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Nov. 3, 2025 – Today, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments for an important case, Andrea Joy Campbell, Attorney General vs. Mystic Valley Regional Charter School. The school – in refusing to comply with the state’s public records law – is arguing that charter public schools are “more like private, independent organizations than governmental entities” (Appellant Mystic Valley Regional Charter School Brief).
The Massachusetts Charter Public School Association fundamentally disagrees.
The 1993 Education Reform Act that created charter public schools explicitly states that: “A commonwealth charter school shall be a public school, operated under a charter granted by the board (of Elementary and Secondary Education), which operates independently of a school committee and is managed by a board of trustees. The board of trustees of a commonwealth charter school, upon receiving a charter from the board, shall be deemed to be public agents authorized by the commonwealth to supervise and control the charter school.”
While charter public schools are afforded specific autonomies and flexibilities within the law to allow for greater educational innovation, we believe that Massachusetts law is clear that charter public schools are public institutions that must adhere to public records law.
As public entities, the law requires that charter public schools operate in a manner that embraces and upholds transparency and accountability – not only to the state, but also to students, families, and local communities. For that reason, responding to public records requests in accordance with the law is a requirement of all public schools, including charter public schools.
The Massachusetts Charter Public School Association believes deeply in a strong public education system that empowers families to decide which type of public school is the right school for them. For thirty years, charter public schools have been a vital part of the Commonwealth’s public education system, expanding opportunity while ensuring public funds remain within the public system.
We hope the Supreme Judicial Court affirms that charter public schools, as public schools, must respond to public records requests, ensuring a critical means of ensuring transparency, accountability, and the maintenance of public trust.
