Republican Rep. Max Miller is publicly demanding action after the Parma City School Board moved to declare the seat of Air Force reservist Ashley McTaggart vacant while she is deployed overseas; this article outlines the timeline, the legal oddities the board is citing, statements made by officials, and local reactions to the attempt to remove an elected veteran.
Rep. Max Miller (OH-7) criticized the Parma City School Board for what he called an “outrageous attempt” to remove Ashley McTaggart from her elected seat during her military deployment. Miller, who endorsed McTaggart in 2023, said the board has used “every trick in the book” and asked the Department of War to step in to protect her. “Since she has won the seat, the left-leaning board has pulled every trick in the book to try and remove her, culminating in an attempt to remove Ashley while she is deployed,” Miller wrote on X. “I am calling on our [War Department] to intervene in this matter to protect our brave service members like Ashley from these types of abuses.”
The core of the dispute centers on a quirk in Ohio law that the board interprets as barring virtual attendance or voting by school board members, even for those on military deployment. Parma board leaders convened a special meeting to discuss whether McTaggart’s absence qualifies as a vacancy that could lead to appointing someone else to finish her term. Board President Tammie Sebastian and Vice President Brittany Kurpik raised concerns about “regular attendance and participation,” saying they needed legal counseling on the matter.
Sebastian acknowledged uncertainty about the length of McTaggart’s deployment, saying plainly, “To be honest with you, I’m just going to be completely transparent, I don’t know — we really don’t know — the amount of time that this board member is going to (be) away.” That admission, critics say, makes the meeting look less like a neutral legal check and more like a pretext to push a political outcome. The board’s insistence that they are merely seeking guidance has done little to calm observers who see a rush to replace an absent, deployed veteran.
The board issued a statement stressing respect for military service while insisting that elected members must maintain consistent participation in governance. “We have the utmost respect for those who serve our country, and that has never been in question. At the same time, individuals elected to serve on a board of education have an obligation to the community to maintain regular attendance, actively participate in meetings and committee work, and engage in district governance. Fulfilling those responsibilities requires clear and consistent communication.” That statement was presented as a clarification, but opponents say it reads like an argument in favor of declaring a vacancy.
Nick Reyes, another member of the Parma City School District Board of Education, publicly defended McTaggart and questioned the motives behind the special legal review. He said he believes McTaggart’s seat “should remain secure while she is deployed” and argued the district should focus on improving student achievement rather than targeting a service member. Reyes’s stance highlights a split on the board and underlines how local governance can quickly become entangled with national service obligations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the district allowed virtual participation under temporary state law, a precedent critics now point to as evidence the board could accommodate deployed members if it wanted to. At the time, the community accepted remote meetings and remote voting without controversy, making this sudden scrutiny of McTaggart look selective. Supporters of the veteran argue she is not shirking duties or taking a vacation; she is serving her country while still attempting to fulfill responsibilities to constituents.
Those defending McTaggart say the effort to vacate the seat smacks of political targeting and sends a chilling message to other service members who might run for local office. They note that allowing a temporary absence for military service is consistent with honoring both the vote of the people and the commitment of those who serve. Opponents counter that board governance requires continuity and that prolonged absence, no matter the reason, can harm district oversight and decision-making.
The legal question at issue—whether state law absolutely bars any remote attendance by school board members during active deployment—remains murky and is the focus of the board’s counsel request. Municipal bodies across the country face similar tensions when elected officials have obligations outside their communities, and these cases often hinge on statutory interpretation and local policy choices. For residents watching this play out in Parma, the case raises broader questions about how local institutions balance civic duty and military service.
At stake is more than a single seat; it’s how communities treat civic servants who also bear arms for the nation. The debate in Parma illustrates the friction between strict procedural rules and the realities of modern civic life, where service to country and service to community can collide in uncomfortable ways.
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