News  AG Campbell Secures Court Victory Requiring Mystic Valley Regional Charter School’s Compliance With Public Records Law

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today secured a victory in her lawsuit against Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, making clear that the school must comply with the Massachusetts Public Records Law. In their ruling, the Supreme Judicial Court agreed with the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and held that Commonwealth charter schools, including Mystic Valley, are public agencies and are therefore subject to the Public Records Law.  

The Public Records Law is intended to ensure that the public has broad access to government records. Access to records is essential to promoting transparency and public confidence in government, particularly with respect to matters involving public entities and public agents.   

“My office took this case to court to enforce the public’s right to access information under our public records law. Today, the court affirmed our fight for transparency and sent a clear message that any taxpayer-funded school, including charter schools, must follow the law,” said AG Campbell. “Transparency is essential to public trust and a healthy democracy, and we will continue enforcing the law to ensure that right is upheld.” 

In her lawsuit, filed in July 2023, AG Campbell alleged that between January 2022 and November 2022, Mystic Valley received at least 10 public records requests and declined to provide the requested records, claiming that it is exempt from the Public Records Law because, according to Mystic Valley, a charter school does not fall under the category of entities required to comply with the Law.  

After Mystic Valley failed to comply with several orders issued by the Supervisor of Records, the Supervisor referred the matter to the Attorney General to ensure compliance. The Suffolk County Superior Court sided with AG Campbell, concluding that Mystic Valley is a governmental entity and is legally obligated to respond to public records requests. Mystic Valley appealed that ruling, which the Supreme Judicial Court upheld today.  

The AGO reviews for enforcement of the public records law when a referral is made by the Supervisor of Public Records. Since 2017, the AGO has successfully enforced 27 of the 36 cases referred by the Supervisor. In most cases, the AGO is able to secure compliance with the Public Records Law without bringing a lawsuit.  

This case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Kerry Kilcoyne of the AGO’s Division of Open Government, which has the authority to enforce the Open Meeting Law and Public Records Law.