Do As We Say, Not As We Do: Cameron School Board Violates Missouri Sunshine Law They Claim to Understand

Board Discusses and Approves Contract Not Listed on Agenda While Demanding Public “Follow Our Policies”

By Heath Gilbert
Cameron School District Exposed
January 23, 2026

---

They understand the law. They’ve been trained on it. Board President Andi Lockridge has invoked it to silence a citizen. Vice President Ryan Murphy has used it as justification for banning another. Yet on January 20, 2026, the Cameron R-1 School District Board of Education violated the very Missouri Sunshine Law they claim to uphold—in the same meeting where they extended a ban against Dan Landi for allegedly violating their policies.

The hypocrisy is documented. The evidence is clear. And the law they broke is unambiguous.

The Violation: A Contract Appears Out of Thin Air

At the January 20, 2026 board meeting, the publicly posted agenda listed only one item under “Items Under Consideration”: Board Policy C-145-P, a routine change updating the custodian of records to Bridges Legal Services.

But that’s not all the board discussed and voted on.

During that same agenda section, Board President Andy Lockridge informed board members that a contract with Bridges Legal Services had “just been sent to your inbox.” She acknowledged they likely hadn’t had time to read it and gave them approximately two minutes to review the document on their computers during the meeting.

The board then discussed and voted to approve this contract—a contract that was never listed on the meeting agenda provided to the public.

Let that sink in. A governmental body, required by Missouri law to notify the public of items to be discussed, approved a binding contract that the public had no advance notice would even be considered.

The Law Is Crystal Clear

Missouri Revised Statute 610.020.1 could not be more explicit:

“All public governmental bodies shall give notice of the time, date, and place of each meeting, and its tentative agenda, in a manner reasonably calculated to advise the public of the matters to be considered.”

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office has repeatedly clarified what this means. In their brief supporting a Sunshine Law lawsuit against Western Cass Fire Protection District, Assistant Attorney General Jason Lewis wrote:

“A public governmental body cannot hide an elephant in a mouse hole by using vague or excessively broad terms to hide what the body intends to do. The tentative agenda must be specific enough for the public to be able to make an informed decision about whether to attend the meeting.“

The Attorney General’s Office has successfully prosecuted Sunshine Law violations for exactly this conduct. In their December 2023 case against the City of Belle, one of the five counts filed involved “discussing items of public business not on meeting agendas.”

Cameron R-1’s board didn’t just discuss a non-agenda item—they voted on it. They approved a contract. They took official action on a matter the public had no reasonable opportunity to know would be considered.

The Evidence: In Their Own Words

The audio recording from the January 20 meeting captures the entire sequence:

ANDI LOCKRIDGE (Board President): “Moving on to items for consideration in board policy C-145-P… Also, just into your inbox was the contract that the assessor has asked, which we will also need to approve. Which, if you want a second to look through that, we can take a second since that was a late addition.”

[Extended silence as board members read the contract on their computers]

ANN CLARK: “I like that there’s a cap.”

LOCKRIDGE: “I would make a motion to approve—”

CLARK: “That contract with Bridges for custodian of records.”

LOCKRIDGE: “I think we need a motion to approve the policy and then we need a separate one for the contract. So I’ll take the approval of the contract. Mrs. Clark has motioned, second by Mrs. Ice. All in favor, raise your hand. Motion passes.”

A contract emailed during the meeting. Read for two minutes. Voted on and approved. Never on the agenda.

And not one single probing question was asked.

Zero discussion about why the district was moving from fulfilling records requests in-house to contracting out the service. No questions about cost. No inquiry about whether the district solicited competitive bids for this service. No consideration of alternatives.

The board simply rubber-stamped a contract they’d just read for the first time—a contract that appears designed to serve the superintendent’s interests, not the taxpayers who fund this public school.

They Know Better—They’ve Used This Law Against Citizens

What makes this violation particularly egregious is that the Cameron R-1 Board demonstrably understands Missouri Sunshine Law agenda requirements. They’ve used this very principle to terminate public comment and ban citizens from district property.

Exhibit A: Andi Lockridge Invokes Agenda Requirements to Silence Dan Landi

At the August 2025 board meeting, Dan Landi attempted to address the board during his allotted public comment time. He was speaking about curriculum and library materials—topics he was permitted to discuss.

Board President Andi Lockridge repeatedly interrupted him, ultimately terminating his speaking time and ordering him to sit down. Her justification?

ANDI LOCKRIDGE: “We have to notice the topics that we’re going to talk about… You’re not talking about that, you’re talking about other things.”

In other words, Lockridge was invoking Missouri Sunshine Law—claiming that because topics must be noticed on the agenda for the board to discuss them in compliance with the law, Dan Landi could only speak about items shown on the agenda.

She didn’t just suggest this was a guideline. She enforced it. She ended a citizen’s First Amendment-protected speech because, in her determination, he wasn’t staying precisely on his noticed topic.

If Andi Lockridge believes the board “has to notice the topics” they’re going to discuss with such rigidity that she’ll silence a citizen mid-sentence, then she absolutely knows the board cannot discuss and vote on a contract that isn’t on the agenda.

Exhibit B: Ryan Murphy Demands the Public “Follow Our Policies”

The January 20 meeting featured another telling moment. As the board extended Dan Landi’s ban from district property, Vice President Ryan Murphy made the board’s expectations perfectly clear:

RYAN MURPHY: “The ban was in place due to the breaking of policy… I would say that we uphold and maybe move this further a little longer. All we’re asking is for people to come in here and follow the policies within our buildings.“

Read that again: “All we’re asking is for people to come in here and follow the policies.” Listen for yourself in this 16 second video.

