MARIETTA - Cobb School Board chairwoman Lynnda Crowder-Eagle has flatly rejected requests by two board members for a special-called meeting to discuss Wednesday's grand jury presentments, in which jurors harshly criticized the Cobb school board for "operating in a manner that hinders the expression of opposing views." Meanwhile, the board's "team-building" retreat showed signs of fracture after member Dr. John Crooks informed Crowder-Eagle that he will not attend.

In an e-mail to Crowder-Eagle on Thursday afternoon, Crooks wrote:

"I understand why we need to retreat to comply with SACS board team building recommendations. I think we need to have focused 'team building' efforts. However, the related costs printed in the MDJ are too extravagant for this economic season in Cobb County. It is my conclusion we need team building in the board room, not in the RESORT room. We need team building with our public, repairing the communication problems of the recent past."

The board has scheduled a retreat for Friday and a half day next Saturday at Amicalola Falls State Park, in north Georgia west of Dahlonega. Nancy Broner, a consultant with the Center for Reform of School Systems, a Houston-based nonprofit organization, will make a day-long presentation to the board members on Jan. 29. Broner is a member of the Duval County School Board in Jacksonville, Fla. Her fee for the day is $4,500, and the total cost for the retreat is $5,800, according to a school district spokesman.

Crooks also said he was disturbed that he was not made unaware that the 2009 chair and vice chair, and Superintendent Fred Sanderson, were called before the grand jury on Dec. 1.

But Dr. John Abraham - who was the 2009 chair and who has remained mostly silent during a tumultuous week for the board during which grand the jury report made front page headlines - said he did tell the board.

"I think we discussed it in executive session in November, I think it was. I think in November we mentioned that we had been invited. ... I'm pretty sure we talked about it," Abraham said. The board's attorney, Glenn Brock, attended the grand jury session at Abraham's request.

But Crooks, in his email to Crowder-Eagle, said: "In light of the recent front page Grand Jury revelation along with the subsequent media hype I think it would be wise for you to convene a special called CCBOE meeting for the purpose to explain why the former, (2009) board officers, Glen Brock and Fred Sanderson attended .... answered questions regarding CCBOE issues, and chose not to communicate their attendance and their answers to the remaining five board members."

"Why would you not call a meeting to explain this? There's nothing to hide. The issue is what? Open and transparent government. All it would take from her is to have a meeting in public and say 'here's what happened,'" Crooks said.

Board member Alison Bartlett had asked Crowder-Eagle for a special meeting in an email sent Wednesday night.

"I respectfully request in lieu of the Board retreat scheduled for January 29th to January 30th a special called board meeting be held at 514 Glover Street to discuss the recent Grand Jury Inquiry. The integrity of the school system and credible governance of this Board depends on an immediate explanation as to why all board members were not promptly notified of the Grand Jury Inquiry," Bartlett wrote.

But Crowder-Eagle said her plans for the retreat are not changing at all. As for why she is going forward with the retreat despite Crooks' cancelation and Bartlett's suggestion that it be postponed, Crowder-Eagle said, "Why not? That would be my answer."

Crowder-Eagle also insisted that the board has not yet received a copy of the grand jury presentments and would wait for that report before discussing it.

"We didn't have the report back, and when it comes back, that would be when we would discuss it. The report's not back," Crowder-Eagle said. "Only what was published in your newspaper under legals, but that's not a complete report."

Member Holli Cash added: "You (the newspaper) got it, but it hasn't been officially filed. We never got a copy."

Said Crowder-Eagle: "We had some good conversations with the grand jury. I thought it went very well, and we'll share that when it's presented to us. But we don't have the presentations from the grand jury."

And there are no plans for a special meetinga t this time, she said.

"Once official presentations are received, we will likely share during a work session meeting," she said.

Per district policy, a meeting can be called by the chairman or by a majority of the board. But Crooks and Bartlett are apparently the only two board members who want such a meeting.

District Attorney Pat Head said the presentments as published were complete.

"That's all the presentments there are," he said. "They're read in court, and the judge signs the order for them to be published."

He also said that the grand jury does not customarily send a copy of the presentments to those they have investigated.

The board's attorney, Glenn Brock, said he was not aware that the presentments would come out on Jan. 7, and that he wasn't expecting a copy to be delivered. But on Wednesday, after the Journal's story appeared, Brock sent a staffer to the Superior Court Clerk's office to get a copy of the presentments, but the clerk's office employee could not find them.

"It's just an interview. There were no legal issues raised. It's not something that we would follow up on as the attorney, unless a client asked us to, of course," Brock said.

Jay C. Stephenson, the Superior Court Clerk, said Friday that the presentments have been in his office since the afternoon of Jan. 7, and have been available for public review.

"We just discovered that it wasn't indexed as well as it could have been. But they were here, and several staff members knew where they were. We're now fixing the index so it is clearer and easier to use," Stephenson said.

Cobb Superior Court documents are available online at http://www.cobbsuperiorcourtclerk.org/.

Board member David Morgan, who represents south Cobb and often votes with Bartlett, said a special meeting to discuss the grand jury presentments is necessary.

"That could be an example of how we could delve into team building. In some way, shape or form it (the grand jury) will be brought up. I will bring it up, if necessary. I just think that it could be part of team building and communication."

David Banks, of east Cobb, said the presentments do not warrant a special meeting.

"The grand jury on the civil side just doesn't mean anything," he said. "I don't put any credibility into it. Somebody on a grand jury can make any statement they want."