Every week, Student Press Law Center attorneys answer a frequently asked question about student media law in “Ask SPLC.” Q: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, our community is practicing social distancing, so school board meetings are now held via videoconference. Our administration requires anyone who wants to attend a meeting to complete a registration form, which… Continue reading Can school boards require registration to online meetings?
Many schools across the country are failing to comply with Sunshine Laws during the coronavirus pandemic, which is making it even more difficult for student journalists to cover the news. Daniel Bevarly, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, said the coronavirus isn’t a legally acceptable reason for universities to withhold public information… Continue reading Access to public information restricted as schools move online
Every week, Student Press Law Center attorneys answer a frequently asked question about student media law in “Ask SPLC.” Q: Can my access to meetings be limited due to COVID-19? A: If you normally would have access to the meetings (and they continue to occur), you have a right to be present. In other words, COVID-19 cannot… Continue reading Can my access to meetings be limited due to COVID-19?
Every week, Student Press Law Center attorneys answer a frequently asked question about student media law in “Ask SPLC.” Q: Does the student government at my public school have to abide by my state's open meetings laws? A: Maybe. Open meetings laws vary by state, and most courts haven’t specifically ruled on whether state open meetings laws apply… Continue reading Do open meetings laws apply to public school student governments?
The Michigan Supreme Court has declined to hear a case challenging the University of Michigan Board of Regents’ ability to hold closed-door “pre-meetings.”
The Washington Coalition for Open Government is taking the University of Washington to task, legally, for the circumstances surrounding their most recent presidential search.
The University of Central Florida is asking a court to order a student-run news website, Knight News, to pay the university’s attorneys fees in an open records lawsuit the student media outlet filed against the university.
An Illinois appellate court has affirmed a circuit court ruling that the Illinois High School Association, which oversees public high school athletics, is exempt from Freedom of Information Act requests.
The University of Kentucky has violated state open records laws twice within the last year, according to opinions from the Office of the Attorney General.
Michigan's Supreme Court will be asked to consider whether university regents can lawfully continue excluding the public from "informal meetings" held before each public board meeting, where the bulk of substantive discussion actually takes place.