Yesterday, the Legislative Information System posted HB 159, a bill Del. Marcus Simon agreed to carry for us. It addresses a technical issue that has surfaced in FOIA cases filed by individuals in general district court. In some courts, judges or clerks have required the FOIA petition (DC-495) to be served on the public body by a sheriff or other third-party process server. That was never the intent of the statute, which was designed to make FOIA enforcement straightforward for citizens. Nonetheless, some judicial manuals also suggested that service of process was required. This bill should remove any doubt and directs the Office of Executive Secretary to correct the manuals accordingly.
The Southampton County Board of Supervisors plans to form a committee Wednesday, Jan. 7, with the goal of learning answers to questions that remain unanswered regarding the finances of Southampton County Public Schools. … This will be the second Transparency Committee formed in the county within the past 30 days, as the Southampton County School Board recently created one in response to concerns raised by the public and supervisors about Southampton County Public Schools’ administrative and financial practices. The School Board voted unanimously on Dec. 11 to establish an ad hoc committee for the promotion of school division transparency and accountability. (Note: Like the school board’s transparency committee, this one has been structured in a way that would exempt it from FOIA’s open meeting rules.)
The scene of a Richmond Sheriff’s Office employee pepper spraying a young concert-goer on Brown’s Island was captured on video at a public event attended by thousands. But it’s been a long wait for anyone expecting the sheriff’s office to say anything substantive about it. … The sheriff’s office has denied some requests for public records related to the incident, citing an exemption in Virginia’s transparency laws that allows officials to block the release of documents related to internal law enforcement investigations into possible wrongdoing. … “Any matters involving the Sheriff’s Office would fall under their own internal processes and oversight mechanisms,” said Civilian Review Board Manager Joseph N. Lowery. … Irving has not said if she will publicly release the result of the pepper spray investigation when her review is complete.
Lexington-Richland Five is obligated to post on its website for six months a Richland County judge’s ruling that the school district broke South Carolina law in 2021, according to a court order. Circuit Judge Daniel Coble’s order effectively ends a years-long lawsuit between The State newspaper and the Chapin- and Irmo-area district over whether its school board violated the S.C. Freedom of Information Act when all but one of its members signed an agreement to separate with former Superintendent Christina Melton in a private meeting.
