The school board president in Huntsville says the Alabama Ethics Commission declined to investigate allegations that he violated state law by voting to change the school district’s nepotism statute in 2021.

Ryan Renaud, the board president, released a statement today saying that the Alabama Ethics Commission closed the case without opening an investigation because the complaint did not constitute a violation of Alabama’s ethics laws for public officials.

AL.com has requested comments from Tom Albritton, the director of the Ethics Commission.

In the news release, Renaud described the complaint, which was filed against him in December by former school district employee Keith Ward, as a “distraction.”

In the complaint, Ward alleged that Renaud should not have voted to change the school district’s policy because he stood to personally benefit from the  change.

The board voted 4-1 to approve the change, which allows board members to have immediate family members employed by the district.

At the time, Renaud was engaged to a teacher in the district. And under the old nepotism policy, board members couldn’t have immediate family members employed by the school district.

Renaud’s wedding occurred three months after his vote, Ward said in the complaint.

“At the time the complaint was filed, I had stated that Keith Ward’s assertions were baseless and without merit,” Renaud said in the release.

“This was a distraction by Mr. Ward and another individual to keep us from doing our number one job, providing our children with a world-class education. I am pleased to put this issue behind us.”

Reacting to the Ethics Commission’s decision, Ward, who was the school district’s communications director for over 20 years before he retired in 2019, told AL.com he’s disappointed there won’t be accountability.

“My thing is, people who are elected or appointed in positions to serve really need to keep one fundamental thing in mind, and that’s to do what is right,” Ward told AL.com.