VIRGINIA — Rock Ridge School Board directors voted Monday to begin a process to remove Pollyann Sorcan from its ranks, citing alleged misconduct dating back to February, when they claim she contacted an attorney involved in a lawsuit against the district.
The resolution to remove Sorcan, 71, came hours after the director pleaded guilty to a third-degree driving while impaired charge and was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation.
Director Brandi Lautigar filed the motion, which cited the results of an investigation by attorney Josh Heggem and accused Sorcan of violating School Board Policy 209 to privately take action against the board, undermine the board over a personal matter, and work against the board and superintendent.
Sorcan allegedly contacted an attorney who worked with Katherine Disterhaft and Richard Klabechek on lawsuits against district over the demolition of former school buildings in the area. Disterhaft is also a candidate in the Nov. 5 the school board election.
“The conduct described above demonstrates that Ms. Sorcan abdicated her responsibilities as a member of the School Board in favor of her personal, private interests,” the resolution stated. “In addition, Ms. Sorcan has demonstrated that she is willing to use her authority and influence as a member of the School Board to further her personal, private interests. Lastly, Ms. Sorcan has demonstrated that she is unwilling to guard the confidentiality of data shared by the District’s attorneys for the purpose of acting to undermine the decisions of the School Board.”
The board entered a closed session Monday for nearly two hours to read the report before returning to an open meeting. Sorcan had asked for the discussion to remain open, but the board ultimately closed it, citing recommendations from legal counsel and Superintendent Dr. Noel Schmidt.
Director Nicole Culbert-Dahl moved to simply censure Sorcan, and to table to the resolution to remove her, but both efforts failed.
Sorcan questioned the fairness of the board voting on the matter without giving her a chance to respond. She noted she participated in the investigation cited, but not in her defense of the final report.
“That’s very unfair and very unjust,” she said Monday. “I find presumptions that are far reaching, information that is inaccurate…” She continued: “I didn’t have a chance, nor did you give me a chance. Is it assumed 100 percent accurate because an investigator put it in writing?”
The motion to remove Sorcan passed 4-3, with Lautigar, John Uhan, Tim Riordan and Bill Addy voting in favor. Sorcan, Culbert-Dahl and Lisa Westby voted against.
Sorcan has 10 days to request a formal hearing over her removal, and if she does, the board would appoint an independent hearing officer to conduct matters and report back to the district on their findings, conclusions and decisions.
After the hearing, or if a formal hearing is not requested by Sorcan, the board could vote to finalize her removal and trigger a special election.
The move against Sorcan is the latest chapter in a contentious relationship between the director and board, and comes on the heels of her personal legal issue being resolved.
Sorcan was charged with a gross misdemeanor following a Sept. 27 arrest in West Eveleth, where court records alleged she backed into an RV and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.18, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Rock Ridge declined comment on her arrest at the time and the district has not acknowledged the criminal proceedings publicly.
Sixth District Judge Robert C. Friday accepted Sorcan’s plea Monday, which also levied a fine of more than $1,000, in lieu of jail time. Conditions of probation include treatment and assessment, no driving without a valid license and insurance, paying restitution, remaining law abiding and no alcohol/controlled substance use, or mood-altering chemicals.
Sorcan was re-elected to a four-year term in 2022 and has served more than 20 years as a director for Rock Ridge and the former Eveleth-Gilbert school boards, during which times she sued both districts on separate occasions and has a pending appeal stemming from the latest one. She was also censured by the board in 2023.
