BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. - The Bloomfield Hills school district is refusing to release the names of all the members of a school-closing committee, and the public may not attend its meetings, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The group is meeting weekly in closed-door sessions and will make recommendations in December regarding which two schools the district should close, the Free Press reported. About 15 parents serve on the 30-member volunteer committee, but the district will not release parent names. The Free Press said it is seeking more information through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.
District administrators turned down a request for the names from a member of its own board of education, the Free Press reported.
"They need to work in a safe place because of the emotion," district spokeswoman Betsy Erickson told the Free Press. "They need a place to be candid."
SOURCE:
The Detroit Free Press, "Bloomfield Hills district cites privacy in school closing case," Oct. 8, 2008
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Myth #3: Private schools are unaccountable to the public," in "School Choice in Michigan: A Primer for Freedom in Education," July 16, 1999
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