- Jackson Public Schools (JPS) Trustee Kesha Hamilton was in court Thursday seeking a personal protection order (PPO) against School Board Chair Pam Fitzgerald, saying she has felt unsafe when approached by Fitzgerald — particularly in closed sessions of Board meetings.
- Judge John McBain denied Hamilton's request for a PPO but ordered them both to agree on a mutually acceptable third party to be present with them in closed sessions to help prevent disagreements from escalating.
- JPS parent Mikal Mersereau believes the conflictual situation is distracting the JPS Board from its mission and that the District has a problem with bullying behavior in general.
- WATCH THE VIDEO for courtroom footage, Hamilton's, Fitzgerald's, and Mersereau's reactions.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Tensions between certain Jackson Public Schools (JPS) Board Members have flared to a point where Courts are getting involved. I was in Court today to see why one trustee is asking for a personal protection order from another.
"I'm very concerned that the situation is interfering with our children's education," says JPS parent Mikal Mersereau, reacting to the situation on the Jackson Public Schools Board and news of this latest development.
JPS Board Member Kesha Hamilton was in Court Thursday to ask for a personal protection order (PPO) against Board Chair Pam Fitzgerald. Hamilton testified she has felt unsafe on several occasions when approached by Fitzgerald — particularly following disagreements in closed Board sessions.
Hamilton was recently the recipient of a disparaging text message from Superintendent Jeff Beal that led to calls for his resignation — calls that the Board rejected.
Judge John McBain did not grant the PPO. However, he told both Hamilton and Fitzgerald to agree on a mutually acceptable third person to sit in on their closed meetings to minimize confrontations.
Hamilton says she’s satisfied even without a PPO.
“I wanted to simply be protected during closed session. I wanted a directive in order for that to occur. She has just two more months on the Board; we have one scheduled closed session. So, he granted my request and that that I be protected during closed session. So I've gotten everything I wanted,” said Hamilton.
Fitzgerald, for her part, said she is saddened and saw no grounds for the proceedings.
“We have always been able to discuss — even sometimes in a heated manner — and come to a compromise. ‘OK, I can live with that, and you do this.’ And that’s gone now," said Fitzgerald. "And that’s very sad because then nothing really gets resolved, and there are bad feelings, and there’s tension, and people aren’t looking forward to our meetings like they did at one time.”
Mersereau says she hears from her daughter a lot about bullying in her school and sees the School Board as just one more example of a problem of culture throughout the system.
"The bullying situation that is happening between Board Members — I feel that it's very inappropriate," she says, "and I feel that measures have not been taken to take care of the issues and the people that are implementing these things."
Mersereau says her own calls for bullying to be addressed within Jackson Public Schools have fallen on deaf ears.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
