AG opinion Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

Greene County camera policy mirrors recommendation from TSBA

By Deborah Fisher|2017-01-06T15:27:24-06:00February 28, 2014|Categories: Attorney General Opinions, Open Meetings, school boards|Tags: AG opinion, Greene County, schools, Tennessee Open Meetings Act, tv camera ban|0 Comments

The Greene County Board of Education's decision to ban TV cameras from its public meetings appears to be based on a recommended camera policy by the the Tennessee School Board Association. The school board association sets out best practices for its members. A recommended meeting policy contains the same language that is being reported as in the Greene County school board policy: "No one shall bring a camera, camcorder or other photographic equipment to Board meetings without the consent of the Board," reads TSBA's recommendation. The Greene County school board policy differs only that it starts "The press shall not bring..." The association insists its recommended language is not a "ban" [...]

Applying the sunshine law – what the Attorney General said

The Dyersburg State Gazette published a story recently about our state's sunshine laws. The story was about two county commissioners who met with the principal and PTO representative at an elementary school to clarify information about its future. The paper was told about the meeting about 30 minutes before. The State Gazette's story probes whether the meeting violated the state's sunshine laws. In addition to quoting the law about meetings between two or more members of a public body, the newspaper also quoted a 2012 Attorney General opinion that shed light on the sometimes thorny issue of what triggers the Open Meetings Act. From the State Gazette: "Although exceptions are [...]