EPSB documents regarding Holbrook case released

FRANKFORT — More information has been revealed about accusations against Robertson County School Superintendent Sanford Holbrook regarding a 2018 primary election.

In documents obtained from the Kentucky Educational Professional Standards Board, it is alleged that Holbrook “used his position as Superintendent of Robertson County School (P-12) to transport students to the polls, advise students on which party to register with, and then influence student’s votes for particular candidates” during a primary election held in May of 2018.

A document listing procedural history said Holbrook allegedly advised students to vote for his “future wife,” who was later elected as the Robertson County Judge-Executive. The documents later named this individual as Stephanie Bogucki.

The documents also suggested Holbrook advised students to vote for additional specified candidates.

In an email addressed to the legal services department of EPSB, the Investigations Division Manager of the Office of Education Accountability Bryan Jones stated he received a call from Ed Price, an investigative supervisor for the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, regarding allegations against Holbrook.

The email was dated May 22, 2019.

According to Jones, Price investigated election law violation allegations against Holbrook that said he “may have been involved in improperly having students vote by absentee ballot, improperly supervised their voting, told the students which candidate to vote for, and improperly filled out voter assistance forms.”

According to the documents, the original complaint regarding the allegations against Holbrook relates to R.S., an exchange student from the United States Virgin Islands.

Allegedly, Holbrook told R.S. who to vote for while R.S. was at the voting machine, according to the documents.

The investigation also involved the alleged changing of two students’ party affiliations, according to Jones.

“Mr. Price was unsuccessful in prosecuting the case, but felt that an education agency might be interested in following up on the matter. The Office of Education Accountability does not become involved in interviewing and working with students, and has declined to open a case. OEA does not vouch for the accuracy of the allegations, but thought the Education Professional Standards Board might be interested in evaluating and possibly pursuing this situation,” Jones wrote.

According to a synopsis from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a Robertson County Grand Jury heard testimony and saw evidence regarding the allegations made against Holbrook on April 8, 2019, and “refused to indict the superintendent.”

A supplementary report reiterated these statements.

According to the case’s procedural history, EPSB notified Holbrook of the allegations they had received and informed him of his right to submit a written rebuttal within 30 days in October 2020.

Holbrook’s rebuttal was submitted “through counsel” on Nov. 12, 2020.

The following month, EPSB reviewed the allegations against the alleged misconduct committed by Holbrook. EPSB later conducted a “thorough investigation” with multiple students, according to the procedural history.

In a correspondence submitted by Jeffrey S. Walther, details of the alleged misconduct were recounted from the perspective of Holbrook.

According to the correspondence, Holbrook transported students to the county clerk’s office for absentee voting because there was a “school sponsored out of town trip” scheduled on the same date as the primary election.

Other documents suggested Holbrook used his vehicle on some days and a county vehicle on other days.

The document suggested any of the students eligible to vote “would not have been able” if Holbrook had not transported them. Other documents noted 24 senior students were transported to the clerk’s office over an “eight-day period.”

Prior to the primary election, Holbrook registered 24 senior students to vote, according to the documents. Multiple students interviewed indicated that Holbrook “attempted to influence the political party they selected.”

The documents proceeded to recall several of the students who reported this as the case.

One student, C.C., registered as a Republican on Nov. 9, 2017. When C.C. was called to Holbrook’s office on Dec. 4, 2017, to be registered to vote, he indicated he was already registered and noted his party affiliation was Republican.

Holbrook allegedly replied to C.C. in saying, “no you’re not” and proceeded to tell C.C. to sign the registration form, which was blank, according to the documents.

When C.C. went to vote in the primary election in 2018, he was told that he was registered as a Democrat on Dec. 4, 2017, the documents stated. C.C. added that he “did not get to vote for the candidates that he had expected because his party affiliation had been changed.”

According to the documents, C.C.’s voter registration cards obtained through a subpoena confirm a “new” registration was filed in December 2017.

Another senior student who was called to Holbrook’s office to register, B.E., allegedly was told by Holbrook that he was registering her to vote, marked the box indicating B.E.’s party affiliation as Democrat, and told her that “he registered her the same as her parents,” according to the documents.

The documents noted another student, B.B., reported a “similar experience.”

According to the documents, Holbrook told B.B. that he would mark her down as a Democrat because her mother was also a registered Democrat. Allegedly, Holbrook also indicated that he could review B.B.’s mother’s voting records.

B.B. confirmed the Democrat box was checked by Holbrook prior to her signing the voter registration card, the documents said. The documents continued to describe Holbrook’s alleged misconduct.

P.N., a fourth student called to Holbrook’s office to register to vote, reported that Holbrook pointed to the Democrat box on the voter registration card and said, “go ahead and check mark here,” according to the documents.

The student then indicated he wanted to be a registered Republican. According to the documents, Holbrook leaned back in his chair and said, “check mark Democrat.” P.N. then check marked Republican.

Following this, Holbrook allegedly asked if P.N.’s parents would “approve” of him allowing P.N. to register as a Republican.

