A lesson on the Public Information Act

Sarah Fields-Thomas

“The public’s right to know is vital to an accountable, citizen-centered government. We are entitled to be fully informed, with an open and accessible government, at all levels, in virtually all circumstances.”

These words are part of the introduction to the Texas Attorney General’s Web site and they reveal the very essence of the Public Information Act. They also demonstrate a bond between government and “average Joes.” Furthermore, they help journalists provide the public with accurate information from credible sources.

Unfortunately, some citizens are not aware of what is and is not public information. This is especially problematic when those citizens are in charge of managing this same information.

The issue hit home a few weeks ago when I contacted the registrar’s office at Tyler Junior College. Under the Public Information Act, a private citizen may obtain certain limited information about students. In my quest to gather some background information about Jeremy Jarrod Walker, a suspect in a recent shooting at Varsity Place Apartments, I encountered a situation that ultimately led to a police escort to the president’s office.

I approached the desk in the registrar’s office and introduced myself, gave the name of the organization I represented and ask for Walker’s major and whether he was associated with any campus sports. The registrar denied my request. After a third attempt, a try by my adviser, a threat of arrest and a thirty-minute wait in the lobby of the president’s office, we finally received the information.

We live during a time when our responsibilities as citizens need to take center stage over the fear of questioning the government. This incident serves as a microscopic instance of preying on the weak uninformed members of society.

However, the pettiness of the information I requested is not the issue that should be of concern. The issue is the arrogance of the people who were telling me no when I was sure the information I requested was not only doable but required by law.

We went in to obtain Walker’s major and sports affiliation. We left with his date of birth, address, major, sports affiliation, phone number and classification—all of which is public information.

This should be a happy ending to a not-so-happy-story. Instead, it causes more concern about the state of our “perfect union.” Our ignorance in regard to government procedures and our rights places us in jeopardy of violations we may never realize. It places us at the mercy of those in charge, those who do not always have our best interest in mind.

Several lessons were learned that day. Perhaps the most important is to never enter a situation without having prior knowledge. We become complacent when we are unaware of our rights. Those on the other side are counting on our ignorance to give them free reign over our lives. Had it not been for my adviser being present, I would have left without the information.

One other valuable lesson came from this experience. As much as I wanted to (and still do) I could not walk into the registrar’s office and wave the information in their faces like a banner that read, “I told you so.”

The moral of the story is simple. Knowing your place in government means the difference between the registrar’s relentless effort to deny access to public information today, and the government gradually chipping away at constitutional guarantees tomorrow.