Skip to main content
Two Portland School Board members are calling on Portland Public Schools to retain independent legal counsel to look into district leaders’ use of Signal.
Stephanie Engelsman and Virginia La Forte are backing an amendment to a resolution that will be under consideration at a special meeting on Friday. That amendment was posted on Thursday, so board members will have the opportunity to discuss both together.
The original resolution, introduced by School Board Chair Eddie Wang, came in response to a Nov. 6 WW story that described screenshots from multiple sources showing that district leaders, including Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, engaged in conversations about district business on Signal, a third-party messaging app. Some of the screenshots WW reviewed showed that Armstrong and leaders at times used Signal’s “disappearing messages” feature, which allows users to set a time frame after which messages are automatically deleted.
A PPS spokesperson has confirmed Signal is not a district-approved platform for conducting official PPS communications.
Engelsman and La Forte’s amendment asks outside legal counsel to review a similar scope of inquiry as the original resolution, including facts on message use and preservation. But it also notably asks that any inquiry determine whether Armstrong, other top district employees or entities acting on behalf of PPS directed employees to use non-PPS approved messaging platforms to conduct district business.
If approved on its original terms, Wang’s resolution would authorize PPS general counsel to work with outside legal counsel to seek facts on three points before reporting back to the School Board. Broadly, those three points revolve around if district employees used Signal, if information can be retained, and authorization to collect other relevant information.
Engelsman and La Forte’s amendment broadens the inquiry beyond PPS employees, extending to former district leaders and “individuals or entities acting on behalf of the district.” It notably calls for the use of independent counsel to conduct the inquiry. The amendment, if approved, would ask that findings be provided “directly and solely to the full board” by Dec. 11.
“The board authorizes and directs the district to immediately retain independent legal counsel to advise and represent the board, and to initiate and manage fact-finding,” the resolution reads in part. “District general counsel and district personnel shall provide necessary records, information, and logistical assistance but will not have authority to direct independent counsel or the fact-finding process.”
It asks that independent counsel establish a confidential communication channel whereby current and former employees with relevant information may provide information and documents.
The amendment also goes a step further than the original resolution by asking that the district start immediately preserving any potentially relevant records and information.
Neither La Forte nor Engelsman were immediately available for comment. WW will update the story with more information when it becomes available.
