JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – On Tuesday, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that the Attorney General’s Office has reached a favorable resolution in a lawsuit the Office filed against Moberly School District over alleged violations of the Sunshine Law.
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed suit against the Moberly School District in November, 2021 for failing to comply with the Sunshine Law.
“Working to ensure transparency in education is critical, especially when it comes to students with disabilities and disadvantages who are served by IEPs. Parents should have every right to participate in the formation and implementation of those IEPs,” said Attorney General Schmitt. “I’m pleased to have worked with the Moberly School District to ensure that transparency and compliance with the Sunshine Law. My Office will continue to fight on behalf of parents at school districts across the state.”
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office initially raised concerns about the Moberly School District’s policy for recording Independent Education Plan (IEP) meetings. The Office raised those concerns in a letter to the Moberly School District.
The Office then filed a Sunshine Law request, seeking documents related to the IEP recording policy.
The Moberly School District requested several thousand dollars to produce those public records.
Shortly after receiving that response, the Office filed suit against the Moberly School District for alleged Sunshine Law violations.
As part of the resolution, the Moberly School District will:
- Revise its policies to permit parents to record their children’s Individualized Education Plan meetings, consistent with the law and Attorney General guidance;
- Attend Sunshine Law training administered by the Attorney General’s Office;
- Implement a Sunshine Law records request tracking system;
Further, if Moberly enters into a contract with third-party technology service provider to manage its records and search for records in response to a Sunshine Law request, the contract will not impede public access to records or result in overcharging citizens who submit requests.
The full settlement can be found here: https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/fully-executed-settlement-agreement(13295685-1).pdf?sfvrsn=bc9a819a_2