The Center for American Liberty has sued a California school district for allegedly dodging public records requests for information about curricula regarding the teaching of transgenderism and critical race theory in the classroom.
Harmeet Dhillon, CEO and founder of the nonprofit organization, said in a March 20 statement her organization is “deeply concerned” about the “repeated failure” of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to comply with California’s Public Records Act.
This alleged violation of the public records act undermines transparency and accountability in government, Ms. Dhillon said.
“This lawsuit is not just about obtaining documents; it’s about upholding the public’s right to access critical information and ensuring that government agencies are held accountable for their actions,” she said.
The school district has repeatedly failed to provide requested documents within the mandated timeframe, “or at all,” despite “diligent efforts to work with LAUSD in good faith,” according to the Center for American Liberty.
A key aspect of the lawsuit involves a series of emails between June 5, 2023, and Aug. 11, 2023, showing the district did not review and disclose documents, despite reasonable requests to narrow down the scope of the search. Instead, the district provided web links on Aug. 22, 2023, that failed to meet the requirements of the public records request, “further underscoring its lack of compliance,” according to the statement.
A specific request dated May 22, 2023, regarding documents related to the maintenance of pupil records, “gender support plans,” and communications with certain third-party groups, has not been adequately addressed or fulfilled by LAUSD, said the organization.
Despite assurances to the contrary, the district has not delivered any of the requested documents, “constituting a clear breach of its duty” under the Public Records Act, according to the statement.
“I cannot help but wonder what LAUSD is hiding,” Mark Trammell, executive director and general counsel of the Center for American Liberty, said in a March 21 text message to The Epoch Times.
“Parents have a right to know what their kids are being taught in the classroom. Unfortunately, LAUSD would rather keep secrets from parents than satisfy transparency required by law,” he said.
The lawsuit seeks a court ruling to compel the school district to fulfill its obligations under the California Public Records Act, including the prompt disclosure of the requested records.
This legal action “is necessary to safeguard transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to access essential information,” according to the statement.
In response to an Epoch Times request for comment on March 21, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Unified School District said via email that the district does not typically comment on pending or ongoing litigation.
The Center for American Liberty, founded in 2019, is a nonprofit litigation, education, and public policy organization that states its mission is to advance free speech rights and civil liberties and offers pro-bono legal representation in such cases.
