May 2010
No provision in law for closed-door meetings on security
May 28, 2010 | Filed in: Sunshine
Act | Open
meetings
If the Twin Valley School Board had gone into a
private meeting with a Caernarvon Township police
officer to discuss filing civil or criminal
charges against a district resident, the meeting
may have met the standard established by the
Sunshine Act to exclude the public. As it was,
the board discussed safety, security and legal
measures that could be taken against a disruptive
citizen, according to school board solicitor Jon
S. Malsnee. Read
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Commonwealth Court issues significant Right to Know opinions
May 28, 2010 | Filed in: Right to Know
Law | Open
records
Last week was a significant one for access
issues, with the Commonwealth Court issuing four
decisions interpreting the amended Right to Know
Law. Read
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State court: ESU must open records
May 25, 2010 | Filed in: RTK request
stories | PaFOIC
| Right to Know
Law | ESU | Open
meetings | PaSSHE
Donor records relating to scholarships and a
signature East Stroudsburg University building
must be made available to the Pocono Record, a
state court ruled Monday in the most recent turn
in a 15-month-long legal battle. In a
precedent-setting decision, the Commonwealth
Court ruled 7-0 to uphold the substance of a
previous ruling by the state's open records
agency. Read
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Opinion: Thumbing noses at Right to Know
Pennsylvania may have a new Right to Know Law,
but it is becoming increasingly apparent that
many bureaucrats and elected officials have no
intention of following it. Read
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Lower Windsor Twp. changes policy, increases public access
May 14, 2010 | Filed in: Open
records | Right to Know
Law
Lower Windsor Township changed a policy and will
let people see drafts, ordinances and other
documents before the supervisors act on them, as
long as the information isn't privileged. On
Thursday, supervisors unanimously voted for the
change, saying they wanted to be open with the
public about information. Read
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Opinion: Close open records loophole
Sometimes, a final decision isn't exactly final.
That's the case with Pennsylvania's revamped open
records law. The law, intended to grant the
public greater and easier access to public
documents, allows government bodies to appeal
decisions — called final determinations — by the
state Office of Open Records. And sometimes that
results in records remaining closed because
petitioners cannot afford to hire lawyers to
defend appeals. Read
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Release all expenses incurred by district officials
May 05, 2010 | Filed in: Right to Know
Law | Open
records
If Wyomissing School Board members are so
concerned about informing the public how much it
costs the district to gather information under
the Pennsylvania Right to Know Act, perhaps they
should include themselves on the list of who
requested information, what information was
sought, the time it took to fulfill the requests
and how much that cost the district. Read
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