(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)
To learn more about WhitbeckBennett, please visit Attorney Kevin McCandlish and Joshua Hetzler of the Founding Freedoms Law Center represent Plantiffs.
This lawsuit was about ensuring Loudoun County parents have the opportunity to be present when decisions affecting their children and families are made by their local government.” — Kevin McCandlish, Attorney, WhitbeckBennettWASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 2, 2022 /EINPresswire.com / -- The Loudoun County School Board violated Virginia's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 2021 a Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge ruled Friday, April 29, 2022 (Loudoun County Circuit Court - CL22-65). Specifically, Judge James Plowman ruled that the School Board violated Virginia law when it ended public comment and cleared public attendees from the premise and thereafter continued to conduct official business. The meeting, which occurred on June 22, 2021, previously gained national attention due to the controversial policies discussed at the meeting and the impassioned public comments by parents and citizens in response.
Kevin McCandlish of WhitbeckBennett PLLC and Joshua Hetzler of the Founding Freedoms Law Center litigated the case on behalf of Plaintiffs Megan Clegg, Megan Rafalski, and Adam Rafalski, all of whom are parents in Loudoun County with children in the Loudoun County Public Schools . The Court found no exigent circumstances or exceptions applied to mitigate the School Board's violation of the Freedom of Information Act at the meeting and that shutting down of public comment and attendance at the meeting violated Virginia's FOIA statute.
On June 22, 2021, Ms. Clegg was signed up to speak during the public comment section of the School Board meeting with her daughter, but she was denied that opportunity when the School Board walked off the dais, not returning until hours after public attendees were told to leave the premises. Mr. and Mrs. Rafalski were signed up to speak during the public comments section of subsequent School Board meetings, at which the School Board modified its public comments procedure. The Plaintiff's petition sought, among other things, a determination that the Loudoun County School Board had violated Virginia's FOIA statute on June 22, 2021, and at subsequent meetings. The Court found that due to its ruling the School Board had violated the public meeting requirement of Virginia's FOIA statute, the Plaintiffs had substantially prevailed, and were entitled to an award of attorneys' fees.
Lead attorney on the case Kevin McCandlish stated,“[w]e are pleased with the Circuit Court's decision and applaud our clients for their determination in seeing this case through.” He went on to say,“[t]his lawsuit was about ensuring Loudoun County parents have the opportunity to be present when decisions affecting their children and families are made by their local government.”
WhitbeckBennett is the first national family law firm to serve both men and women. Focusing its practice on the areas of law that affect everyone in the family. WhitbeckBennett's mission is to serve families with compassion, trusted advice, and fearless advocacy . WhitbeckBennett's practice areas include all facets of Family Law, Education Law, Mental Health Law, and Estate Planning.
To learn more about WhitbeckBennett, please visit them online at .
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WhitbeckBennett – WhitbeckBennett was founded to be a law firm for your family. This means we have focused our practice around the areas of law that affect everyone in your family. Our aggressive yet compassionate team of highly responsive and competent attorneys help individuals get the best result possible in the most difficult of times. Families need to be able to trust that their lawyers are giving their best efforts to achieve the client's goals. Clients also need to know that their lawyer will be responsive and communicate with them consistently and as quickly as possible. WhitbeckBennett attorneys have built their practices around these philosophies and their success on behalf of clients can be traced to our aggressive and compassionate approach to the cases we handle.
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