TOWN OF RIPON RESIDENT FILES CIVIL CASE AGAINST RIPON SCHOOL DISTRICT

SOURCE: WRPN-AM
A Town of Ripon resident has filed a civil case against the Ripon Area School District, in an ongoing dispute that dates back more than a year. According to the papers filed in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court last month, Diane Cole named School Superintendent Richard Zimman, Business Manager Rick Ketter, district legal counsel Steve Sorenson and the Board of Education in a Petition for Writ of Mandamus (man-day-mus). A Writ of Mandamus is a request that a judge order an entity to take a specific action. In this case, Cole says she is looking for certain documents that were not presented to her on different occasions throughout the past year, including performance evaluations for Melanie Oppor, the current Director of Curriculum Development, Assessment and Instruction, the job description for that position and invoices and various documents related to the installation of field turf at Ingalls Field. WRPN attempted to contact Cole, but she refused to issue a statement Tuesday evening. Zimman, meanwhile, says since this legal action has come to light, he cannot say much about the case and must refer all comment to the district’s legal counsel. According to the petition, the defendants have 45 days to issue an answer in regards to the request. No court action will happen until that time frame passes and answers are formally filed. Zimman also says they have been assured by legal counsel that they have been cooperating with State Law at all times with Miss Cole. In addition to her previously-mentioned demands, Cole is demanding that the district, including the School Board, be formally reprimanded by the court, she be reimbursed for the cost of filing the writ, including lost wages and mileage, and the district formally apologize to her