Public records raise questions about whether School Committee Chair Karyn Jones coordinated with resident Colleen Gleason on a politically sensitive records request shortly before the March 31 School Committee election. In a follow-up message to district officials, Gleason wrote: “Karyn referenced one email. Can you just send that over? I didn’t mean to complicate things.” The request sought emails involving Jennifer and Jonathan Sullivan after Jonathan Sullivan launched a write-in campaign for School Committee; the district ultimately identified a single responsive email opposing the proposed LGBTQ+ Parent Advisory Committee – which was made public on March 30, one day before the election. The records do not prove misconduct or show whether the timing was deliberate, but they suggest Jones may have separately discussed the existence of a responsive email before the district fulfilled the request, raising questions about her role in a request concerning the family of a candidate aligned with critics of the Committee.

Edited May 26 – while the SPS response to Ms. Gleason-Epple was dated Monday, March 30, it was actually sent by email on Friday, March 27 at 3:49PM. A legal invoice indicates a discussion on this matter on March 27.