Supreme Court Rules Barrington Committee Violated Open Meetings Act

Supreme Court Rules Barrington Committee Violated Open Meetings Act

The state Supreme Court has ruled that the Barrington School Committee violated the Open Meetings Act.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Rhode Island ACLU, which had filed a lawsuit against the Barrington School Committee. The suit contended that the committee had "patently disregard[ed] the spirit and purpose" of the Open Meetings Act and acted against "the public's statutorily-protected right to be advised of the workings of its government bodies through appropriate notice." The court concluded that the committee had failed to properly give the public notice about a closed-door meeting it held.

The lawsuit came about after the school committee had "met in closed session" without the input of the public to reach a decision regarding "a mandatory breathalyzer policy for all students attending school dances," according to an ACLU press release. The ACLU argued that the committee had purposefully withheld and obscured meeting agendas in the public eye. In its defense, the committee had argued that its closed meetings were justified by the "threat of litigation" from ACLU attorneys.

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According to ACLU attorney Howard Merten, the ruling "affirmed some important limitations on when public bodies can discuss policy issues in executive session under the cloak of attorney-client discussions."