PAPILLION — A petition drive to recall Papillion La Vista Community Schools Board of Education member Valerie Fisher has failed.
The recall effort by Papillion resident Loan Eby, leader of a group calling themselves the “Papillion Patriots,” did not submit any of the needed 7,229 signatures needed to trigger a recall election. The deadline was Monday.
In a statement to the Times, Eby said, “We did not get the 7,229 signatures to recall Ms. Fisher, however, we did achieve our primary goal of increasing awareness and informing the PLCS community on the PLCS Board activities and policy violations.”
Eby’s ongoing claims of “policy violations,” both in public testimony before the PLCS Board and online, has drawn sharp criticism.
“There are no policy violations, and it is a false accusation,” said Annette Eyman, PLCS director of communications. “The public sees this, and for her to continue to make these allegations is just wrong.
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“It is time for her to start proving policy violations or quit saying it.”
PLCS Superintendent Andrew Rikli commented on such “policy violations” at the PLCS board meeting on Dec. 13. Eby and other individuals have been peppering state officials for several months with objections over PLCS mask policy, vaccine clinics and fundraising.
“We’ve had complaints lodged with the attorney general, twice. We’ve had complaints lodged with the state auditor, with the Nebraska Department of Education, the Nebraska Professional Practices Commission, and lastly, DHHS (the Department of Health and Human Services),” Rikli said.
Most recently, in a complaint filed on Dec. 3 with the Health Facility Investigations Licensure Unit of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Eby writes that the Sarpy Cass Health Department and PLCS should not hold vaccination clinics at Papillion-La Vista South High School “without a Nebraska Healthcare Facility License in violation of the Health Care Facility Licensure Act.”
The complaint is at odds with Nebraska statute 71-416 from the Health Care Facility Licensure Act, which says: (2) Health clinic does not include … (b) a facility which provides only routine health screenings, health education, or immunizations.
“Seven complaints, filed by district taxpayers, that have chewed up an enormous amount of time, money and resources on the taxpayer dime. On the taxpayer dime. All seven of those complaints have been found without merit, have been summarily dismissed, and said the district did what they were supposed to do. That is something the taxpayers need to know,” Rikli said.
Eby initially sought to oust four PLCS board members, all officers. Three of those members, however, are up for reelection next year and are not eligible for recall, only the recently-elected Fisher.
“As I have always done, I will continue to serve in my role as an elected Board of Education member, with passion and caring, putting the educational welfare of our students in the forefront. I will continue to make decisions based on what is best for the school district’s students and staff and the taxpayers who elected me to do so,” Fisher said in a statement to the Times.
