San Diego School Superintendent Terry Grier
is downplaying a new district policy preventing
school board members
from publicly criticizing him and his staff. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
San Diego school board members adopted a
new set of governance policies
clarifying their role in the district -- as well as how they should behave.
The most controversial rule bans trustees from criticizing Grier or his staff in public. Those who do will be reprimanded. Critics say the rule is unconstitutional and stamps out public dissent.
Grier, speaking on
KPBS Radio's These Days program,
says it was the board's decision to push the policy forward.
Grier:
I'll be frank with you. They (school board members) can criticize me privately, they can criticize me publicly. It doesn't bother me at all. School boards can do what school boards want to do. If they want to change this policy, I'm easy with that.
Four of the five school board members approved the rule. The San Diego school board has had a history of openly criticizing past superintendents. Trustees say the rule is an effort to focus on issues and not personalities.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
