GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) -- A trial has gotten underway to decide whether the Sumner County Board of Education violated the Tennessee Public Records Act by not responding to a Joelton man's email request.
According to reports, Ken Jakes filed a lawsuit in Sumner County Chancery Court in April 2014 challenging the school board's policy requiring a citizen wanting to inspect a public document to submit the request in person or via U.S. mail rather than email.
The month before, Jakes sent an email to Sumner County Schools spokesman Jeremy Johnson asking to review the school board's records policy.
In his opening statement during the first day of testimony on Wednesday, board attorney Todd Presnell argued the board was not obligated by state law to accept records requests by email.
(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
