The Forest Hills Board of Education spent nearly half of its Tuesday, Sept. 1, meeting behind closed doors, holding two executive sessions over four hours.

All five board members were present at the Central Office Building on Beechmont Avenue. The meeting began at 4:30 p.m. and did not adjourn until 8:32 p.m.

At the start of the meeting, Board President Dr. Wendy Strickler moved to amend the agenda to add a resolution regarding the district pool as item 7.1, placed before the second executive session.

Board Vice President Dr. Jason Simmons moved to enter the first executive session at 4:34 p.m., citing Ohio Revised Code Section 121.22(G)(3), which allows boards to meet privately with legal counsel over pending or imminent court action. Board member Jeff Nye seconded. The vote was 5-0. The board returned to open session at 5:32 p.m. after roughly 58 minutes.

The meeting minutes do not identify which legal dispute was discussed. The district faces at least one active lawsuit: a case brought by resident Lisa Daly over the district's redactions to its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) response plan. WCPO reported in March that Daly sued after the district blacked out roughly half the document, citing a state security-records exemption. The district had asked the Ohio Supreme Court to dismiss the case.

Attorney Curt Hartman, representing Daly, told WCPO in March that "nearly half of it was redacted or blackened out so you could not see it."

Board member Jeremy Ward had requested a legal-case update during the Aug. 4 meeting. At the Aug. 19 meeting, Dr. Strickler said there were "no new updates" on the legal front. At the June 29 meeting, the board unanimously approved a request for assistance from the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) Legal Assistance Fund in the Daly case.

The pool resolution, labeled "Resolution of Necessity" in the minutes, came up after a board recess at 7:07 p.m. The minutes do not include the resolution's text or record a vote on it.

The Anderson High School pool has been closed since 2019 because of significant water loss. Anderson, Turpin and Nagel swim teams have shared Turpin's pool since the 2019-2020 season. Cost estimates presented at earlier meetings ranged from $712,000 to $787,000 to remove the pool to as much as $12.3 million for a new stand-alone aquatic facility. In June, the board directed the administration to research filling in the pool and repurposing the space.

Dr. Simmons then moved to enter a second executive session at 7:16 p.m. under ORC 121.22(G)(1), which covers the employment of a public employee or official. Board member Erin Walczewski seconded. The vote was again 5-0. That session lasted about 76 minutes. No action was taken in open session afterward.

During the open portion, Superintendent Suzanna Davis reported an "outstanding" start to the school year. Assistant Superintendent Kim Tinsley presented on student needs and the student experience. The Teaching and Learning Committee meeting was rescheduled to Sept. 28 to align with the release of the State Report Card.

The next regular board meeting is Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at Mercer Elementary School, 2350 Bartels Road.