IONE — The Ione School District School Board censured its former board chair, Rob Crum, after an independent investigator found Crum engaged in cyberbullying and violated district policy in emails he sent in the spring.

The vote to censure Crum took place on Sept. 5, in a special meeting of the board in the Ione High School cafeteria. The board opened the meeting with comments from Crum before allowing a period of public comment from the crowd of more 50 locals.

“I sent an email that had mean language and violated the chain of command,” Crum said, addressing the crowd as the meeting began. “There was an investigation; it was pretty cut and dry. You can’t say mean words, you can’t violate the chain of command. We have these policies for a reason, it’s important we don’t violate them, and I did. I’m sorry. I’m sorry to you, the whole community, and sorry for what this has become.”

The emails to Alison Ogden, a fromer sixth-grade teacher at Ione Community Charter School, and to school board member Ed Rietmann and his spouse, Becky Rietmann, contained comments the three described in complaints as unprofessional, disparaging and defaming, according to the findings of a report from C. Scott Whittington, a private investigator in La Grande the school district hired to investigate the matter.

“There’s no way to defend my actions,” Crum said. “We already had people leave, people leaving, it’s super ugly, it’s just terrible. All of this is embarrassing to a really, really good community.”

Crum went on to hold up several pieces of heavily folded paper with screenshots taken from Ogden’s social media containing various memes and complaints, one complaining about coaches, another depicting a nun using expletives, which he said he felt had been targeted at school staff and created tense working conditions.

Ogden denied these images had any relation to the school district. He asked the community to consider not doing what he called “shooting the wounded,” which he explained could mean ganging up on teachers over lesson plans and dress codes or coaches or board members online.

“That’s the kind of stuff that can make you do what I did,” Crum said.

As Crum concluded his comments, he said he would consider resignation, but would ask that should he resign, he be joined by fellow school board member Ed Rietmann, who had been one of the complainants against him. Once he had completed his prepared comments, the board began calling on members of the audience to speak. Ogden was up first.

“Teachers have a right to free speech, and have a right to a sense of humor,” she said. “If you don’t like jokes I’m posting on my personal social media, which is private, that’s your problem.”

Odgen’s Facebook page, however, is not private. “I’m glad you apologized for dragging Ione through the mud,” she continued, “because this could have been solved three or four months ago.”

After receiving the email, Ogden requested a meeting to discuss her workplace safety, she said, where now board Chair Lisa Rietmann was in attendance.

At that meeting, Rietmann expressed similar views to what Crum had written in his email, Ogden said, which led her to the decision to resign.

“I was devastated, instead of support or options from anyone, I was pressured to resign,” she said.

Several members of the community took to the microphone to raise concerns, all unanimously criticizing the board for its trajectory, with many speakers asking for “change,” if not explicit resignations.

“This is the school board’s fault, this is the fault of the staff, this is the fault of this community,” Ione resident August Peterson said. “When was the last time a group like this showed up to the school for something that wasn’t a sporting event? We cannot be a special community if the only thing that rouses us to action is anger. We are here now, you have to make some hard choices and do the right thing. Do what needs to be done to make sure this school can turn around and have the staff, students and community feel safe when they come in the building.”

As the period of public comment concluded, Lisa Rietmann asked for a motion. Board member Elizabeth Peterson moved to censure Crum, and board member Paola Cabrera seconded the motion.

The board passed the censure 3 to zero with one recusal.

Crum declined to comment after the meeting.

The East Oregonian before the meeting tried to reach Ione schools Superintendent Tracey Johnson for a comment. She sent a message the afternoon before the meeting via the InterMountain Education Service District.

“Unfortunately, our school community has been experiencing a difficult and stressful time in the past few weeks,” according to Johnson. “While I cannot speak about that situation, I would like to communicate that myself and the school district’s teachers and staff are focusing on the start of the 23-24 school year, our students and their success.”