Tennessee school district’s legal bills in records fight climb to $113,000

Sumner County Schools' most recent legal bills show the district has spent more than $113,000 defending an open records case now headed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals.

Sumner school board members voted unanimously on Dec. 1, 2015 to appeal Judge Dee David Gay’s ruling that the district violated the Tennessee Public Records Act when it refused a Joelton man’s records request.

The suit was filed in April 2014 by Ken Jakes, of Joelton, after Sumner schools spokesman Jeremy Johnson denied Jakes' request to view the school system’s policy on open records. Johnson denied the request because Jakes asked to view the policy over email and in a voicemail rather than in person or by U.S. Postal Service. Continue…

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