Attorney General Sues Missouri School Board Association over Sunshine Law Violations

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed suit against the Missouri School Boards Association for alleged violations of the Sunshine Law. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office previously requested records from the Missouri School Boards Association related to their role in the October 4, 2021 memo from the National School Boards Association that designated concerned parents who show up to school board meetings as “domestic terrorists” and called for FBI surveillance of those parents. The Office also requested documents related to MSBA guidance on critical race theory, mask mandates, and IEP meeting policies. The MSBA failed to respond to Sunshine Law requests from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

The lawsuit states that MSBA failed to respond to at least two Sunshine Law requests from the Attorney General’s Office as required by the Sunshine Law. The Attorney General’s Office also received a Sunshine Law complaint from a citizen alleging that MSBA had similarly not responded to their Sunshine Law request. The Attorney General’s Office also alleges in the lawsuit that MSBA has failed to identify its custodian of records, a violation of the Sunshine Law.
The lawsuit is asking for the Boone County Circuit Court to enter a judgment requiring MSBA to comply with the Sunshine Law.