A note from the publisher: I’m one of the subjects of this story, and as a one-person newsroom I can’t hand it to another reporter. Like Westminster Wire’s Oct. 23 story, it’s written the way I’d write about anyone else, relying on documents, including emails and text messages, rather than my own account. — Mike Holden
Nearly two weeks after Westminster Wire publisher Mike Holden told the Carroll County Board of Education he has trouble getting answers from the school system, Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS) has not answered his questions about how it handles media requests or what its Technology Services review of his emails has found.
After Board President Steve Whisler said at the Oct. 14 meeting that the board members who checked had found no emails from Holden, Holden sent CCPS six questions on Oct. 18 about whether its email system had filtered his messages and how it decides whether to answer media requests. He requested a response by Oct. 21.
On Oct. 21, he sent four more about the scope of the Technology Services review and whether email from the public in general is reaching board members, requesting a response by Oct. 26. Both dates have passed without direct answers to any of the 10 questions.
CCPS communications officer Carey Gaddis said on Oct. 21 that Technology Services is looking into whether Holden's emails reached CCPS. She has not said what the review covers, who is conducting it or when it will finish. Superintendent Dr. Cynthia McCabe has not responded to emails.
The questions also bear on how the public reaches the board. CCPS's website lists an individual email address for each board member, along with a comment form it says goes to all board members and the superintendent. In June, Gaddis wrote that she had found one of Holden's emails, sent from his Gmail account, in her spam folder. His Oct. 21 questions ask whether the review covers email from the public in general. CCPS has not said.
How this started
At the Oct. 14 Board of Education meeting, Holden spoke during public comment about the difficulty of getting answers from CCPS and the board for Westminster Wire articles, saying he wanted board members to see him face to face in hopes of better communication. He said CCPS's communications staff had been "super professional and friendly," but that he had contacted the school system about 10 times over six months and gotten "real answers" about three times. Whisler responded that "a few of us on the dais" had checked their email and none had received an email from Holden.
Holden published a story on Oct. 23 with his record of emails to CCPS and the board since June. According to that record, none was returned as undeliverable.
Separate from whether board members received his emails, the record shows Holden sent nine requests for information or comment to the CCPS communications office between June and October. Three got substantive responses. Six got no reply, on topics including Outdoor School, paraprofessionals losing dedicated devices and the library book selection policy.
Holden first emailed Gaddis about the board's decision to end the overnight Outdoor School program on June 11, from his Gmail address. On June 15, she replied: "I apologize. I found your email this morning in my spam folder."
On June 16, Gaddis told Holden his Outdoor School questions had been forwarded to Assistant Superintendent Jon O'Neal, who "is going to get back to you." Holden has no record of a reply from O'Neal.
When Holden followed up on June 24, Gaddis replied that O'Neal was out of the office for the next week. "I spoke with the Superintendent and everything that needs to be said was presented in the last Board meeting which is available online," she wrote. She added that closed-session discussions about Outdoor School "were for legal advice from the Board's attorney" and "are not public information."
What Holden asked on Oct. 18
On Sunday, Oct. 18, Holden emailed McCabe, Gaddis, Whisler and board members Patricia Dorsey, Tara Battaglia, Gregory Malveaux and Kristen Zihmer. He wrote that he was also submitting the request through the Board's contact form, which does not accept attachments, and attached a PDF of the record described above.
Holden asked for answers by Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. His questions, as written:
Has CCPS's email system filtered or quarantined messages from [email protected] or [email protected], particularly to board members' accounts? Could CCPS IT check logs for the dates and times in the PDF?
President Whisler said a few of those on the dais checked and found no emails from me. Who checked, and did the search include spam, junk and quarantine folders? Can CCPS confirm whether the emails addressed to Dr. Dorsey, Ms. Zihmer and President Whisler reached their accounts? If any did, why were they not answered?
