Local
Portland School Board Calls Special Meeting to Investigate Disappearing Messages
The Portland Public Schools Board will hold a special session Friday to consider an internal investigation into district employees' use of Signal, a messaging app that allows texts to disappear, following reports of disparaging messages and concerns over public records compliance.
The Portland Public Schools Board will convene an unusual special session on Friday to weigh a resolution launching an internal investigation into the reported use of Signal, an encrypted messaging app that allows messages to vanish, among district employees.
The move follows weeks of controversy sparked by a screenshot of communications between Deborah Kafoury, outgoing Chief of Staff to Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong, and Sarah Norman, an employee of Procedeo, the firm hired to oversee the modernization of three high schools. The exchange, which included disparaging remarks about school board member Stephanie Engelsman, was surreptitiously photographed during a recent board meeting and first publicized by local blogger Max Steele. Norman currently heads the district's Office of Real Estate, Infrastructure and School Enhancement.
Engelsman told The Oregonian she had spoken with Kafoury about the matter, describing the conversation as "honest" and "positive," but adding she was "disappointed on behalf of our district, our students and their families. They deserve our undivided attention on the issues at hand."
Kafoury subsequently announced she would resign at the start of 2027, saying she had long planned her departure but moved up the date. Willamette Week later reported it had viewed messages between Armstrong and other district leaders that also used Signal.
The resolution before the board authorizes and directs the PPS General Counsel to work with outside legal counsel to initiate fact-finding. It aims to determine whether and how district managers use Signal, whether those exchanges can be preserved, and whether the use of such "non-approved messaging platforms" violates district policies or applicable law.
According to guidance from the Oregon Secretary of State's Office on personal devices, information sent via text messages, emails and messaging apps that is "unique" and "relates to agency business" is a public record regardless of where it is located. Public employees are directed to "only use approved software and systems when creating public records."
The Friday meeting, to be held virtually and presided over by Board Chair Eddie Wang, underscores growing concerns about transparency and accountability in Oregon's largest school district. The use of disappearing-message apps by public officials has drawn scrutiny nationally, as such platforms can circumvent public records laws if communications are not preserved.
The special session is scheduled for Friday; the resolution, if passed, would mark a formal step toward investigating whether district leaders have been conducting public business outside the reach of public oversight.