At its meeting last week, the St. Francis School Board asked district administration to explore the process of removing a school board member, Matt Rustad. The Elk River 22-year-old was censured last month after he admitted to plagiarizing a column he submitted to the district newsletter. In the weeks since, community members and some of his colleagues on the board said the measure wasn't strong enough to counter a misdeed that would result in a failure grade in any St. Francis classroom. Rustad has said his vote in favor of his own censure was an adequate gesture of repentance.
Minnesota statute allows school boards to remove members for cause, said the district's human resources director, David Lindberg.
This week, members will decide whether to put the question on the Oct. 22 meeting agenda. In any case, no action likely will be taken until the district completes an investigation, Lindberg said.
A community member also has launched an online petition to have him removed.
