A Rochester Community Schools board member is alleging the district violated her free speech rights in a new lawsuit.
The lawsuit comes after Rochester Community Schools trustee Carol Beth Litkouhi was censured for writing an op-ed against a millage the district hadn’t yet formally announced.
The resolution accused her of breaking a bylaw meant to protect confidential information.
But Litkouhi’s attorneys argue the bylaw unconstitutionally limits free speech. Mackinac Center Legal Foundation lawyer Derk Wilcox says he’s worried the rule sets a precedent.
“There's a chance that other public government entities will do the same thing and say, if you speak openly and honestly with your constituents about something that the majority doesn't support, we're going to censure you. The whole point of the censure was to intimidate her to keep people from doing this in the future.”
The bylaw is part of a ban on “private action that might compromise the Board.”
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