(BEDFORD) – The hearing on open door violations and the school consolidation of North Lawrence Community Schools has been rescheduled for June 12, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. in Lawrence County Circuit Court.
Special Judge Holly M. Harvey will preside over the hearing.
A filing was first made in January 2020 by North Lawrence Community Schools Attorney James G. Pittman for a Judicial Review of the Indiana Public Access Counselor ruling that the school corporation violated the Open Door Law.
The request for judicial review came after Jason Johnson, of Springville, filed a complaint to the public access counselor on November 19, 2019, alleging that the school corporation violated the Open Door Law.
On December 11, 2019, the North Lawrence School Corporation filed a response to the complaint to the public access counselor. On January 7, 2020, Indiana Public Access Counselor Luke Britt issued an advisory opinion stating the North Lawrence Community Schools violated the Open Door Law.
In a separate court filing on January 31, 2020, North Lawrence Community Schools filed a motion seeking Declaratory Judgement by North Lawrence Community Schools against Jason Johnson, Jerry Ford, Deanna Ford, Gerald Hill, and James Evans.
The above-mentioned persons have become interested parties in the case because they sought the request of public records.
In a third court filing; North Lawrence Parents Group Limited, a nonprofit organization, filed a civil complaint against the school corporation seeking an injunction to void the school board’s vote on January 6, 2020 to close several elementary schools and one middle school.
