Bergen County School Districts Win Open Public Records Suit Against Television Station

Sixteen Bergen County school districts legally withheld information from a television reporter looking into their fire and security drill practices, a judge ruled earlier this month.

Judge Robert P. Contillo ruled that the districts had a right to redact data form documents submitted by the schools under the New Jersey Open Public Record Act’s ”security exemption,” NorthJersey.com reported.

The districts included Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District, the Oakland K-9 district, and the Ramsey K-12 district, along with the Allendale, Alpine, Bergen Tech, Bergenfield, Demarest, Englewood Cliffs, Hillsdale, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Northern Highlands, Old Tappan, River Vale, and Tenafly, the website reported.

“The court finds these redactions are necessary to protect defendants’ interest in maintaining the safety and integrity of the school community,” Contillo wrote in his decision. “Any other result would risk this information falling into the wrong hands and being of use in an effort to cause harm.”

WNBC-TV reporter Pei-Sze Cheng on about Jan. 29 asked the districts for their security drill record forms they are required to maintain dating back to 2012, the report states; the districts blacked out the exact days, times, and duration of the drills that were conducted.