AKRON, Ohio - Angry residents want to know why Akron School Board member John Otterman wasn't immediately fired after he was found passed out in his SUV from a suspected fentanyl drug overdose.

Otterman, who Akron Police resuscitated Thursday using four doses of Narcan, resigned from the board on Monday. Narcan can reverse the effects of an opiate overdose.

Akron Schools spokesman Mark Williamson said callers are confused about the process by which board members are hired and fired, accusing the district of "allowing a criminal to work around children" and "coddling corrupt politicians."

The board used the only tool available to discipline Otterman, who has been in trouble before.

"They censured him," Williamson said. "This is what they have at their disposal."

The school board censure, which stripped Otterman of his committee assignments and all travel and voting rights, took place last November and was still in effect Thursday.

"He's an elected official," Williamson said. "The removal process is really on the people who put him in office."

Otterman's censure was a result of an incident last June in which police were notified about a reckless driver and found Otterman, again in his SUV, with slurred speech and glazed eyes. An unmarked prescription bottle was also found, filled with Xanax.

Otterman pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to a year of probation, but he didn't notify the school board.

"We believe he had a responsibility ethically," Williamson said. "We found out several months later, which puts the board in a very difficult position."

Here are some facts to help clarify the laws that govern the boards of public schools in Ohio:

The school board is governed by the Ohio Revised Code

Board members are voted and hired by Akron residents to meet bi-monthly

Board members are compensated $125 per meeting and can earn no more than $5,000 per year

The board has no legal authority to fire a member, as all members are elected by the people

The electorate can remove a board member from service through a petition drive

A board member who doesn't attend a board meeting in 90 days can also be removed through a vote if the reason for missing the meetings is deemed insufficient

Although censuring is less severe than removing a board member, it is a formal statement of disapproval, Williamson said.

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