News - Page 52 of 125 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

21 Nov, 2017

TDEC clamps down on public records as tons of radioactive waste heads to Tennessee

By Deborah Fisher|2017-11-21T08:48:39-06:00November 21, 2017|Categories: exemptions|Tags: Camden, Decatur County, radioactive waste, TDEC, The Tennessean|0 Comments

The state has stopped allowing citizens access to how much low-level radioactive waste is going into landfills, according to a report by Nashville investigative journalist Anita Wadhwani in The Tennessean. Wadhwani reports that this clamp down on data by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation comes at the same time that waste processing companies in Tennessee "have filed notice that they plan to import 10,000 metric tons -- or more than 22 million pounds - of low-level nuclear waste from Canada for processing." It is not clear where that waste would go after processing. The newspaper reported that four Tennessee landfills are currently licensed to accept that type of [...]

20 Nov, 2017

Would your school board vote on a capital plan without public notice?

By Deborah Fisher|2023-04-11T10:59:34-05:00November 20, 2017|Categories: adequate public notice|Tags: adequate public notice, agendas, Chattanooga, Elisha Hodge, Hamilton County Board of Education, Hamilton County superintendent Bryan Johnson, Memphis Publishing Co. v. City of Memphis, Office of Open Records Counsel, school boards, Souder v. Health Partners|0 Comments

If there’s one type of governing body that generates the most open meetings questions to my help line, it’s school boards. So let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a school board member for a moment and consider the following scenario. I hope it will provide you some ideas the next time you ask a school board candidate where he or she stands on government transparency. Instead of allowing the stock answer, “I’m pro-transparency,” how would your potential school board member react in this situation? Four months ago, the school board hires a new superintendent. He immediately faces a list of overdue capital improvement projects. Some schools need extensive repair [...]

25 Oct, 2017

Broadcasters association advises Open Records Counsel that blanket ban on photos of public records is unreasonable, inefficient

By Deborah Fisher|2017-10-26T04:11:27-05:00October 25, 2017|Categories: Office of Open Records Counsel, Public Records|Tags: Doug Pierce, Lee Pope, photos of public records, Tennessee Association of Broadcasters|1 Comment

The Tennessee Association of Broadcasters has added its voice to the growing number of entities who have urged the Office of Open Records Counsel to revise its Model Public Records Policy to eliminate the option of a blanket ban on taking photos of public records. Doug Pierce with King & Ballow The Office of Open Records Counsel's model policy includes language that several government entities have adopted into their own policies and practices that would ban someone from taking a photo of a non-exempt public record with their cell phone or camera. The broadcasters association, along with the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, the Tennessee Press Association [...]

21 Oct, 2017

Chalkbeat: State is suing Nashville schools to turn over student directory information; Memphis takes a different path

By Deborah Fisher|2017-10-21T10:24:59-05:00October 21, 2017|Categories: schools|Tags: FERPA, Metro Nashville school board, Shelby County School Board, State Department of Education, student directory information|0 Comments

Chalkbeat has provided in-depth coverage of the escalating fight over release of student directory information to charter school operators who want to use it for recruitment. The state this past week filed a lawsuit against the Nashville school district to force the production of the student directory information, which includes student's addresses, phone numbers and other information, after the school district refused the state's order earlier this year. Chalkbeat explains in its most recent report a different tack taken by Memphis schools, which is notifying parents of their rights to have their student's information not released if they "opt out." The Nashville school district's refusal to turn over the information [...]

20 Oct, 2017

NFOIC: Key open government challenges in states emerge from 2017 FOI summit

By Deborah Fisher|2017-10-20T09:39:50-05:00October 20, 2017|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|Tags: Dan Bevarly, government contracts, Mal Leary, NFOIC, NFOIC summit, private email, reverse FOI lawsuits, texting|0 Comments

This from the National Freedom of Information Coalition, which held its 2017 FOI Summit in Nashville Oct. 13-14: Dan Bevarly, executive director of National Freedom of Information Coalition The National Freedom of Information Coalition concluded its 2017 FOI Summit in Nashville over the weekend. The annual two-day event features presentations from FOI experts and practitioners on trending FOI and open government issues in public institutions at the state and local levels. Summit attendees include NFOIC’s state coalition directors, journalists, media lawyers and first amendment watchdogs. The Tennessee Coalition of Open Government served as summit co-host. This year’s gathering highlighted key FOI challenges emerging in state and local governments including: Growing [...]