By: Cynthia McNabb and Clive Pontusson

In Sheats v. City of East Wenatchee, the Washington Court of Appeals determined that a Police Officer could not prevent the disclosure of the pre-employment polygraph test he took when he applied for employment with the East Wenatchee Police Department. Even though a polygraph report is generally exempt from disclosure under the Washington Public Records Act (PRA), an Officer who is seeking to prevent disclosure of a public record must show that disclosure is not in the public interest, or that it will damage a critical government function. Because Officer Sheats could not prove this, the Court of Appeals decided he could not prevent the City of East Wenatchee from disclosing the results of his polygraph test. [Read more…]

By Erica Shelley Nelson and Harrison Owens

In Predisik v. Spokane School District No. 81, the Washington State Supreme Court found that public employees did not have a right to privacy in public records that contained information relating to investigations of potential misconduct, but did not identify the specific allegations being investigated.  In their lawsuits, two public school employees sued the District to prevent the disclosure of a leave letter and spreadsheets to two media outlets who requested the materials.  The Supreme Court held that Washington law did not prevent the disclosure of the un-redacted materials, because they did not violate the employees’ privacy rights.

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By Jordan L. Jones

In Martin v. Riverside Sch. Dist. No. 416, the Washington Court of Appeals, Division Three, held that: (1) a teacher’s records were not exempt from disclosure pursuant to the personal information and the investigative records exemptions of Washington’s Public Records Act (PRA), and (2) disclosure of the records did not violate the right to privacy.

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