schools Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

1 May, 2014

Appeals court: TSSAA subject to Public Records Act

By Deborah Fisher|2020-02-23T10:11:53-06:00May 1, 2014|Categories: functional equivalent, public records lawsuits Tennessee, schools|Tags: Claudia Bonnyman, Court of Appeals, Frank G. Clement Jr., functional equivalent, litigation, schools, Southcomm, TSSAA|0 Comments

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association meets the standards of a "functional equivalent" of government and therefore is subject to the Tennessee Public Records Act, an appeals court in Nashville ruled today. The decision means the organization, which was created in 1925 and has an annual budget of $5 million, must abide by the same rules as government agencies when it comes to access to its records. Court of Appeals Judge Frank G. Clement Jr. The case arose in 2012 after TSSAA refused to give The City Paper records related to an investigation into tuition for athletes at Montgomery Bell Academy, arguing it was not subject to the [...]

Charter schools win teleconferencing exception to open meetings

By Deborah Fisher|2015-08-18T07:53:12-05:00April 14, 2014|Categories: Legislature, Open Meetings, schools|Tags: charter schools, teleconferencing, Tennessee Open Meetings Act|0 Comments

Charter schools are getting a special carve out in this legislative session with a teleconferencing exception to open meetings law that allows their board members to meet via teleconference, videoconference or other electronic means without having a physical quorum in one location. Charter schools that operate in Tennessee are subject to the state's sunshine laws, meaning their governing bodies must publish notice of upcoming meetings, hold open meetings in which the public can attend and follow all other requirements of the Open Meetings Act. But the new law would give charter school boards the extra ability to meet via teleconference, videoconference or other electronic means as long as they provide a physical [...]

Judge awards $31K to Murfreesboro citizen in open records lawsuit

By Deborah Fisher|2020-11-19T12:17:38-06:00March 18, 2014|Categories: public records lawsuits Tennessee, schools|Tags: attorney's fees, litigation, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County|0 Comments

Tracy Pack filed an open records lawsuit more than three years ago after he had requested records under the Tennessee Public Records Act and received what he suspected was an incomplete response. He told The Murfreesboro Post that he "just wanted to know whether county funds were being spent properly." Pack had requested copies of checks written by former principal Chontel Bridgeman on a Homer Pittard Campus School checking account. Fox 17 WZTV Nashville interviewed orthodontist Tracy Pack who sued the Rutherford County school board. Click on the photo to hear what Pack had to say. The award is the second time in recent months in which the [...]