More than a year after he ignored the board’s unanimous vote asking him to resign, a Penn-Harris-Madison school board member says he has quit.
PHM board member Matt Chaffee made the announcement late Monday in a press release emailed to news media. His decision to step down comes after the board asked him to do so in May 2024.
Board president Chris Riley at that time said the board was disturbed by allegations published in a right-wing blog that Chaffee had solicited prostitutes and had an alcohol problem. Riley said Chaffee’s refusal to answer the board’s questions about the allegations led to their non-binding vote asking him to step down.
Chaffee in April filed a defamation lawsuit against the blogger.
In his press release, Chaffee said, “Over the last few years, there have been countless lies spread about me and my family -- all of which will be proven, through my lawsuit, to be false, misleading, and made with malicious intent.”
Riley and a PHM spokeswoman said he had not notified them of his resignation. As soon as that happens, they said the corporation would start a process to accept applications from people interested in serving out Chaffee’s term, which runs through next year.
