I had some thoughts on yesterday’s bigger-than-usual newsletter: Protecting Google’s interest; surprise agenda items; records that contradict; and a tone that broadens the distance between government and the public. VCOG Newsletter on Substack
The Alexandria City School Board filed a lawsuit against former senior administrator Ayanna Harrison on Nov. 14, seeking nearly $800,000 in damages after discovering Harrison was working another full-time job in Georgia. The eight-page filing in Alexandria’s Circuit Court states the basis of the lawsuit is in the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act and claims Harrison violated her employment contract and telework agreement with ACPS. … The lawsuit follows the Times’ reporting on Oct. 29 that revealed Harrison’s dual employment with an Atlanta charter school as its chief operating officer while simultaneously working as the executive director of support operations at ACPS. Harrison was terminated by both school districts that week….Meeting minutes for Atlanta’s Kindezi Schools Board of Directors indicate that Harrison participated or was present in at least some meetings held during her designated ACPS working hours on weekdays. Harrison was present at meetings at 9 a.m. as late as Oct. 23, just six days before her dual employment became publicly known. Alexandria Times
A lawsuit filed by former Superintendent Mark Taylor is still making its way through the court system. School board member and Del.-Elect Nicole Cole (D-Spotsylvania) remains embroiled in a legal battle with fellow board members Lisa Phelps and April Gillespie, alleging malicious prosecution. The father of a disabled elementary school student is planning to sue the school division after his child was one of several molested on a school bus in 2024. These are just a few of the legal issues plaguing Spotsylvania County Public Schools, which is why Director of Organizational Compliance Dennis Martin said during a Monday school board work session that the division needs a permanent legal staff, including full-time division counsel, a full-time internal investigator, two full-time paralegals, and an administrative assistant focused on legal matters.
Documents Inside Investigator obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) shed light on talking points Connecticut officials have been using as they work to convince the public and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) to accept a bid that would see the state use pension funds to become a minority owner in the Connecticut Sun basketball team. Documents Inside Investigator obtained through a FOIA request to lieutenant governor Susan Bysiewicz’s office include talking points distributed to her and Rep. Corey Paris, D-Stamford, in early September. Those emphasize marketing Connecticut as the “basketball capital of the world.”
A Freedom of Information Act request to Grand Blanc Township (Michigan) has stirred controversy due to an unusually high fee quoted for accessing records. Anna Matson, an investigative podcaster and independent journalist from Holly, was quoted over $100,000 for labor costs after she requested internal communications related to Grand Blanc Township Fire Chief Jamie Jent. She made her request after Jent was placed on administrative leave and threatened to be fired three weeks after the deadly attack at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28. Matson’s curiosity piqued when the news of Jent’s administrative leave surfaced. She sought more information through a FOIA request, aiming to uncover emails, texts and letters exchanged between township staff and trustees with Jent from January to October. Upon receiving a response on Nov. 11, Matson was shocked by the fee for labor costs, which totaled more than $100,000. NOTE: A request for email over a 10-month period will yield A LOT of records.
