Covenant School Parents Want to Keep Records Private.

Parents and School Fight to Keep Records Sealed in Wake of Tragic Shooting

The Covenant School in Nashville and a group of its parents are fighting to keep records related to a tragic shooting that occurred in March from being released to the public. The shooting, which took place at the school, resulted in the death of six individuals at the hands of a woman who claimed to be transgender.

Judge I’Ashea Myles has allowed the groups to intervene in a public records lawsuit, which pits them against journalists and a Republican state senator who want the records, including a “manifesto,” to be released as the state considers legislative remedies to prevent further tragedies.

Victims’ Rights vs. Public Records Act

Attorney Eric Osborne, who represents the parents, argues that the parents are victims who have a constitutional right to be free from harassment. However, attorney Nicholas Barry, who represents the Tennessee Star newspaper, says state laws around how victims are treated in the criminal system have no bearing on the Tennessee Public Records Act.

Attorney Robb Harvey, who represents two other plaintiffs, says the parents are not crime victims under the law and that their concerns are only speculative since they don’t know what’s contained in the records.

Fear of Another Shooting

The school and Covenant Presbyterian Church fear that releasing some materials could put them at risk of another shooting. The parents, who entered the lawsuit using pseudonyms, also feared the release of the records would “further traumatize” their children.

On Wednesday, Nashville’s legal department said in legal filings that it is invoking five different exemptions to public records laws, including that “there is an ongoing criminal investigation into the case.”

Legislative Remedies

Republican state Sen. Todd Gardenhire is a party to the lawsuit, arguing that the materials need to be released because the public must understand the facts of the shooting before the legislature can craft legislative remedies. Governor Bill Lee has called the body to reconvene for a special session in August that is expected to focus on gun laws.

The judge will consider arguments from the parties on June 8.