LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Lakota Board of Education has voted to declare member Darbi Boddy's seat vacant following her 90-day absence.
According to the district's notice earlier this week, the board was scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. at Lakota East Freshman School to vote on whether the reason for Boddy's 90-day absence is insufficient. If the board voted that her reason was insufficient, members would then declare her seat vacant and appoint a replacement per Ohio law.
The members of the board who attended Wednesday's meeting voted to declare Boddy's seat vacant. Fellow board member Isaac Adi, whose protection order against Boddy has kept her from participating in any meetings, voted "present."
In a statement to WCPO, board member Douglas Horton said Boddy has "directly caused her inability to participate" in board work.
"I look at myself and, then, to my right. I see board members who understand not just their roles but, more importantly, their responsibilities," Horton said. "I look to my left, and I see an empty chair. This empty chair started before my term on the board, and it will remain empty for the foreseeable future specifically because of Mrs. Boddy’s own actions.
"Lakota Schools deserve more than an empty chair. Now, because of our responsibility as dictated by the Ohio Revised Code, this Board has the obligation to ensure this empty chair gets filled. I, for one, will not shrink away from this responsibility.”
Board member Kelley Casper outlined the issues the board could face by moving forward with an even number.
"There could be a 2-2 vote, and there’s no precedent for how to break the tie," she said. "For me, it has nothing to do with what is between you [Isaac Adi] and Mrs. Boddy. This is about the functionality of a five-person board."
Before the meeting, Boddy said in a statement to WCPO that the proceedings were "not ethical."
After their vote, she said the move was "pathetic and sad," comparing it to what "they are trying to do to Trump."
"This has always been a First Amendment issue," Boddy said. "This corrupt process has quashed not just my voice, but the voice of those who voted for me, and for that reason I do not think it will wear well."
Around 40-50 people attended the meeting. The audience erupted in applause at the board's decision once the meeting was over.
“Mrs. Boddy has been a disruptor for the last two years and the children in the Lakota School District have not been able to get the full focus of education that they deserve because of that," said former Lakota School Board member Sandy Wheatley.
Wheatley said what disappointed her the most about Boddy was all of the name calling.
“Someone should be on the board of education because they are committed to public education and they’re committed to children getting the best public education they can and they’re committed to all children having a seat at the table," she said.
Christa Obe has two children in Lakota Local Schools. She said the meetings without Boddy in attendance have been civil and efficient. She said the board got it right.
"It’s not because the board just wanted her out it’s because of her own actions. What she decided to do is the reason why they were able to remove her," Obe said.
Adi's protection order against Boddy prevents her from being within 500 feet of Adi until September 2025.
According to the protection order, Boddy called Adi out during an April 2023 conference in Florida before "reading from a prepared statement to a crowd, which on at least two of those occasions consisted of 200 to 300 attendees."
In another incident, Adi alleged Boddy followed him after a June 2023 meeting and filmed him at close quarters while expressing she was upset about derogatory remarks about her. Then, after Adi already filed for the protection order, he said Boddy filmed him again asking him why he stepped out of a committee hearing to take a work-related call.
Adi's lawyer then alleged Boddy violated the restraining order in November 2023 by attending the same conference in Columbus and coming within 500 feet of him.
Boddy said no one believes "Isaac needs to be protected from me."
"Even those who like the outcome, know that it was a corrupt process that removed me," said Boddy.
Kate Breddestege, parent of Lakota students, said she doesn't believe Boddy's politics had anything to do with the board's vote.
"I know a lot of people try to think this is all some kind of political hit job and it’s really not. A lot of this comes down to the fact that Darbi Boddy could not follow the rules. Darbi Buddy decided to make her own rules, disrupt every meeting, and harass people to the point where she had a protection order placed abasing her," she said.
The school board will have to appoint someone to fill her seat. They'll announce their choice at the next special or regular board meeting. The next regular board meeting is on April 1.
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