District 11 Ombuds Sues Superintendent and Deputy Over Missing Confidential Files

Overview

• The ombuds, Natasha Bullard Ka’onohi, filed a revised civil complaint on Sept. 8, 2026, naming Superintendent Michael Gaal and Deputy Superintendent Brandan Comfort and asking a court to resolve the dispute.
• Ka’onohi alleges Comfort used a key to enter her office multiple times in early February, removed several confidential file folders including one labeled “Superintendent,” and returned at least one file to the wrong cabinet on Feb. 10.
• The complaint also alleges a text from Comfort questioned Ka’onohi’s reliability and that some employee complaints in the files were never formalized because staff feared retaliation by the superintendent.
• District 11 in response directed an independent investigator to review the matter from June 5 to Aug. 31, 2026, and the investigator concluded the evidence did not substantiate wrongdoing by Gaal or Comfort.
• The school board held a legal briefing on Sept. 16, has expressed confidence in its leaders, and said district counsel will represent Gaal and Comfort as the litigation proceeds, a process that could bring new evidence through court discovery and affect district governance and staff trust.