QVSD Board Emerges From 80-Minute Executive Session With No Action Taken

The Quillayute Valley School District Board of Directors met behind closed doors for roughly 80 minutes Wednesday afternoon, then adjourned without taking any action or offering further explanation of what was discussed.

The special meeting was open to the public for only about two minutes in total. After the Pledge of Allegiance, the board adopted its agenda by voice vote and immediately moved into executive session.

At the one-hour mark, the board briefly reconvened to announce it needed 20 additional minutes. Members returned to open session at approximately 1:25 PM.

Back in open session, the board announced that no decisions had been made and that none would be made that day.

The meeting came three months after a federal jury in Tacoma found the district liable for subjecting former assistant cross-country coach Kari Larson to a hostile work environment, awarding her $250,000 in damages under the Washington Law Against Discrimination. 

The same jury declined to find the district or former head coach Brian Weekes liable for retaliation and cleared Athletic Director and Title IX Coordinator Kyle Weakley of negligent supervision and retention claims.

Since the April verdict, community members have repeatedly used public comment periods at regular board meetings to press for transparency and question the administration's oversight of coaches and staff. Wednesday's special meeting offered no such forum, and the board's brief public statements shed no light on how, or whether, it intends to respond.

Whatever the board discussed Wednesday, any resulting action will have to come at a future open meeting. We will continue to monitor the district's agendas and report on any action taken.