Read the brief I wrote in my case against a charter school, arguing for disclosure of a principal’s misconduct records that the network tried to withhold as FERPA-protected. … More Briefly: New Haven Independent v. Amistad High School
Schools may no longer hide evidence of educator misconduct by claiming that they need to protect students’ confidentiality, according to a ruling by the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission in a case I filed. … More FOI Commission: Don’t Use Students As Shield
For seven months, an elementary-school principal was under investigation for allegedly failing to report a teacher’s abuse of a kindergartener and for bullying staff members who eventually went to his superiors.
After all that time, the school district now refuses to say what it found. … More Principal’s Alleged Misconduct Kept Secret
After talking up how much they value “inclusiveness” and “collaboration,” the leaders of a state-backed venture retreated behind closed doors to discuss how they plan to save struggling students in Connecticut’s poorest high schools. … More Public Shut Out Of $300M Schools Fix
Read the brief I wrote in my case against the police, arguing for disclosure of a hiring policy that listed disqualifying drug use. … More Briefly: New Haven Independent v. New Haven Police Commission
After reviewing my appeal, the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission ruled that both the police department and police commission had broken the law at nearly every step as they developed a policy on allowable drug use by applicants. … More Police Illegally Hid Secret Drug Policy
A consultant advised New Haven’s Board of Education not to put any part of the schools superintendent’s upcoming performance review on paper, other than a single summary sheet at the end.
Otherwise, he warned, the public would find out what’s really in it, through a public-records request. … More School Board Told How To Keep Superintendent’s Eval Secret
By not posting completed agendas on time and whispering to each other during meetings, a school board committee violated the state’s open meetings law, concludes a preliminary state open-government opinion. … More FOIC Staff: School Board Violated Law
Prompted by city lawyers, the New Haven Police Department turned over a copy of its new two-page hiring guidelines — with almost every line about drug use whited out. Feel like helping to fill in the blanks? … More Fill In NHPD’s [Redacted] Drug Policy
On The Records 