Email discussions subject to Open Meetings Act, Ohio Supreme Court rules
Members of a public body who hold private discussions of public business via email are subject to the Open Meetings Act, the Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled. The Court’s ruling in White v. King held that any prearranged discussion constitutes a meeting, whether it happens in person or via other means of communication. The case was brought by Olentangy Local School District Board of Education member Adam White, after other members of the board held private email discussions with district staff members regarding the board’s official response to a newspaper editorial criticizing several board members. For more, read Bricker & Eckler’s bulletin Ohio Supreme Court rules email discussion violates Open Meetings Act.
