Former Marengo school official wants FOIA response blocked

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WOODSTOCK – The former superintendent and principal of Marengo's Riley School District 18 filed court documents Tuesday to block a response to a Northwest Herald Freedom of Information request seeking records related to his Internet activity on district computers.

Ronald Rood, who cited medical reasons for his resignation about a month ago, has requested an emergency hearing Wednesday morning to block the school board, a defendant in the suit, from giving the information to the newspaper.

According to the request for a restraining order and injunction, if the information is released, "[Rood] will suffer irreparable injury because his reputation will be damaged and because various medical information may become public."

"[Rood] is no longer an employee of the district," according to the lawsuit. "Disclosure of the requested information could prove extremely divisive and harmful to the district, staff and students."

Northwest Herald Senior Reporter Kevin Craver, also a defendant in the lawsuit, filed a Freedom of Information request Feb. 11 for Web browser logs from computers that Rood used since July 1, 2007.

The newspaper made the request after receiving credible tips that the information could be newsworthy.

"We feel strongly that the information we requested is public information that we are entitled to," Northwest Herald Editor Dan McCaleb said. "There may be a vital public interest in having this information, which is why we sought it to begin with."

The school board members first denied Craver's request. That denial was then appealed last week, and according to Rood's lawsuit, "it has come to [Rood's] attention that the board is contemplating granting Craver's appeal."

Rood, who referred questions and comments to his attorney, wants the information blocked because it would invade his privacy, according to the suit.

"It all revolves around his resignation," said Rood's attorney, Steven E. Glink. "He was kind of in a precarious medical situation and did some things due to his medical situation that all came to light and was directly involved in his resignation."

The health conditions from which Rood suffered included physical and mental conditions, Glink said.

Aside from the privacy issue, Rood also argued in court documents that Freedom of Information laws no longer apply to him, since he resigned.

School board officials originally denied the newspaper's original request because "it would constitute a clearly and unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless [Rood] agrees in writing to the disclosure."

In an appeal letter to the board's president, Craver said the Freedom of Information  act "obviously applies to Dr. Rood, and the Web sites he visited on a taxpayer-funded computer while receiving a salary subsidized by taxpayers."