An Indiana school district failed to properly comply with a Raw Story public records request, the Indiana Public Access Counselor ruled Friday after Raw Story challenged the school district for improperly withholding records.
The April 21 request to the school district was part of Raw Story’s reporting for the in-depth article “‘They blew up my life’: Fox News, a hidden camera and threats to an Indiana school administrator,” published on Aug. 8.
After waiting more than two months for the Monroe County School Corporation to produce requested records, Raw Story filed a formal complaint June 27.
The school district finally provided records to Raw Story in mid-July. Other school districts Raw Story contacted with public records requests produced the records by mid-May, one as early as May 1.
Luke Britt, the Indiana public access counselor, said that if the Monroe County Community School Corporation in Bloomington, Ind., wanted to make the process easier, it should have communicated with Raw Story’s reporter, Mark Alesia, early in the process.
“Instead, he was left to wait several months until he felt he had no option but to file his complaint, and rightfully so,” Britt wrote.
He added, “It is important for public agencies not to get swept up in minutia.”
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The public access counselor issues advisory opinions on violations of the state’s open records and open meetings laws. Indiana law does not specify a specific time for records to be supplied, only that it be done in a “reasonable” amount of time.
“We appreciate the Indiana Public Access Counselor’s affirmation of the public’s right to know,” Raw Story Editor-in-Chief Dave Levinthal said. “Government agencies are also on notice that Raw Story won’t tolerate officials hiding or slow-walking the release of records that the public is entitled to see, and we’ll pursue them by whatever legal means are necessary.”