Who reads board members' district email accounts, and how are spam or quarantined messages reviewed? Should residents use the Board's contact form rather than the individual addresses CCPS publishes?
If CCPS's review finds other messages that did not reach board members or staff, from community members or others, I would like to know.
Several of my requests through Ms. Gaddis's office have no reply in the record (entries 9, 10, 12, 25, 27 and 28). In June, Ms. Gaddis also told me my questions had been forwarded to Assistant Superintendent Jon O'Neal; I have no record of a reply from him. When a media request is forwarded to staff, how does CCPS decide whether and when it is answered, and who is responsible for responding?
Is anything in the record inaccurate or missing context?
What CCPS said back
Gaddis confirmed by email on Oct. 19 that she received the Oct. 18 message. Holden replied the same day with two follow-up questions: whether her office's own record matched the PDF, and whether CCPS IT was reviewing the logs, who was conducting the review and when he could expect results.
On Oct. 21, Gaddis wrote that she had shared Holden's two email addresses with CCPS Technology Services, which was looking into it, and that she would get back to him as soon as she had more information. Her email did not say whether her office's record matched, who is conducting the review or when to expect results. It did not address the six questions in the Oct. 18 email.
McCabe has not responded.
All five board members also confirmed by email that they received the Oct. 18 message, and four said they searched their own accounts and found no earlier emails from Holden. Whisler said he would ask the superintendent to have IT investigate. Those replies are covered in Westminster Wire's Oct. 23 story.
What Holden asked on Oct. 21
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Holden replied to Gaddis and copied McCabe and all five board members. He wrote that, other than Gaddis's update about Technology Services, he had not received answers to the Oct. 18 questions, including how CCPS decides whether and when media questions are answered and who is responsible for responding.
He also wrote that accounts from readers since the Oct. 14 meeting suggested two possible issues beyond his own emails: whether messages from the public reliably reach board members, and whether board members respond when they do. Westminster Wire is still reviewing those accounts for a separate story. Holden asked four more questions and requested answers by Monday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m.:
Is Technology Services looking only at my two addresses, or at whether email from the public in general is reaching board members and central office staff?
Has CCPS found anything so far, such as filtering, quarantine or spam rules, that could keep messages from outside senders, including Gmail and other consumer email services, from arriving?
For board members: who monitors your CCPS email addresses, and is there a practice or expectation for responding to emails from parents and residents?
When do you expect results, and will CCPS tell the public if it finds a broader problem?
Holden also asked whether the board and CCPS staff would answer the unanswered questions in the record about Outdoor School and other topics. On Oct. 23, he emailed McCabe, Gaddis and the board again with a link to his published story and said the Oct. 21 questions were still open.
What happened at the Oct. 26 deadline
The 5 p.m. Monday deadline passed without answers from CCPS. Holden's inbox showed no reply from Gaddis or McCabe as of early Tuesday.
At about 3:11 p.m. Monday, Holden emailed Gaddis again, asking:
Do you have an expected date for when they will finish the review, or for an update?
Is the review looking only at my two addresses, or also at whether email from the public in general is reaching board members?
He also reminded her that his Oct. 18 email asked how CCPS decides whether and when to answer media questions, and who is responsible for responding, and asked: "Is there anything new on the CCPS side about that?"
Before the 5 p.m. deadline, Holden also called Gaddis and left a voicemail. Gaddis has not replied to the email or the voicemail.
Holden also asked Whisler by email and text Monday whether he had heard anything from the superintendent or IT. Whisler texted back that evening that he had seen Holden's messages and would talk with staff Tuesday.
Where each question stands
CCPS has not directly answered any of the 10 numbered questions Holden sent on Oct. 18 and Oct. 21.
