Charter schools subject to public records law

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Charter schools in Massachusetts must comply with the commonwealth’s public records law, G.L.c. 66, §10, the Supreme Judicial Court has ruled.

Mystic Valley Regional Charter School refused to comply with multiple public records requests. After the attorney general commenced an enforcement action, Superior Court Judge Michael P. Doolin granted judgment on the pleadings in the AG’s favor, concluding that Mystic Valley is a governmental entity obligated to respond to the requests.

“Mystic Valley principally contends that it is not subject to the public records law because it is not among the entities enumerated in G.L.c. 4, §7, Twenty-sixth. We disagree because we conclude that Commonwealth charter schools fall within the category of ‘any authority established by the general court to serve a public purpose.’ G.L.c. 4, §7, Twenty-sixth,” Justice Serge Georges Jr. wrote for the SJC.

The 17-page decision is Attorney General v. Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, Lawyers Weekly No. 10-023-26.

Click here to read the full text of the opinion.