A new member of the beleaguered Clayton County school board accused his colleagues of meeting illegally Friday — the same secrecy that led Gov. Sonny Perdue to remove four other members.

On Thursday, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked Clayton schools’ accreditation, citing a dysfunctional board, among other reasons. Perdue removed the four members hours later for violating the state Open Meetings Act and state code of ethics.

Clayton County schools headlines:

• Photos: Timeline of Clayton schools' woes

• AJC editorial: Less hope

• Uniform dress policy in all Clayton schools 
• Board member says colleagues broke the law 
• Clayton runoff will fill 2 school board seats 
• Clayton schools ethics panel off to rocky start 
• Haralson schools could lose accreditation 

Read the full report to SACS:
• Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Large PDFs)

• Read SACS' report (PDF)

• Photos: Non-meeting | Angry parents | 400 protest
• Clayton County news

Board member Michael King stormed out after the other two members refused to let the public in.

“I can’t participate in an illegal meeting,” said King, an attorney sworn in to the District 4 seat earlier this week. “SACS was concerned about deceptive tactics, and we need to put a stop to that.”

Sherrie Eoff, a Morrow resident and Clayton schools graduate, was upset at being denied access to the meeting.

“On the heels of getting in so much trouble and losing accreditation, it’s not smart to not let the public in,” she said.

The three-member board had announced at an open forum Thursday night that it would meet Friday to discuss filling vacancies.

Board members Alieka Anderson and Trinia Garrett, who were sworn in last month, met Friday behind closed doors with Superintendent John Thompson, other school officials and Zenda Bowie from the Georgia School Boards Association. The association did not return a phone call Friday.

“We’re just trying to come up with ideas of who we’re appointing,” Anderson said.

Eoff came to the meeting to find out what she had to do to run for Sandra Scott’s vacated seat but wasn’t allowed in.

Assistant Superintendent Cephus Jackson initially told Eoff that the board could meet in private because it didn’t have a quorum and therefore could not conduct official business.

However, state law says that if members are removed for state violations, the board can conduct business without a quorum. The Open Meetings Act also says all discussion of appointments and filling vacancies must be conducted in public.

“It’s breathtaking that the day after four of the board’s members were removed for violating the Open Meetings Act, the remaining board members are again holding an illegal, secret meeting with the superintendent,” said Thomas Clyde, an attorney for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“The Open Records Act is perfectly clear: If the board meets to discuss filling vacancies, they have to do it in public. The reason is to make sure the proposed candidates are objective, well-qualified individuals, not just people who happen to be favored by the remaining board members or the superintendent.”

After about 30 minutes of waiting to see if she would be let in, Eoff was shown an agenda and told the meeting was a training session and closed to residents.

“It’s just training for the board. We’re training them so they can make informed decisions,” Jackson told the Morrow resident. “This is not a meeting.”

State law also requires the board post an agenda 24 hours in advance of the meeting. To close a meeting, the board must publicly convene and vote to meet behind closed doors.

That was not done.

This is not the first time the Georgia School Boards Association and outside consultants have been brought in to train the board. In the past, all training sessions were advertised as required by law and open to the public.

Eoff has no children but said she has a vested interest in what’s going on in the board as a property owner and Clayton graduate.

“I love where I am and I love my neighbors, but this is ridiculous,” said Eoff, who is studying for her MBA at Clayton State University.

King said he was not informed that the state association official would be at the meeting until he arrived.

“The training is more or less a way to get around letting the public in,” King said.

King said the board still planned to discuss the appointments in the closed meeting but would vote publicly on the decisions.

“We need to move forward and publicly appoint the people who will be in the general election,” King said. “They have been trained and should be qualified.”

King said he and the superintendent also had a disagreement over who runs the board — the members or the superintendent.

SACS cited similar conflicts between board members in its decision to revoke accreditation.

A state administrative judge also cited board members Michelle Strong, Sandra Scott, Yolanda Everett and Lois Baines-Hunter — who were all removed — for disagreements and bickering, along with at least 17 illegal closed meetings.

“The board may be acting with completely honorable motives, but if they do it in secret, it just raises more questions about the board’s stewardship,” Clyde said.

King said he hopes the board can move past this for the district.

“I only have one vote,” he said. “If I get cooperation of the other board members, I’m pretty sure we can get a plan to restore accreditation.”

It is unclear when the board will make the appointments. Their next advertised meeting is Sept. 8.