School board debates Dwivedy’s role during deployment

The Eden Prairie School board has been grappling with how to handle the 400-day military deployment of board member Debjyoti “DD” Dwivedy. While expressing strong support for Dwivedy and his military service, concerns have been raised about his ability to fulfill board duties remotely.

Dwivedy departed Eden Prairie in early June for a 400-day overseas deployment with the U.S. Army. (Read more about Dwivedy and his deployment here.)

He has stated that he plans to maintain an active role on the board while he is out of the country, and will attend meetings remotely as his schedule permits.

This is different from the approach he took when deployed in late 2021. In that instance, he took a leave of absence from the board. He missed the meetings in October, November and December but said he would watch the business meeting recordings. He returned to his role in January 2022.

Dwivedy has attended board meetings remotely while on other, shorter trips away from Eden Prairie. Many other board members also attend remotely on occasion when necessary.

However, because such an extended physical absence from the community is unprecedented for a school board member, the issue of his long-term absence and how it might affect both the Eden Prairie Schools community and board operations was raised at the past two board meetings.

Board member expressed concern about ability to engage and cast informed votes from afar

The subject was first broached at the board workshop on June 10.

Board member Kim Ross said she was concerned that Dwivedy would not be able to serve effectively during such an extended absence from the community. Ross said being active in the community is critical to having a deep and current understanding of the district’s needs.

She also expressed concern that Dwivedy would miss important votes. Eden Prairie has a seven-member board, so when one member is absent, it can potentially affect the passage of votes.

Ross noted that while school board rules allow for members to attend meetings remotely, she believed this was intended for one-time or short-term absences, not for absences of over a year.

She quoted the Minnesota state statute addressing board vacancies, which states that if a board member is unable to serve for 90 days or more due to illness or prolonged absence from the district, the board can pass a resolution, declare a vacancy, appoint someone to fill that vacancy, and, when the board member is able to return to service, they can resume their seat.

Ross requested that the board discuss what a functioning board looks like when one of its members is physically absent for over a year. Board Chair Aaron Casper suggested waiting to discuss this at the next board workshop on Sept. 9.

“That would also give us an opportunity to see what happens in the next three meetings,” he said.

Ross said she hoped Dwivedy would attend that workshop and be part of the discussion about what his engagement would look like.

Dwivedy plans for ‘open communications’ and remote attendance

When asked about this after the June 10 meeting, Dwivedy said he did not intend to step down or take a leave of absence.

“I intend to continue to attend meetings remotely as frequently as my command position in the Army Medical Logistics Corps allows,” Dwivedy said. “Minnesota law and Army doctrine provides for these circumstances to allow those serving our nation abroad to continue to serve our local communities.”

He added, “I’m proud of the opportunity to serve both our nation in the Army Medical Logistics Corps and work on behalf of Eden Prairie students and families for the betterment of our community. I look forward to remaining in open communication with board and district leadership to manage the conditions of my deployment.”

Board reaches consensus, for now, at June 24 meeting

The issue came up again unexpectedly at the June 24 school board business meeting. Dwivedy, attending remotely from Texas, said he wasn’t sure if he would be able to make the Sept. 9 meeting and asked to have the discussion about his participation moved to the June 24 meeting. After some debate, the board voted to allow it.

When the item came up, Ross reiterated her previously stated concerns. She also said she was concerned about Dwivedy’s previous attendance record, since he has already missed several meetings in the past two years.

She also asked Casper to remove Dwivedy from his committee assignments because it would not be practical. Dwivedy currently serves on the policy committee, which does not have regularly scheduled meetings but instead meets at the board’s direction. He has said he plans to attend his committee meetings remotely.

Casper suggested that the board could wait and see how things go, and if it becomes obvious to Dwivedy or the board that the situation is not working out, they can revisit the issue. He said that the board did have the right to remove Dwivedy if he fell outside the 90-day statutory requirement for attending meetings.

All of the board members then gave input on whether they thought it was practical for Dwivedy to remain on the board. Many said they felt it was important for school board members to be present in the community and expressed varying degrees of concern over whether Dwivedy would be able to remain sufficiently informed and engaged.

However, most said they were willing to wait and see if he could attend the meetings and contribute in a meaningful and informed way.

Some board members said they were willing to do what they could to support Dwivedy and keep him informed, including doing extra committee work and being more active in the community to make up for his absence.

Dwivedy: ‘I will try my level best’

Casper said he was glad the discussion was taking place and felt the best course of action was to see how things go with Dwivedy’s attendance and participation.

“If he can make it work, he can make it work,” Casper said. “If he cannot make it work, we will make the best decision for this board moving forward.”

Dwivedy said he will join as many meetings remotely as possible. He added that he’s not optimistic the time difference and his duties will allow him to make all meetings, but schedule permitting, “I will try my level best to do that.”

He added, “If I cannot do it, I will be the first one to call the chair.”