But Missouri Sunshine Law isn’t just a policy—it’s state law. And Cameron R-1’s own Board Policy requires compliance with it.

The board demands citizens follow their rules with such fervor that they ban military veterans from public meetings. They extend those bans when individuals allegedly commit technical violations. They lecture the community about policy compliance.

Yet in the very same meeting where Ryan Murphy demanded policy compliance, his board violated Missouri state law by discussing and approving a contract not listed on the public agenda.

This Isn’t Ignorance—It’s Deliberate

Some might argue this was an innocent mistake, a last-minute necessity, an oversight.

The evidence contradicts that defense.

First, Board President Lockridge explicitly acknowledged this was a “late addition” that hadn’t been properly noticed. She knew it wasn’t on the agenda. She proceeded anyway.

Second, the board has received mandatory Sunshine Law training. Missouri school boards are trained on these requirements. They receive materials from the Missouri School Boards Association. They have legal counsel who should advise them.

Third, and most damning, the board has repeatedly demonstrated they understand agenda requirements by enforcing them against citizens. You cannot credibly claim ignorance of a law you’ve wielded as a weapon against the public.

The Pattern: One Standard for Citizens, Another for Themselves

This violation exemplifies a disturbing pattern at Cameron R-1 School District:

• Citizens are held to strict interpretations of policy. Dan Landi is banned for alleged recording violations, even when those allegations are disputed.
• The board operates under loose interpretations of law. They approve contracts without proper notice, claiming “tentative agenda” means they can add whatever they want.
• Citizens face escalating consequences. Bans are extended. Property access is restricted. First Amendment rights are curtailed.
• The board faces zero accountability. No consequences. No acknowledgment. No correction.

Here’s the question that should haunt every board member: Dan Landi was banned from district property for allegedly not following policies. How many board members will be banned for this Sunshine Law violation? How many will face consequences for breaking state law?

The answer, of course, is zero. The rules only apply one direction.

Missouri Law Provides Remedies

RSMo 610.027 establishes that any citizen can seek enforcement of Sunshine Law violations. The remedies include:

• Voiding actions taken in violation of the law
• Civil penalties for purposeful violations
• Attorney fees for successful complainants
• Court orders requiring compliance

The Attorney General’s Office has prosecuted and settled multiple cases involving the exact conduct Cameron R-1 committed: discussing and approving matters not listed on meeting agendas.

What Should Have Happened

Missouri Sunshine Law allows for emergency additions to agendas, but it requires justification and documentation.

RSMo 610.020.4 states: “When it is necessary to hold a meeting on less than twenty-four hours’ notice, or at a place that is not reasonably accessible to the public, or at a time that is not reasonably convenient to the public, the nature of the good cause justifying that departure from the normal requirements shall be stated in the minutes.“

If the Bridges Legal Services contract was truly such an emergency that it couldn’t wait until the February meeting with proper notice, the board should have:

1. Stated the specific emergency necessitating immediate action
2. Documented that justification in the meeting minutes
3. Acknowledged they were departing from normal Sunshine Law procedures

They did none of these things. They simply added it, discussed it, and voted on it as if the public’s right to notice didn’t matter.

The Message This Sends

When a school board violates open meetings law, it’s not just a technical violation. It’s a breach of public trust.

When that same board simultaneously punishes citizens for alleged policy violations while breaking state law themselves, it reveals their true character.

The Cameron R-1 Board of Education doesn’t want accountability. They want control.

They want the authority to ban citizens from public meetings while conducting public business in secret.

They want the power to extend punishments against critics while operating above the law themselves.

They want the community to “follow our policies” while they ignore Missouri statutes.

Call to Action

This violation should be investigated by:

• The Missouri Attorney General’s Office, which has successfully prosecuted identical violations
• Missouri taxpayers and citizens, who have standing to file civil actions under RSMo 610.027

The board’s action approving the Bridges Legal Services contract should be declared void under RSMo 610.027’s remedies for Sunshine Law violations.

And every citizen of Cameron, Missouri should ask themselves: If the board won’t follow state law when conducting public business, what else are they hiding?

Documentation Available

I have archived:

• The publicly posted January 20, 2026 meeting agenda showing only Board Policy C-145-P under “Items Under Consideration”
• Complete audio/video recording of the contract discussion and approval (January 20, 2026 Board Meeting)
• Audio from the August 2025 meeting where Andi Lockridge cites agenda requirements to silence Dan Landi (August 2025 Board Meeting)
• Audio from the January 20 meeting where Ryan Murphy demands citizens “follow our policies”

Note: Board member quotes in this article are taken from transcripts of publicly available video recordings. There may be minor unintended inaccuracies based on audio quality.

All evidence will be provided to appropriate authorities and is available for public review.

---

The board knows the law. They’ve used the law against citizens. Now they’ve broken the law.

That’s not a mistake. That’s a choice.

And it demands accountability.

---

How to Take Action

File a Sunshine Law complaint with the Missouri Attorney General:

• Online complaint form: https://ago.mo.gov/get-help/programs-services-from-a-z/sunshine-law/sunshine-law-complaint-form/
• Phone: (800) 392-8222

Contact Cameron R-1 School District:

• Compliance Officer: complianceofficer@cameronschools.org
• Board of Education contact information: https://www.cameron.k12.mo.us/board-members
• Board email: boardmembers@cameronschools.org

Demand accountability. Demand transparency. Demand they follow the same laws they enforce against citizens.

---

Heath Gilbert is a U.S. Navy veteran and independent journalist covering government accountability in Cameron, Missouri. His investigative work focuses on transparency, constitutional rights, and institutional failures at Cameron R-1 School District. This article is part of ongoing coverage at Cameron School District Exposed.