Kent School Board: Margel speaks over Cook 18 straight times

Published 2:35 pm Friday, March 27, 2026

As Donald Cook delivered his board member report at a recent Kent School Board meeting, Board President Meghin Margel talked over him by repeating the words “Director Cook” 18 consecutive times in 33 seconds.

Yes, 18 times, according to a video review of the March 25 meeting on YouTube.

Cook, who has had a continual ongoing conflict with Margel and Kent School District Superintendent Israel Vela, spoke about how Vela’s personal attorneys have demanded mediation and threatened legal action against him for conduct arising from his official duties as an elected director, information he said the board already knows.

Vela quickly jumped in as Cook spoke.

“You should not be discussing law,” Vela said.

That didn’t stop Cook.

But it caused Margel to repeat “Director Cook” again and again. She said it each time with a similar tone and volume, without shouting, but at an easily audible level.

Cook told the board he was giving it notice that he will be formally submitting a written request for independent legal counsel at district expense to help combat Vela’s complaints against him. Cook said that is allowed under Washington state law.

“This board authorized that same protection for Directors Margel and (then-member Tim) Clark in March of last year under the same statutory framework,” Cook said. “My formal request will be submitted to President Margel after review by my attorney and will need to be placed on the agenda for board action at the next available regular meeting.

“I’m raising this now so there are no surprises and so the board has time to prepare.”

And with that, Cook, who attended the meeting via Zoom rather than in person, said “good night,” in between two more “Director Cook” comments by Margel, and he ended his call.

Vela then told the board how it should handle Cook’s comments.

“For the record, I just wanted to note, President Margel, members of the board, that discussion should not have taken place out on the dais,” Vela said.

“Acknowledged,” said Margel, who added one more line before the meeting moved on to the next report. “For the record, director Cook has left the meeting at 9:09.”

In a March 25 Facebook post later that night after the meeting, Cook expanded on his comments and the board’s reaction.

“Nothing said tonight (March 25) about the superintendent’s choice to file a complaint against a board director is information that hasn’t already been shared by the Kent Reporter or others,” Cook said. “I would really prefer to be focusing on our work: library paraeducators, policy oversight, listening to the community members who showed up tonight. Instead, the board’s single employee has filed unwarranted legal threats against a director for doing his job. The superintendent works for this board. Not the other way around.”

Earlier conflict at meeting

Margel’s actions during Cook’s report wasn’t the only conflict between the two during the meeting.

Earlier in the night, the board was set to vote on a policy to raise the amount of individual or group donations to the district to more than $10,000 before the board has to approve it rather than a single administrator. Cook wanted to discuss the policy before the vote, but his Zoom call was briefly muted as members debated if Cook was still on Zoom, muted or unmuted.

“Sorry, can you hear me right now?” Cook said.

Apparently, they could not.

“Oh, we’ve lost Director Cook,” Margel said. “We will continue on as we still have a quorum (at least three of the five board members).”

About 30 seconds later, Margel, Teresa Gregory and Laura Williams voted to approve the measure. Director Andy Song was absent from the meeting.

“OK, I don’t know what happened,” Cook said just seconds after the vote. “I wasn’t able to get in there and talk. Did you already move through the last one? I had some questions I wanted to ask.”

Margel, who made no effort to make sure whether Cook could get back online to participate in the discussion and vote, had a quick reply for Cook.

“We did,” Margel said about moving the policy forward. “We voted. It’s been approved.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Cook responded.

Cook discussed the choice by Margel to exclude him from the policy matter in his later social media post. He said that he’s heard the calls to stop the “infighting” and end the “interpersonal conflict.” He said he’d welcome that, but not with what’s happening among himself, Margel and Vela.

“A board director asked questions, had done his homework, and tried to participate in a policy discussion he was elected to participate in,” Cook said. “The response was to freeze him out of discussions, move past him when he tries to speak, and now threaten legal action. That’s not interpersonal conflict. That’s a serious problem with accountability.”