By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph School Board member Isaura Garcia has dropped her civil lawsuit against fellow board member Whitney Lanning.
Garcia, in a statement released via email, says the criminal justice system has held Lanning accountable and, as a result, there is no need to continue to pursue civil litigation. Lanning has been placed on two years probation after pleading guilty to second-degree harassment.
Lanning confronted Garcia after a tense school board meeting February 26th in which the board narrowly rejected moving to a four-day school week. Lanning supported the measure. Garcia opposed it.
Garcia claimed Lanning threatened her and threw a bag, hitting a wall next to her. Lanning has countered that Garcia made an inappropriate reference to her child. The St. Joseph Board of Education officially censured Lanning for her actions.
Garcia maintains that Lanning should resign from the school board. Lanning has told KFEQ/St. Joseph Post she has no plans to resign.
Garcia released the following statement:
"I am pleased that our criminal justice system held Mrs. Lanning accountable for her outrageous conduct when she pled guilty to harassment earlier this month. I am also grateful the court ordered her to participate in anger management. From the beginning, my only objective was to see that she was held accountable for her inexcusable actions. The criminal justice system has now held Mrs. Lanning accountable, and, as a result, there is no need for me to continue to pursue civil litigation. I will continue to serve the students, staff, and community. While I remain convinced that her actions make her unfit to serve on the Board and believe she should resign, I sincerely hope that we can work together professionally for the remainder of our tenure on the Board. "
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