Pa. court sides with teachers in setting rules over home addresses

A Pennsylvania court says government agencies can’t release anyone’s home address under the Right-to-Know Law without first making the person aware their address has been requested and giving them a chance to fight it.

A divided Commonwealth Court Tuesday ruled in favor of the state’s largest teachers union and against the Office of Open Records in a case that began more than five years ago.

 

The court majority says the Right-to-Know Law gives people the ability to claim that disclosure of information about them might put their personal security at risk, but doesn’t spell out a meaningful way for that to happen.

A dissenting judge says the decision succumbs to unfounded fears and cripples the open records law.