School Board Chair Eddie Wang has introduced a resolution for a special board meeting on Friday that would authorize the district's general counsel, working with outside legal counsel, to investigate the use of Signal and similar applications by PPS employees. The resolution states that the board has reviewed a news report alleging that some employees used Signal to communicate about PPS business and that it is in the district's best interest to understand "whether, how, and why" the app was used and to determine whether any messages are public records that must be preserved or can be recovered.

A source familiar with the matter said the resolution has support from several board members.

The push for an inquiry follows revelations that Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong and other district leaders held conversations about district business on Signal, according to screenshots reviewed from multiple sources. Some of those screenshots showed that Armstrong and other leaders at times used Signal's "disappearing messages" feature, which allows users to set a timer after which messages are automatically deleted. A PPS spokesperson confirmed that Signal is not a district-approved platform for official communications.

If approved, the resolution would direct legal counsel to examine three areas: whether management employees used Signal or similar apps to discuss "matters relating to PPS, including the topics and purposes of such communications"; whether any information transmitted through Signal was retained and can be collected and preserved under public records law; and any other matters related to compliance with district policies and applicable law, with an eye toward tightening those rules.

"In light of the proliferation of messaging applications, it is in the best interest of PPS for the PPS Board and administration to consider whether any changes to PPS policies and administrative guidance are advisable to provide guidance to PPS employees," the resolution reads.

The resolution also notes that employee use of messaging platforms not approved by the district would, "for some purposes…not necessarily violate PPS policy or state law." Public records experts have said that the legal landscape around digital communications is murky and still developing, and whether a violation occurred can depend on the content of the messages themselves.

The special meeting is scheduled for Friday. If the resolution passes, the inquiry would mark a significant escalation in scrutiny over how Portland's school leaders conduct public business and whether they are preserving records that belong to the public.