State Board Of Education Reaches Settlement In Open Door Law

Kyle Stokes / StateImpact Indiana

The lawsuit has been ongoing for almost a year. Today's decision grants a group of private citizen more than $15,000.

The Indiana State Board of Education reached a settlement Wednesday with a group of private citizens who sued regarding the state’s Open Door Law. As we’ve reported, a judge dismissed a similar suit filed by State Superintendent Glenda Ritz, so a group of Ritz supporters filed another.

A Marion County judge approved a settlement of more than $15,000 to cover the plaintiffs’ legal fees.

The alleged violation in the lawsuit occurred last year, when Ritz said the state board held a meeting in private when they communicated about A-F grades via email.

The state’s Open Door Law is not clear about whether an email conversation counts as a meeting.