Another student, J.M., indicated that Holbrook “told her he was going to register her as a Democrat like her mother, not as a Republican like her father” and said the Democrat box was already checked before J.M.’s discussion with Holbrook.

Allegedly, J.M. asked if she had a choice in her party affiliation and Holbrook said, “you might as well go on and be a Democrat.”

A sixth student, W.G., recalled being called into Holbrook’s office to register to vote and being asked what his parents were registered as, but W.G. indicated he did not know.

Allegedly, Holbrook told W.G. he could look up his parent’s party affiliation and said his parents were Democrats.

According to the documents, W.G. marked Independent on his voter card. When he went to vote in the 2018 primary election, he was registered as a Democrat and “chose not to vote.”

A seventh student, J.G., said Holbrook suggested she register as a Democrat when she told him she was not sure which party to register as, according to the documents.

In an interview, Robertson County Clerk Joanie Jolly said the precinct name and precinct codes were completed by Holbrook on each of the student’s voter registration cards.

When asked how Holbrook obtained the precinct code and name, Jolly said, “I’m not sure” and suggested that RCS might have a “map at the school just because of the school board.”

She noted Holbrook got blank voter registration cards from her earlier in the school year.

According to the documents, Jolly said she did not tell Holbrook the precinct code and name and did not recall Holbrook asking her for the information.

In the interview, Jolly was asked if she or anyone in her office was asked about the party affiliations for the parents of the students registered by Holbrook. Jolly said, “Not that I remember, no.”

She gave the same response when asked if Holbrook asked for this information in person, according to the documents.

The documents went on to discuss the alleged actions where Holbrook “influenced or attempted to influence” the candidates that students voted for.

During an interview, Jolly said she learned Holbrook had assisted some of the students at the voting machine when they voted, according to the documents.

The documents noted some students requested Holbrook’s assistance in operating the voting machine.

“Mr. Holbrook did not touch the voting machine on behalf of any student. Mr. Holbrook did not direct any student how to vote. Mr. Holbrook made no effort to conceal his activities in the clerk’s office. No one ever told Mr. Holbrook that he was acting improperly,” a correspondence read.

Following his assistance to students when voting, Jolly informed Holbrook “that the students he assisted in voting should have had Voter Assistance Forms completed,” according to the documents.

Jolly gave Holbrook forms she had completed for each student and Holbrook signed each one, “as directed by Ms. Jolly,” according to the correspondence.

“To the extent Voter Assistance Forms were required to have been completed before students were allowed to vote, that occurred through no fault of Mr. Holbrook. It is clearly the County Clerk’s responsibility to ensure all required paperwork is complete prior to allowing anyone to cast a ballot,” the correspondence read.

Of the 24 students who voted with an absentee ballot, 12 had voter assistance forms on file with Jolly. Several of the forms indicated the student’s reason for assistance was due to a physical disability, according to the documents.

In Jolly’s recounts of the events, Holbrook allegedly told her the students he assisted qualified as being physically disabled because they were “nervous and anxious to vote.”

According to the documents, Holbrook spoke with Matt Daley at the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office regarding what would qualify someone for a physical disability on their voter card.

In an interview, Daley said he was contacted by Holbrook on Primary Election Day in 2018. Holbrook allegedly asked Daley if anxiety would constitute a need for voter assistance.

According to the documents, Daley said he researched the statute and later recited it to Holbrook. Daley noted Holbrook never explained why he had a question relating to voter assistance and anxiety.

After Jolly was allegedly told that anxiety qualified as having a disability by Holbrook, she marked the physical disability box on the voter assistance form “at the direction of the school superintendent.”

In student interviews, several students recalled the disability box had not been checked when they signed the forms, according to the documents.

According to the documents, P.N., a student, felt “disrespected” when he saw the disability box was checked on the voter assistance form. Another student, A.B., said he was “kind of mad” when he saw the disability box was marked.

Another student, J.M., said “We signed this but this is wrong cause I definitely don’t have a physical disability.”

According to the documents, J.M. asked Holbrook why she had to sign the voter assistance form. Allegedly, Holbrook told her that he was not supposed to do what he did.

J.M. said, “He wasn’t supposed to do what he did, I think that’s what he said.”

In an interview, Jolly said the deputy clerks at the time “allowed” Holbrook to assist the students at the voting machine because the students requested for him to do so, according to the documents.

Robertson County Deputy Clerk Ann Stoker and Deputy Clerk Mary Hendrix both acknowledged that students who requested assistance when voting “asked specifically” for Holbrook.

When asked why voter assistance forms were not completed despite the requirements, Hendrix said, “Knowing Holbrook and knowing the students, it was okay.”

According to the documents, Jolly said that she “does not believe Mr. Holbrook was treated any different because he is the Superintendent of the Schools.”

Jolly also acknowledged that she has “never seen anyone be assisted at the voting machine or polling location without a voter assistance form being completed.”

According to the documents, Jolly also acknowledged that “the assistance should not occur without the form being completed by the voter, he person assisting and the election officer.”

