FFLC Sues Virginia School Boards Association For Public Records

Richmond, VA - Today, the Founding Freedoms Law Center, the legal arm of The Family Foundation, filed a lawsuit in Hanover County Circuit Court against the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) on behalf of Hanover parent Sabrina Civils. The suit was brought pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) after VSBA refused to provide basic records about its finances, all of which are derived from Virginia’s public school boards. A copy of the Petition for Mandamus can be found HERE.

“Despite being a public body that provides “essential government functions” according to the IRS, receiving all its income from Virginia taxpayer dollars, and enjoying the benefits of tax-exempt status, the VSBA is operating with zero public accountability, transparency, or oversight, while everyday exercising significant influence over the education of children and school policy throughout Virginia,” said Victoria Cobb, head of the Founding Freedoms Law Center. “Ms. Civils simply wishes to see how they are spending those taxpayer dollars, and Virginia’s FOIA entitles her to that information.”

On June 26, 2023, Ms. Civils made a request to VSBA for records pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, which asked primarily for financial records and tax statements that are not otherwise exempt under FOIA. The VSBA refused to produce any of her requested records.

Sabrina Civils is a mother of two children who attend Hanover County Public Schools, whose school board is a member of the VSBA. As stated in her sworn declaration filed with the lawsuit, “The VSBA has significant influence over the policies, positions, and practices of the Hanover County public schools, where my children attend school. As a taxpayer in Hanover County, and as a parent of children in HCPS, I have a great interest in knowing how the County’s tax dollars are being spent, and how the school funds are being allocated.”