Ohio Teachers’ Union Fights GOP Records’ Request
Published: November 21, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio—The state’s largest teachers union and the Ohio Republican Party have gone to court over a GOP request for the names and addresses of all educators.
A Franklin County judge is expected to hear arguments later this month over whether to extend a temporary restraining order stopping the release of the records.
Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine says the party wants the names to let Ohio teachers know where Republican candidates stand on education issues. DeWine says Republicans aren’t going to let the Ohio Education Association spread what he calls lies and attacks without a response.
The OEA says the request is a violation of teachers’ privacy and the information being requested is shielded under Ohio’s public records law.
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Reader Reactions
caretaker79, Laura—teachers go through BCI background checks, etc. School districts keep an eye on things and MOST of them are doing a fine job at keeping the bozos and “criminals” out of the classroom.
Yeah, the teachers union is heavily Democrat and is annoying at times.
I’m a teacher, conservative/Republican and don’t support everything they stand for. Teachers who don’t become “full union members” get treated differently by those who are, so many of us are in a no-win situation. At least being a union member allows us to voice our opinion.
Omitted words in the previous post
Just because “Ohio” is in the title, does not make it an entity subject to the public records law.
@ Laura, read the public records law. Just because “Ohio” is in the title, does not an entity subject to the public records law. Also, read the definition of a ‘record’ in the statute. then, once you get done with the statute, read the most recent supreme court case that said that state employees’ addresses, phone numbers etc., do not meet the statutory definition of public record, and therefore are not required. Is OEA even subject to the public records law-probably not. Even if they are subject to the public records law, according to recent case law, is the information that was requested a record-as defined in the statute-no. Nice publicity stunt by the political party,but just as the Dispatch and Dayton Daily News lost their case before the Supremes on this issue, they will find themselves on the losing end of the stick too.
When you are paid with tax dollars,you are subject to “open records” laws-as it should be for many good reasons,especially being entrusted with our children.
A few years back the same thing happened to ALL state employees. The Dispatch requested full names, home addresses, job titles, salaries, social security numbers, and work addresses. When the state tried to fight it they lost…..So why should the teachers be any different?
Whats the matter OEA. Afraid they are going to find a lot of criminal activity by membership? SOunds like the Dems run this union and want to hide things just like our “president” about his background. Maybe the records need to be made available to the public on arrests and such activity. We have had drunk teachers and principals in the schools as well as pedofiles.
SOMETHING DOESN’T SOUND QUITE RIGHT based on this article that I just read after being “solicited” by a Farmer’s insurance agent who bought varous lists:
http://oh.aft.org/CHTU/index.cfm?action=print&articleid=6936c5ad-8dc0-448a-8efa-5ed57bcfda53
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