The Florence Reporter: On Presidents Day, members of the RE-2 Board of Education met to discuss the selection process for a new superintendent. In an effort to alert the community about the school board meeting, the details, including time and location, were shared to the Facebook page of The Florence Reporter. Shortly after, I received an email from Dr. Brenda Krage, Superintendent of RE-2, informing me that the information posted was incorrect, and requested that I delete the information adding, “it is a closed meeting.” 

Around this same time, Dr. Krage conveyed a similar message in the comment section of the original Facebook post, only this time she urged community members to disregard the information that was published because she believed it was, “an inaccurate interpretation” of the school board meeting that was planned.

In an attempt to understand what Dr. Krage was referring to, I hopped on Facebook to review the post for accuracy. Referring to the school district’s website, I was able to verify the meeting time and location, but it was only after I downloaded a copy of the meeting agenda that I realized that the meeting was being facilitated online via Zoom, not in-person. However, because there wasn’t a link or any other technological means for public participation, which is required by state law, I decided to reach out to Jeff Roberts, executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, who then directed me to his organization’s revised and updated Guide to Colorado’s Open Records and Open Meetings Laws.

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