Dogged Diane: Sunday’s Comic

Department Of Education Forcibly Removes Reporter Asking To Inspect Records
ARIZONA CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Evan Wyloge and Jim Small

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Education physically removed an AZCIR reporter out of its Capitol Mall offices today in response to a request to inspect the latest school letter grade records.

The agency’s security guard told AZCIR’s reporter he was trespassing and pushed him out of the public building after the reporter asked to speak with ADE staff about inspecting public records.

Arizona law explicitly requires that government agencies allow “any person” to inspect public records “at all times during office hours.”

The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why security forcibly removed someone attempting to view public records.

AZCIR on Wednesday filed a formal records request for the electronic files that contain the school grade data, and additionally requested that the records be made available for in-person inspection on Thursday, as is explicitly allowed under Arizona’s Public Records Law…..

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