Circuit Court Judge Mark Lindsay entered an order and opinion letter today that the Fayetteville Public School District violated the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and awarded attorneys fees in the amount of $11,800 to the Plaintiff Ila Campbell.
The Complaint, brought under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), arose following two separate FOIA requests submitted to the Fayetteville Public School District (“FPSD”) requesting, in part, the District’s equity plan, documentation regarding Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ policies and gender support plans, use of the word “Christmas,” and the Converge Social Justice Consulting Firm.
Judge Lindsay ruled that the District violated FOIA by failing to respond to either of Ms. Campbell’s FOIA requests within 3 working days and provided no justification to her or the Court.
Attorney Joey McCutchen said, “We hope Judge Lindsay’s ruling sends a message to other government entities that FOIA requests should be taken seriously and that failure to comply will result in severe consequences including the payment of a citizen’s attorney’s fees.”
You can access the entire ruling by clicking this link:
