The Idaho State Board of Education on Friday determined no open meeting violation occurred when it held a May 15 executive session to discuss the University of Idaho’s acquisition of the University of Phoenix.
The board met in response to a lawsuit filed by Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador and Solicitor General Theo Wold alleging the board violated the Open Meetings Law before it approved the University of Phoenix acquisition.
The lawsuit from Labrador and Wold argued that at least one of the board’s executive sessions leading to the University of Phoenix purchase should have been held publicly. Additionally, the lawsuit says if the meetings were held in violation of code, subsequent actions by the board regarding the transaction are “null and void.”
The Office of the State Board of Education is now in the process of seeking to retain independent counsel for purposes of advising the Board as to the merits of the legal claims and defenses to the lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s Office, and representing the Board in court.