Jolly also allegedly said, “If this occurred on Election Day, the responsibility would be on the poll workers.”

In the interview, Hendrix noted that she signed the voter assistance forms that were completed on May 21, 2018 “even though the students had voted days prior.”

According to the documents, Hendrix told interviewers that “it was a misunderstanding that we did not get these filled out the same day it occurred.”

Hendrix also recalled seeing R.S., the student involved in the original complaint against Holbrook, and D.C., another student, at the clerk’s office with Holbrook, according to the documents.

According to Hendrix, R.S. did not ask for assistance from Holbrook. Documents also noted no voter assistance form was ever turned in for R.S. from the clerk’s office.

In Holbrook’s interview, he denied ever having any conversation with students regarding who they should vote for.

According to the documents, Holbrook said, “I will put my hand on that they will not; I don’t think none of ‘em will say that, because I made it a point to say you vote for who you want to.”

Holbrook also allegedly told interviewers that he believed none of the students he assisted would say he told them who to vote for in the primary election.

According to the documents, several of the students recalled Holbrook being in the room and “standing behind them” as they cast their votes when being interviewed.

Some of the students also suggested Holbrook told them to ask the deputy clerks to allow him to assist, according to the documents.

While in the room with some of the students, Holbrook allegedly directed them to vote for Bogucki and some of the candidates for United States Representative at the time, according to documents.

H.M., one of the students whom Holbrook assisted, asked Holbrook who she should vote for because she “was not sure.” Allegedly, Holbrook then pointed to a candidate on H.M.’s screen.

One student, B.D., recalled that Holbrook commented, “maybe I should, you know, consider voting for Bogucki because, you know, she kinda helped out our school a lot,” while B.D. was selecting a candidate for the county judge-executive.

Another student, B.B., said, “I just thought it was weird that he was pressuring all of us to vote and stuff and I felt weird about it,” according to the documents.

R.H., another student whom Holbrook was allegedly in the room with while voting, said Holbrook pointed to the ballot and said, “You know you want to vote for this guy cause he’s a winner, not this guy he’s a loser.”

In the interview with R.S., the exchange student from the U.S. Virgin Islands involved in the original complaint, he said Holbrook advised him to tell the clerk that he could assist him so that “he could go in the room to vote with R.S.”

According to the documents, R.S. did this because he did not know how the voting equipment worked.

Allegedly, Holbrook told R.S. to vote for Bogucki instead of “Hammer” Allison. According to the documents, R.S. told interviewers that Holbrook said, “You might want to vote for Stephanie Bogucki.”

R.S. voted for Bogucki when he was told to do so because he had never voted before and “did not realize that “Hammer” Allison was running against Stephanie Bogucki,” he said in the interview.

According to the documents, R.S. also told interviewers that after he voted for Bogucki, he “discovered he had voted against his guardians’ friend “Hammer” Allison for whom he had intended to vote.”

Allegedly, Holbrook also “touched the machine when he gave him instructions on how the equipment worked,” R.S. said in an interview. He noted he was never asked to sign a voter assistance form.

Some of the students stated they believed and told Holbrook it was not “any of his business” for whom they voted.

One student, O.M. recalled riding to the county clerk’s office on May 16, 2018. On the way there, Holbrook allegedly asked O.M. who he was going to vote for.

In response, O.M. said, “Honestly, it’s really none of your business who we vote for,” according to the documents. Holbrook allegedly responded by saying, “Well, I get that.”

O.M. also recalled Holbrook asked what he was going to do today. According to the documents, O.M. told Holbrook he was going to vote and Holbrook said, “I kinda wanted more than that?”

O.M. allegedly responded by saying, “You don’t get more than that. It’s not your place to know.”

In addition to the alleged comments Holbrook made to students regarding their votes, several students claimed Holbrook called them “black sheep” when referring to being registered as Republicans, according to the documents.

R.H. told interviewers that Holbrook was “making fun” of him and P.N., another student, for being Republicans. According to the documents, R.H. claimed Holbrook called them “the black sheep of the school.”

The documents noted R.H. thought these comments were “strange” and he “did not really care about Mr. Holbrook’s opinion.”

In an interview with Stephanie Bogucki, she allegedly told detectives that Holbrook was chosen to be an election precinct officer and “even attended the training.”

According to the documents, Holbrook told Bogucki he was told by the Democratic party chair that he was not going to be allowed because his “secretary had a family member on the ballot.”

Bogucki also denied exchanging any emails with Holbrook related to her campaign, including flyers and pamphlets, according to the documents.

Later in the documents, emails were located on a school computer that was used by Holbrook relating to Bogucki’s campaign material when she was seeking re-election as judge-executive.

According to the documents, Holbrook replied by saying, “Looks great. I read it.”

Several other emails were found on Holbrook’s computer at RCS that involved conversations between himself, Stephanie Bogucki, and Ray Bogucki, the attorney for RCSB and Stephanie’s husband at the time.

Holbrook denies the allegations based on the primary election in 2018.

“I just deny that I encouraged students to vote for any kind of thing,” Holbrook said.