PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union on Monday accused the state Board of Education of more violations of the Open Meetings Law regarding a new "high-stakes" testing requirement for high school seniors.
This latest challenge centers on a closed-door meeting that the board held Sept. 9 where members, meeting in a closed session, discussed and voted on a petition filed by the ACLU related to its suit targeting the new graduation requirement.
The ACLU's petition urged the board to reconsider the NECAP graduation requirement.
The board voted 6 to 5 in the closed session not to comply with the petition.
Under Rhode Island's open meetings law, the board was required to hold any discussion and vote on the issue in public, the ACLU says.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit in July that challenged the board's plans to discuss the NECAP at a private retreat. A Superior Court judge later ruled that board discussions about the test must be open to the public.
The ACLU has amended the suit to include the latest allegations -- and has asked the court to declare the Sept. 9 vote null and void, and fine the board $5,000 for "willfull violation of the law."