School's attorney not a school official
Decisions of the Commissioner of Education #14,595
One of the issues considered by the Commission of Education in Philips v Liverpool Central School District was Philips' objection to a statement made by the District's attorney during a regular meeting of the District's Board of Education.
The Commissioner, citing Matter of McGinley, [Decision 11,244], said that the statement made by the attorney at the Board's meeting to which Philips objected “is not actionable in the context of a Section 310 appeal to the Commissioner” because the attorney is neither a district officer nor district employee.
Further, the Commissioner said that General Municipal Law Section 805-a, which prohibits a board member from discussing confidential information acquired during the course of his or her official duties, does not apply with respect to statements made by the school district's attorney.