FCPS superintendent won’t give board member certain documents without Open Records Request

Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins on Thursday released an email he sent to board member Amanda Ferguson in which he called her conduct “misleading” and “unethical” and could force her to file an Open Records Request for certain documents.

That step is highly unusual and typically is used by the public and not members serving on a school board. Kentucky’s Open Records Act applies to public records maintained by state and local government agencies.

Ferguson did not comment to the Herald-Leader Friday.

In the Nov. 5 email, Liggins said to Ferguson: “It has come to my attention that a document you requested as a board member was subsequently shared with someone outside of the board. This action is a serious breach of trust, as the request was made under the pretense of board responsibilities, only to be used in another context. This conduct is misleading, unethical, and an abuse of your position as a board member, giving an unfair advantage for others.

“Community members should not be able to access documents through a personal connection with a board member while others must follow the formal Open Records process. This practice undermines the integrity of our procedures and responsibilities as well as creates an unfair dynamic.

“To ensure transparency and equity moving forward, any document requests you make outside of what I am already planning to share with the full board will require submission through the Open Records process. This approach will reinforce a fair process and ensure that all community members have equal access to information.”

Liggins provided the email to the Herald-Leader in response to a question from a reporter about his decision. His email to Ferguson was the only response he gave.

Ferguson mentioned Liggins’ decision at a district budget workshop on Feb. 27. Ferguson also said at that meeting a recent chair of the board budget and finance committee told school board members she couldn’t obtain a line by line budget from the district.

This week, on a Facebook page called Fayette County Kids Matter, Rachel Buser, a parent who recently unsuccessfully pushed an effort for the school board to not renew Liggins’ employment contract as superintendent, said in a post:

“Once again, kudos to Board Member Amanda Ferguson for being unafraid to ask questions and hold this administration to account. The audacity of the Superintendent to force an elected official to file ORRs (Open Records Request) for public information is astounding and downright frightening. How far will he go next?”

Ferguson responded to Buser in a post, making reference to an op-ed that Consolidated Baptist Church Richard Gaines had written for the Herald-Leader.

“Since you asked …In October 2024, just a few weeks before election day, the pastor of a local church submitted an op-ed to the local newspaper. Having hosted an event at his church for school board candidates from three separate districts, he chose to call out what he considered misleading comments presented without proper context by two of the candidates at the event,” Ferguson wrote.

“As a result of this published commentary, I received several questions from community members regarding the pastor’s relationship to the school district in general, and specifically regarding a possible service agreement his church has with the district. Since it did not require board approval, I did not know the details of the agreement myself.”

Ferguson added: “ I emailed the superintendent and asked for a copy of any contract between the church and Fayette County Public Schools. I made no claim regarding my intended usage of the information nor did I see a need to. The three-page contract, undeniably a public record, was emailed to me. After reviewing it, I shared it with a few of the people who had asked me about it and one posted images of it on social media.

“Subsequently, the superintendent emailed me stating that, because of my ‘misleading’ and ‘unethical’ conduct, he would no longer supply any information to me upon my request unless it was being shared with all other board members. He indicated that I would need to go through the process of filing an open records request, the standard procedure for any member of the community who wishes to see public records, for any documents I wished to see.I am now in my 13th year of service on the Fayette County Board of Education.

“Through three previous superintendents, and several interims, I have never been denied information in this manner, and I believe it is important for my constituents in the 4th district, and the community in general, to know that my advocacy on their behalf is being limited this way.”

Consolidated Baptist Church pastor Richard Gaines did not immediately respond to a text from the Herald-Leader on Friday.

This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 1:44 PM.