Teachers Unions That Sued Concerned Mother Drops Request for Restraining Order and Injunction

Nicole Solas wanted to know what her daughter’s government school in Rhode Island taught about “critical race theory” and “gender identity.” She did what any taxpayer has a right to do: request the school district’s records under the state’s open-records act. What followed was obfuscation, frustration, and a lawsuit — against her.

A committee of the South Kingston School District in Rhode Island claimed that Solas requested too many records and considered suing her but voted to seek mediation.

A teachers union did sue her.

The NEA and the NEARI filed a lawsuit against this concerned mother to stop the district and the school committee from releasing government documents. They sought to block the disclosure of “non-public records,” and asked that requests calling for “personally identifiable and other personnel-related information about public school teachers” be blocked until a court weighs the public’s right to know with teachers’ “individual privacy rights.”

Legal Insurrection, which has covered the case from the beginning, made this announcement on Monday: the teachers unions withdrew the motion for a temporary restraining order and injunction. Solas last week filed a Motion for Summary Judgment and a Motion for Limited Discovery. The court hasn’t issued a ruling.

“I’m hopeful this will set the precedent that unions can’t bully parents who might have questions about what’s going on in their schools,” Solis told the Washington Times. “I don’t want parents to be discouraged from asking questions.”

The Goldwater Institute represents Solas. Jon Riches, the director of National Litigation, said Solas and “every parent has every right to know what is being taught in their children’s classrooms. The union’s reprehensible attempt to harass and intimidate Nicole and other parents was seen today for what it is—a legally baseless assault that will not stand.”

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