Mt. Lebanon to censure school director for using profanity during board's Zoom meeting

A Mt. Lebanon school director may have learned a valuable lesson on Monday night: If you’re participating in a Zoom meeting that’s open to the public, it’s a good idea to mute your microphone before unleashing a string of profanities.

Prior to the start of the Sept. 14 school board meeting, board member Michael Riemer uttered several profanities. They were broadcast to school officials and members of the public watching the virtual meeting, according to district spokeswoman Cissy Bowman.

Later in the meeting, Riemer said he was sorry for his conduct.

“I want to apologize for the extremely inappropriate language that I used this evening before the board meeting,” he said. “There is no excuse for this egregious lapse of judgment. I deeply and sincerely apologize to our families, community members, district staff and my fellow board members for my behavior.”

Despite the apology, the board made a motion to censure Riemer at its Sept. 21 meeting.

A censure is a public statement of disapproval, but carries no formal punishment, according to Bowman.

School board president Sarah Olbrich said she, too, was sorry for the words Riemer uttered.

“To the community, I apologize for the behavior of Mr. Riemer tonight,” Olbrich said. “His language was unacceptable and unbecoming his position. It will not happen again.”

Riemer and several other board members did not respond to requests for comment by the Tribune-Review on Tuesday.

Riemer, who is in his second term on the board, serves as the district’s representative to the Parkway West Career and Technology Center.

He is a retired police officer and worked as a school resource officer for the district between 2006 and 2011, according to a profile on the Mt. Lebanon Democratic Committee’s webpage.