At Thursday night’s Grundy County School Board meeting, District 2 board member Linda Broom was the subject of allegations about a phone call with educator Allison Borne. Borne reported that she received a call from Broom after posting on Facebook in May about five board members, including Broom, not attending a vote on a $2,000 teacher bonus. In an audio recording, Broom referenced speaking with an attorney and cautioned that if any incident occurred involving board members because of the post, Borne could potentially face a civil harassment lawsuit.

Borne told the board that the call caused her concern about her job. Broom refuted the claim of harassment, indicating that Borne’s posts led to harassment towards her and other board members. During the meeting, Margaret Thomas read a recommendation from the board’s complaint manager advising the board to formally disapprove of Broom’s actions and distance itself from her.

The board subsequently voted 5–4 to censure Broom. Phyllis Lusk, Angela Nunley, Margaret Thomas, Nelda Stifel, and Tiffany Winton (appointed by the County Commission) voted in favor. Eric Birdwell, Mary Ann Hargis, and Doyle Shrum voted against. The censure represents a formal statement of disapproval but does not affect Broom’s privileges or responsibilities as a board member.