Editor's Note: This is a very good open government decision. It should also be noted that OCOG contributed an amicus brief, crafted by Dave Marburger, to this case. From Court News Ohio
Five months after a contentious school strike ended, little evidence showed that the replacement teachers faced any serious threats of harm and their names could be released to the teacher’s union requesting their identities, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
The 5-2 ruling affirms the decision of the Eighth District Court of Appeals, which ordered the Strongsville City School District Board of Education to release the names of the teachers to David Quolke, president of the Cleveland Teacher’s Union. The per curiam decision also upheld the order to pay Quolke $7,973 for court costs and attorney fees.
Strike Starts Strongsville’s 385 teachers and other licensed personnel are represented by the Strongsville Education Association, which filed a notice to strike beginning March 4, 2013. On March 3, the school board began interviewing applicants for replacement teachers at Strongsville City Hall. About 75 to 100 people were chanting, jeering, and cursing the applicants as they exited the building, and school administrators led the applicants out the back door to their cars with a police escort.