Attorneys representing Medford School Board member Michael Williams submitted a demand letter to the Medford School District Thursday to remove restrictions placed on Williams in recent months relating to a series of complaints by district employees and Superintendent Bret Champion.

The letter alleges Williams being treated “in a draconian and disparate manner” compared to other board members.

The series of complaints began with one filed Aug. 6 by Medford School District security director Ron Havniear, centering around a March 12 exchange. Havniear said Williams violated district policy by harassing and bullying him and stepped outside his board member role by intervening in district administration.

A third-party investigation substantiated Havniear’s claims, resulting in the Dec. 19 school board censure of Williams, imposing “time, place and manner” restrictions that limited his activities as a board member.

Two additional complaints filed in October — one by Champion and another by district staff — relate to an Oct. 15 exchange between Williams and Champion in which district staff reported feeling unsafe and were concerned with Williams’ sheathed knife and shears, worn on his belt for his job as an agricultural hemp inspector.

A separate criminal complaint was filed regarding the knife and shears in which Oregon State Police and the Jackson County District Attorney’s office determined no crime occurred. Last week, following resolution of the criminal investigation, school board members voted for a second time to censure Williams, opting to leave pre-existing restrictions in place, adding no additional limitations.

Williams made a pair of statements during last Thursday’s board meeting — audio can be heard on the district website — voicing frustration that he and Champion were both involved in the exchange, “yet I am the only person subject to a compliant.”

Thursday’s letter from Williams’ attorney, addressed to district legal counsel Thad Pauck and Board Chair Cynthia Wright, states that censuring of Williams for a second time demonstrates board policies are being applied against Williams “in a draconian and disparate manner.”

The letter draws a comparison to an incident from last week’s meeting, during which board member Jeff Kinsella told an audience member — district parent Nathaniel Swan — to “Go **** yourself.” The comment was heard by audience members and also was recorded at the meeting. Williams’ attorneys allege Kinsella violated school board policy and “has not been censured or otherwise disciplined for his juvenile outburst.”

Kinsella was the subject of an earlier complaint, filed in September by teachers’ union grievance chair Paul Cynar against Kinsella and Board Chair Wright. The board voted to dismiss Cynar’s complaints during an October work session.

Contacted by the Rogue Valley Times for comment, Medford School District officials and board member Jeff Kinsella did not immediately respond.

Thursday’s letter, specifically, calls for lifting of restrictions on Williams’ activities within 14 days and states that Williams is willing to “engage in mediation” with any district employee present during his interaction with Champion. The letter also proposes the board and superintendent participate in a dispute resolution procedure “to avoid any similar misunderstandings in the future.”

Williams first made news headlines in July for speaking out on the reassignment of Medford police School Resource Officer Josh Doney. Medford police and the school district initially billed the decision as a routine reassignment, though school district officials later cited an “accumulation of concerns.”

Contacted by the Times on Thursday, Williams said he hoped for the board to shift its focus back to students.

“While my short tenure on the Medford School Board has certainly drawn an irregular amount of attention from the public and ire from the administration, I want to reiterate that my focus is on our students and their parents and teachers,” he said in a statement. “I ran for this position because I want to make sure our kids are reading on grade level and that everyone is safe in our buildings.

“Complaints have abounded this year, and my fellow directors chose to dismiss out of hand all complaints that didn’t involve me,” the statement continued. “I am disappointed by the often-contentious nature of the Board’s relationship with the public, and I am asking for restrictions against me to be dropped so that we can start working on healing that relationship.”

Upcoming Medford School District board meetings include a Feb. 6 work session and a Feb. 20 board meeting. Agendas for those meetings were not posted to the school district website as of Thursday afternoon.

Nathaniel Swan, the parent to whom Medford School Board member Jeff Kinsella uttered at expletive during the citizen comment portion of last Thursday’s board meeting, filed a written complaint with the district on Tuesday calling for Kinsella’s resignation “or at the very least an investigation into his behavior.”

“What a moment caught on camera for all time and for all to see and hear,” his complaint reads. “The hypocrisy of my speech being under such scrutiny for violating board policies and yet time after time others get to use foul language to no consequence. Once again, your hypocrisy knows no bounds.”

Swan’s wife, Taryne Saunders, filed a similar complaint stating that Kinsella’s comment violated school board policy BBF, pertaining to Board Member Standards of Conduct, requiring board members treat “other Board members, the superintendent, staff and the public with dignity and courtesy and will provide an opportunity for all parties to be heard with due respect.”

Referring to School Board Chair Cynthia Wright, Saunders said, “Now I am finding it very hard to determine what policies are to be followed, and which are not. It has been made very clear, by you as Board Chair, that certain people are allowed to say and do as they please, but others are not afforded the same constitutional luxuries.

“This type of bias in policy is not a good look for the Medford School District,” Saunders complaint states.

Neither school district officials nor Kinsella immediately responded to a request from the Rogue Valley Times for comment.