"On the day before a piece featuring an interview with former Kentucky State University staff regent Chandee Felder criticizing the school's board of regents was set to run in The State Journal, school administration fired her.
"Felder, a former administrative assistant at the school, got a call from Human Resources Director Candice Raglin informing her of her termination from her position. Effective immediately, a letter from Raglin stated that Felder was fired due to an alleged violation of the school's HR policy and ethics code as well as 'gross misconduct.'
"The letter does not say specifically what behaviors triggered her firing, but Felder indicated that it was likely connected to her criticism of the board of regents for its inaction on the school's financial issues."
KSU's effort to insulate itself from criticism extend so far as to fire an employee and elected regent who dared to expose the truth.
If Felder's alleged misconduct consisted of nothing more than sharing public records with state officials, and ultimately the press,and publicly discussing matters illegally considered in closed session, then KSU has taken the perilous course of weaponizing state transparency laws to thwart transparency and accountability.
Whatever KSU's internal policies might be, those policies do not trump Kentucky's open government laws. *Nothing* in those laws proscribed the conduct that apparently resulted in Felder's termination.
