Transparency News, 7/1/2022
Friday
July 1, 2022
The newsletter will return July 5. Happy Independence Day!
state & local news stories
"What tends to happen is that when there are controversies or when there are areas of intense interest, that’s when FOIA requests are going to increase."
Fairfax County Public School added half a million dollars in this year’s budget to keep up with public records requests, which have more than tripled since 2016 and gotten broader in scope. The increase comes as the school system finds itself the subject of political vitriol over COVID precautions and racial equity programs, among other issues. The funding will double the staff and add new technology to respond to the volume of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from the public. It will also bolster staff for responding to requests for student educational records from eligible parents, guardians, or students that fall under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The uptick in Virginia FOIA requests to the commonwealth’s largest school system accompanied highly political controversies over school reopenings, racial equity programs, inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ students and staff, and attempts to ban books by queer authors and authors of color from both class curricula and library shelves. Neighboring Loudoun County Public Schools has also seen a significant increase, and had to add staff to help fulfill the volume of requests, according to Loudoun Now. The rise in requests received by FCPS is not surprising to Megan Rhyne, the executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, a group that advocates for transparency. “What tends to happen is that when there are controversies or when there are areas of intense interest, that’s when FOIA requests are going to increase,” she says, noting that the government’s response to the pandemic likely provoked heightened scrutiny. Schools, Rhyne says, have historically drawn high levels of interest.
DCist
Following a speedy and unanimous vote Wednesday night, the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors on Thursday swore in Tara Carroll to represent Midlothian until the Nov. 8 special election. With the board’s approval, Carroll will also join PlanRVA, which provides planning assistance to localities and is comprised of people from nine Richmond-area counties and towns. During Wednesday night’s public comment period, Chesterfield resident Mike Uzel pointed to what he called a lack of transparency from the board. Uzel cited how, in 2006, supervisors held a special meeting before appointing an interim seat where they listed the names of the applicants and gave each candidate an opportunity to share why they were seeking to be a representative. “The names and qualifications of candidates are important to the public,” Uzel said. “And we have the right to know who you’re considering.” Virginia law allows public bodies to discuss, consider or interview potential candidates for appointments in a closed meeting.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
An employee at the Elkton Area Community Center has filed a charge against a Town Council member following an alleged incident in January. Jilliyn Rae-Anne Monger, an employee of the center, is accusing Randell Snow of misdemeanor assault and battery, according to online court records. In the criminal complaint, Monger said that at about 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 28, Snow came behind the counter at the Elkton Area Community Center to get his pool stick and glove. The community center director, Samantha Brown, showed him the day’s Daily News-Record, which had a story about the community center, according to the complaint. “At this time Randall’s demeanor changed as he was upset with his photograph in the paper,” Monger wrote in the complaint. Monger said that shortly after, Snow approached her and said, “You need to take that stupid crap off,” referring to her face mask. Snow “proceeded to reach at my face and grab my mask,” Monger wrote.
Daily News Record
During a bench trial on Thursday morning in Page County General District Court, Judge Chris Collins lowered the charge against Amelia Ruffner King from an “oral threat” to commit harm against a school official to disorderly conduct. On Jan. 20, 2022, King addressed the Page County School Board during citizen comment period regarding Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order #02, which went into effect a few days later and removed a previous mandate for masking in Virginia’s public schools. While the school board agreed and voted, 4-2, to immediately shift from universal masking used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to a “parent choice” option, King spoke before the vote and insinuated that she would stand for nothing less. “I find that the behavior was disturbing,” Judge Collins stated. “I have taken into consideration that you immediately apologized, but the court must take into consideration that the comments at the time were wholly inappropriate.”
Page Valley News
