ROCK SPRINGS — Former Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Trustee Dr. Cole Seppie responded to the board’s Monday night public censure of his actions while he was a board member. Dr. Seppie said he didn’t receive information regarding an investigation in behavior on the board and claimed he was retaliated against after he aired concerns about the district SPED Program to the Wyoming Department of Education.

Dr. Seppie received a censure following his resignation from the board for acts the board alleges violated the Family Education Protection and Rights Acts and overstepped his boundaries as a school board member. He originally resigned from his position Oct. 28.

In an email to SweetwaterNOW sent Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Seppie said he has no regrets about his behavior as a board member, saying he served the board for the students, teachers, and staff.

Dr. Seppie said he was first informed about a complaint filed against him Feb. 29. He said he had a meeting with Chairman Cole Wright and Superintendent Joseph Libby, where he said he expressed remorse and offered to apologize to people who felt his actions were inappropriate. He said Libby told him it was too late for that and he would have to speak with an investigator.

“I then stated that I would be happy to do so after receiving the information on what I had done,” Dr. Seppie said. “This was denied and was told it was an anonymous/confidential complaint. I was denied knowing any information related to this allegation.”

Dr. Seppie said Wright denied him after providing Wright with information related to district policies about how complaints against board members are handled. He said the process the district initiated against him wasn’t following the policies in place. After contacting an attorney, Dr. Seppie said he determined that sitting for an interview wasn’t in his best interest as he wasn’t being provided with reasonable information to provide a defense. 

“I was even told that if I did not cooperate with the investigation that they would hold the information given to them by the accuser as fact by the investigator,” he said.

Dr. Seppie said the investigation was shared with him five months later, which he claims contained multiple inaccurate statements.

“I was accused of bullying which was unfounded during the investigation,” he said. “The complaint then went on to state that I had run my election campaign to remove the special services director, again unfounded in the investigation. Further claims of soliciting negative feedback only with special services staff including having a (three) hour meeting with a special services staff member was partially founded, but only because I did not cooperate with the investigation and surprisingly the security footage from the building was not able to be accessed.”

Dr. Seppie said he had never been in a school for three hours and said he spoke with everyone, teachers when students were not with them, janitors, food service staff, office staff, and administrators. He said he wanted to be an informed board member so that when he made a vote, he could have knowledge informing him of what is best for the district, not just those sitting in central administration. 

He said a supporting concern listed was he and his wife submitted a Wyoming Department of Education concern related to his son, who receives services through the district’s SPED program.

“We absolutely did and they deserved it,” Dr. Seppie said. “I will never apologize for advocating for my son but the fact that this was used as supporting information for this claim was blatant retaliation.”

He said he filed a retaliation complaint against the district’s special services director and stands by it, but beyond that complaint, he never provided any complaints or discussions about the department to Libby or Wright.

He said the board’s most recent censure noted three complaints made against the special services department and its director, which isn’t the case.

“The only one I have formally done is the last retaliation concerns which the board cited in the last censure,” he said. “I have never received any information related to my complaint. After my interview with the investigator I have never received any type of information and until Monday night I had anticipated that it was still being investigated. Somehow the district was able to get it back, provide it to the board and act on a censure.”

Dr. Seppie said he still hasn’t received anything about the complaint while being accused of micromanagement, saying he has no idea where that issue comes from. He said he did his best to be an engaged board member, asking questions that he and other community members had and took his position seriously.

Dr. Seppie concluded by saying he doesn’t regret his conduct on the board.

“I was there for the students, teachers and staff,” he said. “There are members of this administration who I do not believe can say that about themselves. A vast majority of this district is filled with amazing people; I have met them. These people like myself are here for the students but unfortunately there is a group of people in this district who are more concerned about keeping power and filling their bank accounts with the tax dollars of the people of this district.”