Petition filed against Joplin R-8 School Board members

A petition for a writ of mandamus was filed Wednesday in Newton County Circuit Court by Stacy Salmon asking that the court order the swearing-in of Jim Kimbrough on the Joplin R-8 Board of Education.

The petition was filed against board members Jeff Koch, Debbie Fort, Jennifer Martucci and Lynda Banwart, and board secretary Janet Waldo. Board members were reportedly served Wednesday night.

The petition was filed after the announcement Wednesday morning that the Jasper County Commission was going to appoint members to replace Lane Roberts, Randy Steele, and Mike Landis during a special meeting at 10:30 a.m. in the Jasper County Courthouse. The board members are scheduled to be sworn in immediately after the announcement.

The petition says that Kimbrough should have been appointed the moment Koch, Fort, and Martucci voted for Kimbrough, with Mike Landis and Lynda Banwart casting "no" votes. Randy Steele had resigned just before the meeting.

State law says nothing about requiring four votes, or a majority of the seven votes available when the full board is seated, though board attorney Norman Rouse and the Missouri School Boards Association have said the four votes were necessary.

A petition for a writ of mandamus asks the court to order a public governmental body to take a particular action or to change an action it has already taken.