A Medford School Board member identified last week as the subject of a pair of complaints filed with the Medford School District in recent weeks said Monday that he won’t resign his position and that he has retained legal counsel for guidance in responding to recent allegations.

Board member Michael Williams was the focus of two complaints reviewed at a Thursday board meeting — one filed by district Superintendent Bret Champion and another by 10 district office employees.

The complaints center around an alleged heated discussion at district offices Oct. 15 between Champion and Williams.

The complaints detail concerns over the meeting between Williams and Champion, in which district employees allege Williams was swearing and yelling in front of staff. The complaints also touch on Williams visiting schools without proper notice and on his wearing a work tool belt — Williams works as a hemp inspector — containing a pair of shears and a knife while on school district properties.

Williams did not attend Thursday’s meeting. Further deliberation, including any board decision on the complaints, was postponed by a board vote until Williams could have “a chance to respond to those complaints at a future board meeting.” 

Williams has been at odds with fellow board members since speaking out on the reassignment earlier this year of Medford police School Resource Officer Josh Doney. He has also prompted district review of policies for board member visits to district schools.

While he was unable to discuss specifics of the complaints, Williams said Monday that he had been “put in the difficult position of having to retain legal counsel.”

“As far as I know, all I ever did was ask some questions that made administrators uncomfortable,” Williams said in a written statement.

“I have been advised by counsel not to give any additional details at this time. I appreciate the continued support I have received from community members.”

District spokesperson Natalie Hurd confirmed Tuesday that three unresolved complaints against a board member or members and a discussion of next steps are set for a Dec. 5 board work session.

An earlier complaint was filed in August against an unnamed board member. Board members voted to refer that complaint to a third-party investigation, but an outcome of the investigation has not been announced.

While school district officials declined to comment in detail to the Rogue Valley Times, district officials confirmed to KDRV-Channel 12 that a separate criminal complaint had been filed against Williams due to his bringing a “long visible knife” to the district Cell Phone Town Hall Nov. 18 at North Medford High.

Hurd, via email on Tuesday, confirmed that Williams had been advised “at least 8 times, including one in writing to him and his attorney” about bringing weapons onto school grounds.

Contacted by the Times, Medford Police Department spokesperson Geoff Kirkpatrick confirmed Monday that a criminal complaint had been filed against a school board member.

“To provide an additional layer of accountability and confidence for all parties, the Medford Police Department has referred this complaint to Oregon State Police for investigation,” Kirkpatrick said in an email.

“MPD and Medford School District have been longtime partners through the School Resource Officer and School Marshal Programs, working together to prioritize school safety and what is best for our students. Also, because the subject of the complaint is an elected school board official, we felt it best to ask an outside agency to investigate the matter.”

OSP public affairs specialist Jolene Kelley confirmed the complaint would be investigated by the agency.

Williams said Monday that he had been encouraged to resign prior to Thursday’s meeting by school board Chair Cynthia Wright. Williams noted, “She said that the only way the complaints don’t go forward is if the person who the complaints are against steps down.”

Wright declined to comment on the claim. In an email to the Times, Wright said, “For me to comment on things I’m hearing through the media would be irresponsible. I have not heard from Michael since he failed to show up at the board meeting, which was held days after he received the complaints against him. The meeting was publicly noticed, so it has been on his calendar for some time.”

Williams anticipated a new potential complaint after a Friday incident, hours after the Thursday board meeting. Williams said his attorney received an email from district legal counsel Thad Pauck advising him that Williams visiting a district school to drop off cookies for a school fundraiser had not been properly noticed in advance.

Williams said his attorney, Charles Bolen of Medford’s Hornecker Cowling, informed Pauck that Williams had been on a school campus as part of the SPED Captain Coffee program, to drop off a cookie delivery for the program in which students sell the baked goods before school.

Williams said he felt he was being treated more harshly than other board members.

“It’s disheartening. This wasn’t about me ‘disrupting schools.’ This was about control and power,” he said a separate written statement. “When I say they don’t see me, who I am, and what I am trying to do, I can’t think of a more clearcut example of being singled out,” Williams said.

“It’s so discouraging that I can’t even drop off cookies without being attacked.”

District officials did not immediately comment when emailed about the Friday incident.