Virginia Northam signs bills to forbid release of student phone numbers and emails without consent

Gov. Ralph Northam has signed two bills that forbid public schools and colleges from releasing a student’s email address or phone number without written consent. Release of such information is currently discretionary. But the Democratic governor last week signed Senate Bill 512 from Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County, a bill that will become one of […]

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Virginia Supreme Court announces plans for public records, statewide case search

RICHMOND — Virginia’s Supreme Court announced plans Tuesday to formulate a plan for public access to court records by Dec. 1 and offer statewide access to online case information by July 2019. In supporting “reasonable” access to judicial records, the Supreme Court said it would develop a proposal for public records access before the end […]

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Naked FOIA dodge from the AG’s office

From HamptonRoads.com:  To truly appreciate the absurdity of the legal argument, consider this: The public-records law that staff members in Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s office said did not apply to the attorney general specifically mentions the office four times.

Three of those mentions exempt the office from its obligation to disclose specific information under Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act.

 

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U.S. Supreme Court takes up VA law denying non-Virginians right to FOIA requests

From Examiner.com:

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that it will hear the appeal of Mark J. McBurney and Roger W. Hurlbert, both non-Virginians. McBurney and Hurlbert were denied Freedom of Information (FOI) requests for government documents because Virginia law prohibits non-Virginians from using the Freedom of Information Act law.

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NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for June 8, 2012

A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week:

Des Moines school district says Sebring emails are public files

A Polk County district judge next week will listen to arguments regarding the release of additional personal emails sent and received on the Des Moines school district’s public account by former superintendent Nancy Sebring.

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Read More… from NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for June 8, 2012