Defending Rhode Islanders’ Right to an Open Government

The Goldwater Institute is representing Nicole Solas in a case that seeks to uphold one of the most basic principles of democracy: that the public’s business must be conducted in public.

At issue is whether the South Kingstown School Committee can shield from public view the meetings and decisions of the BIPOC Advisory Board—a body it created, funded, and tasked with shaping district policy on matters like hiring, discipline, and curriculum. These aren’t peripheral issues. They strike at the heart of how a public school district operates.

Rhode Island’s Open Meetings Act (OMA) was enacted to prevent exactly this kind of government secrecy. The law declares that “it is essential to the maintenance of a democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner” and that citizens must be informed of “the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of public policy.” (R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-1.)

The OMA applies broadly to “[e]very meeting of all public bodies,” including any group with “advisory power” over public matters. (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 42-46-2, 42-46-3.)

The BIPOC Advisory Board fits that description. It was created by a public entity, funded with taxpayer dollars, and its recommendations were not only influential—they were adopted by the School Committee.

Yet when Nicole tried to attend the Advisory Board’s regularly scheduled meetings, she was told she could not.

We’re now representing Nicole in a legal action to declare that the Advisory Board is a public body subject to the OMA. If government entities can sidestep open-meeting laws simply by delegating decision-making to advisory committees, transparency will vanish behind closed doors—and Rhode Islanders will be left in the dark.

This case is about more than one parent and one school district. It’s about preserving the public’s right to know how public decisions are made, and holding government accountable to the people it serves.