote their opinions as elected officials, but they did not violate school board policy.
Screenshots show comments made on Facebook by someone using the profile name "Mike Melter."
Melter makes multiple posts advocating for board member Dr. Timothy Hess, speaking against Title IX regulations and the school board referendum, and urging residents not to vote for Stephanie Carlin in her reelection bid to the school board.
Another Facebook profile under the name "Missy Green" contains posts telling residents to vote "no" on the April Oshkosh Area School District referendum.
A community member filed a complaint with the school board on Jan. 8, alleging that the two profiles were created by board members Kelly DeWitt and Dr. Timothy Hess. The complaint claims the two members acted in violation of school board policy, which regulates board member conduct and communication.
The school district, in collaboration with school board president Beth Wyman, hired a third party to investigate the complaint.
Watch: Oshkosh board members use fake profiles to target board policies and officials
The investigation found that DeWitt and Dr. Hess were not in violation of board policy because neither of the profiles posted confidential information and both allowed public comment and engagement.
"The Board Members' use of the sites as outside activities would appear to be beyond the reach of the applicable Board Policy," a document provided by the law office investigating the complaint states.
DeWitt and Dr. Hess both admitted to creating the profiles.
They released a joint statement that reads, "We believe the complaint filed by the citizen in question was nothing more than a partisan attempt to cause division among the board and censor views and opinions with which the complainant disagrees. We are pleased that the board’s investigation found the complaint to be without merit."
The statement continues, "We take the attempt to curtail our constitutionally protected freedom of speech very seriously and will resist with all our strength should it ever resurface again."
Oshkosh Deputy Mayor Karl Buelow says the profiles went beyond commenting on school policy. Melter and Green also attacked city council members.
"If a high school student did this, we would call it cyberbullying," he says.
Buelow expresses disappointment that a fellow elected official would act in this manner.
"The whole point of getting elected is that you're supposed to use your voice and represent the people who put you in that spot, and you can do that without having to hide behind pseudonyms," he says.
Board President Beth Wyman expressed a similar sentiment in a statement sent out on behalf of the entire school board.
"This is a serious concern, and this behavior is not in line with our expectations of each other as elected officials," the statement reads.
DeWitt and Dr. Hess declined a request for further comment.
The full statement from DeWitt and Hess reads:
"The Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education has concluded an investigation into a citizen complaint alleging that Board Members Timothy Hess and Kelly DeWitt violated Board Policy as a result of their social media activities. The investigation was conducted by the Board of Education’s legal counsel, who determined that evidence did not exist to support the claim that a violation of Board Policy has occurred.
We believe the complaint filed by the citizen in question was nothing more than a partisan attempt to cause division among the Board and censure views and opinions with which the complainant disagrees. We are pleased that the Board’s investigation found the complaint to be without merit.
As members of a democratic society, we are each constitutionally entitled to our own viewpoints and opinions on issues that are important to us. Sometimes our views and opinions do not perfectly align with those of others within our community. Fostering a community discussion of district issues should not be viewed as to undermine the Board of Education, the District, or District staff. It is the healthy discourse on views and opinions across the spectrum of political ideology that makes us all stronger as a whole. We take the attempt to curtail our constitutionally protected freedom of speech very seriously, and will resist with all our strength should it ever resurface again.
We are committed to improving the educational welfare of all students within the Oshkosh Area School District. We will continue to advocate on behalf of those students, as well as the entire community, both as individuals and as Board Members."
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