During the summer of 2008, nine former middle school students accepted a total of $200,000 to settle their federal lawsuit against the Barrington School District. The students, all girls who were 12 to 15 during the 2003-04 school year, had sued the District and Principal Patricia Moore for failing to remedy a “sexually hostile environment” […]
Posted inNJ Open Government Notes
Dealing with non-specific OPRA denials
Sometimes, particularly with law enforcement records requests, I receive responses that generally deny my request but fail to provide me with a list of the records to which I am being denied. For example, I recently asked the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office for “any police reports, incident reports, witness statements or other writings” that pertained […]
Posted inNJ Open Government Notes
Appellate Division requires specificity in OPRA requests
In a published decision released today, the Appellate Division agreed with the Government Records Council that John Bart’s request for records was not specific enough. Bart had requested the Passaic County Public Housing Agency to provide him with the agency’s signs “currently posted in conformance with N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(j).” In other words, Bart wanted the signs […]
Posted inNJ Open Government Notes
Some Local Finance Board decisions on the Internet
I have collected some decisions that apply and interpret the Local Government Ethics Law and have placed them on-line here. As time permits, I will add more decisions to the site. Most of these decisions, while technically “public,” reside in the Local Finance Board’s offices in hard-copy form and are not readily available. I believe […]
Posted inNJ Open Government Notes
OPRA/OPMA court order issued in Sussex County
On March 16, 2009, Assignment Judge B. Theodore Bozonelis issued an Order in the case of Jesse Wolosky v. Township of Vernon, Sussex County, Docket No. L-079-09. Out of four issues presented, the plaintiff won two issues, lost one issue, and is mediating the remaining issue. The plaintiff was also ruled to be the prevailing […]