“This was an expensive and foolhardy decision by Epic to deny our request,” Streuli said. They’re merely the keepers of those records, not the owners. It belongs to the taxpayers who are funding the agency or funding the school district in the first place. Agencies sometimes get the idea that they’re in their own little kingdom and it all belongs to them. “If they’re handing records off to attorneys before the public sees them, they’re incurring costs the taxpayer has to bear for no real purpose,” Streuli said. Streuli said involving agency attorneys for each step slows down the process. Any redactions of private or confidential information can usually be done by records custodians, clerks or paralegals. State law requires records to be available for inspection or copying during normal business hours. “Serving as a watchdog for the public is the most rewarding part of this job, and I’m grateful for all the support I’ve received from Oklahoma Watch, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and our readers to pursue these records,” Palmer said.Īlthough the state’s open records law doesn’t require review of records by licensed attorneys, more public bodies are funneling records requests through their attorneys. Palmer said she was happy to see the lawsuit settled. “We recognize the importance in supplying the requested documents, and in good faith, applied the necessary internal resources and budget to share the data in an accessible format.” “We appreciate the dismissal of the lawsuit and recognize the patience of the public and members of the media as Epic Charter Schools continues to realign its internal procedures under new executive leadership and a new Board of Education,” Banfield said in the statement. In a statement, Banfield said Epic continues to realign internal policies under its new leadership. Why We’re Covering Epic Charter Schools, and What’s Next The school doesn’t contract with a management company and is led by Superintendent Bart Banfield. Board chair Paul Campbell was brought on in May 2021, and his first action as board chair was to cut ties with founders Harris and Chaney and their private, for-profit management company. I think it’s fair to say they would have saved a lot of money if they initially complied with the law when we made the request.”Įpic began replacing its governing board members at the end of 2020 and has since completed a full turnover. “They agreed to give us the records we asked for many months ago. “It was going to cost a lot of money to fight this, and they were likely to lose in the end because the law is pretty clear on this,” Streuli said. He said the records belong to the public, and agencies should make records readily and easily accessible to anyone who wants to see them. Ted Streuli, executive director of Oklahoma Watch, said it was clear the emails were public records under the law. Gardner and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press represented Oklahoma Watch on a pro bono basis. Each side is responsible for its attorney fees. Under the settlement, Epic provided Palmer and Oklahoma Watch with the emails at no cost. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Epic Charter Schools Settles Open Records Lawsuit Brought by Oklahoma Watch - Oklahoma Watch Close
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