Judge dismisses Glenda Ritz lawsuit against State Board of Education members
A judge Friday dismissed state schools chief Glenda Ritz’s lawsuit against fellow members of the State Board of Education, saying she didn’t have authority to file the legal action.
But Ritz said she’s not ready to give up.
Marion Circuit Court Judge Louis Rosenberg did not rule on the merits of her allegations. Her lawsuit alleged that the board violated the state’s open meeting law by signing off on a letter — without her knowledge — that asked for a state agency other than her Department of Education to calculate A-to-F ratings for the state’s schools.
But he did determine that Ritz couldn’t file the lawsuit and be represented by department attorneys. She needed to be represented by Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, the state’s chief attorney.
While state board members — all appointed by Republican governors — expressed hope that the dismissal would bring the issue to a close, Democrat Ritz said she still wanted the potential violation of the state’s open meeting law to be examined.
“This case was filed because I believe the board of education took illegal action outside of the public arena and that needed to be stopped,” said Ritz, the state’s superintendent of public instruction. “I
