Massachusetts Charter Schools Subject to Records Law, Court Says

Charter schools in Massachusetts are subject to public records laws despite their independence and corporate organizational structure, the state’s high court said Wednesday.

In a case brought by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office against the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School for its refusal to provide records under the law, the Supreme Judicial Court unanimously held that it and other tuition-free schools qualify as “agencies” established to serve a public purpose.

The opinion by Associate Justice Serge Georges Jr. rejected the school’s contention that it functions more like a private entity than a traditional governmental body because ...