Question | What CCPS has said |
|---|---|
Oct. 18, Q1: Has CCPS's email system filtered or quarantined his messages? Could IT check logs? | Gaddis said Technology Services is looking into it. No findings yet. |
Oct. 18, Q2: Who checked, were spam and quarantine folders included, and did the emails reach accounts? | CCPS has not said whether the emails reached accounts. Board members described searching their own accounts. |
Oct. 18, Q3: Who reads board members' accounts, and how is spam reviewed? Should residents use the contact form? | No answer. |
Oct. 18, Q4: Will CCPS say if its review finds other messages that did not arrive? | No answer. |
Oct. 18, Q5: How does CCPS decide whether and when media requests are answered, and who is responsible? | No answer, including to Holden's Oct. 21 and Oct. 26 follow-ups. |
Oct. 18, Q6: Is anything in the record inaccurate or missing context? | No one has told Holden any entry is inaccurate. Gaddis has not said whether her office's record matches. |
Oct. 21, Q1: "Is Technology Services looking only at my two addresses, or at whether email from the public in general is reaching board members and central office staff?" | No answer, including when Holden asked again Oct. 26. |
Oct. 21, Q2: "Has CCPS found anything so far, such as filtering, quarantine or spam rules, that could keep messages from outside senders, including Gmail and other consumer email services, from arriving?" | No answer. |
Oct. 21, Q3: "For board members: who monitors your CCPS email addresses, and is there a practice or expectation for responding to emails from parents and residents?" | No answer. |
Oct. 21, Q4: "When do you expect results, and will CCPS tell the public if it finds a broader problem?" | No answer, including when Holden asked again Oct. 26 for an expected date. |
In his Oct. 21 email, Holden also asked whether the board and CCPS staff would answer the earlier unanswered questions in the record, including those about Outdoor School. CCPS has not responded to that request.
Westminster Wire will update this story when CCPS responds and will report the results of the Technology Services review when Gaddis provides them.
Timeline from Oct. 14 board meeting through Oct. 26
All times Eastern.
Oct. 14: Holden speaks during public comment at the Board of Education meeting. Whisler says the board members who checked their email found nothing from Holden.
Oct. 18, 8:31 a.m.: Holden emails McCabe, Gaddis and all five board members six questions and his email record, asking for answers by Oct. 21 at 5 p.m.
Oct. 18–19: All five board members confirm by email that they received the message. Whisler says he will ask the superintendent to have IT investigate.
Oct. 19, 7:40 a.m.: Gaddis confirms she received the email.
Oct. 19, 9:02 a.m.: Holden asks Gaddis whether her office's record matches his and whether CCPS IT is reviewing the logs.
Oct. 21, 12:09 p.m.: Gaddis says she has shared Holden's two email addresses with Technology Services, which is looking into it.
Oct. 21, 3:03 p.m.: Holden sends four more questions to Gaddis, copying McCabe and the board, asking for answers by Oct. 26 at 5 p.m.
Oct. 21, 5 p.m.: The first deadline passes. CCPS has not answered the six Oct. 18 questions.
Oct. 23: Westminster Wire publishes a story on CCPS reviewing why board members say they never received Holden's emails, including his full email record. Holden emails CCPS and the board a link to the article and notes that the Oct. 21 questions are still open.
Oct. 26, 3:11 p.m.: Holden asks Gaddis when the Technology Services review will finish and whether there is anything new on how CCPS handles media requests.
Oct. 26, 3:28 p.m.: Holden emails Whisler asking whether he has heard anything from the superintendent or IT about why Holden's earlier emails didn't reach board members, and about CCPS's policy on questions that reach staff but go unanswered.
Oct. 26, 4:54 p.m.: Holden calls Gaddis and leaves a voicemail following up on the 3:11 p.m. email.
Oct. 26, 5 p.m.: The second deadline passes without answers from CCPS.
Oct. 26, 6:08 p.m.: Holden texts Whisler to make sure he saw the afternoon email, given past problems with emails getting through, and asks whether McCabe has said anything about IT looking into the issue. Whisler texts back that he has seen Holden's messages and will talk with staff Tuesday.
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