Missouri AG announces investigation of St. Joseph, Missouri school district over ‘disturbing’ allegations

The St. Joseph School District is actively being investigated by the Missouri attorney general over allegations first reported by The Lion.

Those allegations include violations of Missouri Sunshine Law related to closed meetings, illegal electioneering for a school bond campaign, and conflicts of interest between the district and Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph (CAPSTJOE), where one board member served as executive director and another as board treasurer.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced the investigation on Thursday, and made public a letter from his office to Board President LaTonya Williams demanding public records related to the allegations.

“As Attorney General, I take seriously my obligation to enforce the laws as written,” said Attorney General Bailey in statement provided to The Lion. “Public officials have a duty to maintain the highest standards of conduct, and this is especially true when public officials are responsible for the education of Missouri children.”

The AG’s office characterized the allegations as “disturbing” and “credible.”

“Attorney General Bailey’s demands for meeting records comes following credible allegations that the Board violated the Sunshine Law, state ballot-measure expenditure and state conflict-of-interest laws,” a statement from the office reads.

The Lion was the first to report on evidence of illegal electioneering in the district’s April bond issue, as well as raise questions about the possible conflicts of interest of board members.

Earlier this year, district resources were used by the superintendent, director of communications and other school employees to coordinate and promote the yes campaign for the ballot measure that passed April 2.

The Lion originally reported that Superintendent Gabe Edgar’s “thank you” video, published on district social media a day after the bond passed, appeared to describe unlawful district coordination with the pro-bond campaign committee.

Emails obtained by The Lion through a Missouri Sunshine request revealed the extent of the coordination: multiple district employees used district emails and on-the-clock time to liaise with the committee and work on pro-bond materials – actions that appear to violate Missouri law.

The Lion also reported in April that school board members LaTonya Williams and Whitney Lanning work together at Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph (CAPSTJOE), which employed Lanning as Executive Director from 2016 until her recent firing following a viral video showing her harassing a fellow board member. CAPSTJOE also contracts with the district to provide early childhood learning.

Now, the Bailey’s office is demanding records and documents from the district to investigate further, including:

• All contracts, agreements, and memoranda of understanding between the St. Joseph School District or Board and Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph;

• Financial records reflecting the cost or value of money received, money given to, in-kind contribution received from, or in-kind contribution given to the Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph;

• A copy of every check, receipt, or record of transactions documenting the expenditure of any Board of District funds relating to a bond measure that was on the April 2024 ballot;

• All of the District’s and Board’s policies pertaining to conflicts of interest, concurrent employment, membership in outside organizations for Board members and District employees.