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FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
COMMISSION |
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In
the Matter of a Complaint by |
FINAL
DECISION |
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Kathryn
S. Ekstrom, |
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Complainants |
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against
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Docket
#FIC 1999-146 |
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Superintendent of Schools, Cromwell Public |
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Respondents |
February
23, 2000 |
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The above-captioned matter was scheduled to be heard as a contested case on January 13, 2000, at which time the complainant and the respondents reached the following terms of an agreement in resolution of this contested case:
1. [The Chairman of the Board of Education, Cromwell Public
Schools]… assure[s]… that the members of the Cromwell Board of Education
(the “Board”) and [the Chairman] understand the Board’s obligations
under the Freedom of Information Act (the “Act”).
In particular, the Board understands the acceptable purposes for an
executive session pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 1-200, which are:
“Discussion concerning the appointment, employment, performance,
evaluation, health or dismissal of a public officer or employee, provided that
such individual may require that discussion be held at an open meeting;
strategy and negotiations with respect to pending claims or pending litigation
to which the public agency or a member thereof, because of his conduct as a
member of such agency, is a party until such litigation or claim has been
beneficially adjudicated or otherwise settled; matters concerning security
strategy or the deployment of security personnel, or devices affecting public
security; discussion of the
selection of a site or the lease, sale or purchase of real estate by a
political subdivision of the state when publicity regarding such site, lease,
sale, purchase or construction would cause a likelihood of increased price
until such time as all of the property has been acquired or all proceedings or
transactions concerning same have been terminated or abandoned; and discussion
of any matter which would result in the disclosure of public records or the
information contained therein described in subsection (b) of section 1-210.”
2. The Superintendent and
the Board Chair will contact the Freedom of Information Commission to get a
speaker from the Commission to present a public forum on freedom of
information issues to the Board of Education and open to the public.
3. The Board and the
Superintendent will take steps to assure that agendas will set forth items for
both public and executive session with sufficient specificity to give the
public notice of the topics to be discussed, and regrets if any inadvertent
violations of the Freedom of Information Act may have occurred.
4. The Board and the
Superintendent also wish to affirm their commitment to open government, public
meetings, and public comment and regrets any contrary inference that their
conduct of meetings may have caused.
5. In return for these
stipulations, the complainant withdrew the complaint in this matter.
The following order by the Commission is hereby recommended on the
basis of the record concerning the above-captioned complaint:
1. The complaint is hereby
dismissed.
2. The Commission commends
all parties for reaching a non-litigated settlement of this matter.
Approved by Order of the Freedom of Information Commission at its regular meeting of
February 23, 2000.
_________________________
Melanie R. Balfour
Acting Clerk of the Commission
PURSUANT TO SECTION 4-180(c), G.S., THE FOLLOWING ARE THE NAMES OF EACH PARTY AND THE MOST RECENT MAILING ADDRESS, PROVIDED TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COMMISSION, OF THE PARTIES OR THEIR AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE.
THE PARTIES TO THIS CONTESTED CASE ARE:
Kathryn S. Ekstrom
Six Pondview Drive
Cromwell, CT 06416
Superintendent of Schools, Cromwell Public Schools; and Board of Education, Cromwell
Public
Schools
c/o Atty. Christine L. Chinni
Shipman and Goodwin, LLP
One American Row
Hartford, CT 06103
__________________________
Melanie R. Balfour
Acting Clerk of the Commission
FIC1999-146FD/mrb/02/25/00