A series of failed motions to censure five Lehighton Area School District board members and ask the president to resign led to several testy exchanges during Monday night’s virtual meeting.

Near the end of the meeting under a portion of the agenda titled “directors concerns,” a motion was put on the floor to censure Larry Stern, Rita Spinelli, Nathan Foeller, Wayne Wentz and Steve Holland.

Reasons listed included “allowing the administration to file the annual financial report past the state deadline and exposing the district to a fine, not holding the administration accountable in following through on motions passed by the board, not instructing the administration to comply with the Right to Know Law and exposing the district to additional costs, and not allowing the board to be involved in the collective bargaining process.”

“This board previously censured David Bradley for not being the type of director they thought he should be,” said board member Joy Beers. “I know this motion will fail 5-4, but I think it is worth bringing up that a job is not being done here.”

The motion did fail 5-4, with Stern, Spinelli, Wentz, Holland and Foeller voting it down. Beers, Bradley, Gail Maholick and Richard Beltz voted in favor of the censure.

The accusations did not sit well with Spinelli, who questioned Beers’ ability to be an effective board member.

“I made you treasurer and you resigned due to an incident at the middle school,” Spinelli told Beers. “You don’t have what it takes to be on this board. You can censure me all you want, but the one not doing their job is you.”

Beers fired back, saying she has “little respect” for Spinelli.

“All of the ignorant and illogical things you say and the great damage you are doing to our town is very upsetting,” Beers added.

A motion to ask Stern to resign as president of the board also failed 5-4. The motion called for the resignation due to Stern’s alleged “failure to call a special meeting as required by the school code and due to the fact that he cannot perform many of the duties due to a conflict of interest per the Pennsylvania Ethics Act.”

Beers said as president, Stern chooses who sits on the board’s various committees, but should not be making decisions that may directly benefit him.

“You made yourself the chair of the personnel committee and since you have family who work for the district, you should not have done that,” Beers said.

Stern responded, telling Beers the accusations were “her opinion.”

A third failed motion called for Foeller, board treasurer, to be censured for “not assuring that financial documents are made available for board review.”

“It is the responsibility of the treasurer to ensure the entire board receives bank statements, documents, records and every invoice for every dollar collected and disbursed in this district,” Bradley said.

Bradley has repeatedly criticized the district for not giving him full access to bills, while Business Manager Patricia Denicola, who is leaving Lehighton for another district, said she has given the board more information than it has received in the past.

Like the prior two motions, the censure failed 5-4.