WASHINGTON, D.C. — The 2021 D.C. Open Government Summit will examine public and charter school transparency, the coronavirus pandemic’s ongoing impact on government records access, and the views regarding government transparency of two recently elected City Council members. This year, the annual Sunshine Week event – sponsored by the D.C. Open Government Coalition; the Society of Professional Journalists Washington, D.C., Pro Chapter; Open the Government; Empower Ed; and the D.C. Office of Open Government – will be virtual through Zoom (registration information below).
The summit is 1-2:30 p.m. Eastern, Thursday, March 18, 2021. 
- Ginger McCall, a DCOGC board member, will lead a wide-ranging discussion with Christina Henderson (at-large) and Brooke Pinto (Ward 2). The session will explore their views on transparency laws that foster greater public knowledge of and participation in government decision-making, as well as enhanced accountability of agencies and officials.
- Empower Ed’s Scott Goldstein and D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson will join Sandra Moscoso, another Coalition board member, to explore continuing efforts to improve public access to records of D.C. public and charter schools, and meetings of charter school boards. They will discuss how greater access can empower parents and teachers to play a more effective role in shaping the District’s school system and how more accurate and better use of data can improve that system.
- Nate Jones, a Washington Post FOI expert, Niquelle Allen, D.C. Office of Open Government director, and Fritz Mulhauser, DCOGC blogger-in-chief will assess the state of D.C.’s Freedom of Information Act today. They will address the pandemic’s impact on FOIA compliance generally, the Metropolitan Police Department’s long-standing resistance to transparency, and the government-wide failure to implement proactive disclosure requirements.
Tom Susman, Coalition president, will conclude the Summit with a community call to action, outlining how individuals and organizations can use transparency tools to make local government more efficient and accountable.
Register here to receive Zoom information to attend the Summit.