GLASGOW, Ky. — The Kentucky attorney general’s office has ruled that the Glasgow Independent Board of Education did not violate the state’s Open Meetings Act during an August meeting.

The Sept. 22 decision came in response to a complaint from Jonathan Talley, a school board candidate who argued the meeting location was difficult for the public to access.

Talley said he was directed to the CO2 Boardroom, located in the same building as Glasgow Preschool Academy and South Green Elementary School.

When he arrived, he found the building’s main entrance and other doors locked before eventually entering through an unlocked door on the South Green side.

He said he then had difficulty finding the boardroom because there were no directional signs to guide him.

Talley asked the board to allow public entry through the building’s primary entrance or clearly identify an alternative entrance and post signs directing visitors to the meeting room.

The board denied violating the law, telling the attorney general’s office that the CO2 facility has its own clearly marked exterior entrance that remained unlocked during the meeting.

The board also said the meeting notice was posted at that entrance and interior signs directed visitors to the boardroom. The board said it had held meetings at the location for about three years without receiving complaints about public access.

In its decision, the attorney general’s office found that the board met in a public boardroom with an accessible entrance and that Talley had not claimed to try that entrance or find it locked.

The office also determined that requiring visitors to use a particular entrance they might not know about did not amount to an unlawful condition on public attendance.

Talley said he accepts the decision but maintains that the experience he described in his complaint occurred.

“The Attorney General’s decision addresses whether the law was violated. I accept and respect his decision,” Talley said. “However, it does not change the facts of what happened when I arrived at the meeting.”

Talley said the building’s main entrances were locked when he arrived and that he eventually entered through an unlocked door on the South Green side. He said he then had difficulty locating the boardroom because he could not find clear directional signage.

He also questioned whether members of the public would understand the district’s use of “CO2” to identify the meeting room.

“Realistically, someone outside the school district should not be expected to know that ‘CO2’ refers to a boardroom or where that particular entrance is located,” Talley said. “Public meeting information should be clear enough for any citizen to find the meeting without already knowing the school district’s internal terminology.”

“Public meetings belong to the public. Access should be clear, straightforward and easy to understand,” he said.

Kentucky’s Open Meetings Act requires public agencies to hold meetings at times and places convenient to the public. It also prohibits agencies from imposing attendance conditions beyond those needed to maintain order.

The attorney general’s office concluded that the circumstances did not establish a violation of either requirement.

Talley may appeal the decision by filing an action in circuit court.