Editor,
School Board legislative representative Rocco Gianni spoke in support of a bill that hinders access to public records. To make a case for deterring records requesters, he testified that a “former teacher’s” records requests cost the district $500,000 and that Superintendent Jo Moccia, who he characterized as an “expensive secretary,” wasted time perusing and redacting records. He called the situation “not morally ethical” and “a crime against children.”
His scapegoating comments to lawmakers and The Record, where costs were recently estimated at $400,000, omit or misrepresent the following facts, all verifiable by public records:
I, “the former teacher,” requested records concerning myself that were allegedly secretly kept by a former district superintendent.
I requested records confirming that the district over-counted enrollment at tiny Bayview School in 2010-2011, a purported misunderstanding that required it to return approximately $100,000 to the state.
It required me to request some records.
It “inadvertently” and intentionally destroyed unknown numbers of records while responding to my requests.
It disclosed the names of students to me who failed to qualify for its Highly Capable Learner’s program, and the “tier” placement of approximately 100 HCL students, though I didn’t request such information.
It disclosed hundreds of records to me long after Moccia claimed she had completed a “thorough” search, only after my repeated requests, and only after I sued it for violating the state’s Open Public Records Act.
It knew its insurer didn’t cover PRA lawsuits, and thus spends money meant for students to pay lawsuit costs.
Moccia testified under oath that attorneys — not Moccia — reviewed and exempted records.
In short, the district paid its Seattle attorneys hundreds of dollars an hour to ineptly respond to my legitimate records requests — a judge later ruled against the district for the untimely production of documents — and wasted “$500,000,” according to Gianni, unsuccessfully defending its violation of the records act.
“Expensive secretaries” indeed. Instead of admitting wrongdoing, it maliciously appeals to public opinion and urges greater governmental secrecy. Worse, it retaliated against records-requesting parents by publicizing their children’s confidential information, another violation of federal law. Using children as shields has triggered more legal actions and attracted the attention of civil rights organizations. The district continues to enrich its attorneys with taxpayer money intended for students.
ERIC HOOD
Langley
