Yes, there is more to this story. By now you know Indianapolis Public School spokeswoman Mary Louise Bewley may have violated Indiana’s Open Door Law by expelling a Michigan film crew from a public meeting on the budget last week. The film crew was not disrupting the meeting, however Bewley expelled them for being “disingenuous”.
Since then I have learned that the line of defense the school district is using to justify their actions is that the gathering was not a “true public meeting” instead it was an information session for parents regarding school budget cuts so therefore not subject to Indiana’s Open Door laws.
Pardon me while I try to keep a straight face.
This defense flies in the face of all logic for a number of reasons. The meeting was advertised as a public meeting on the District’s website. It was held in a public building (George Washington School). Several school board members were there. And the film crew was there for nearly 45 minutes before they were asked to leave. But what’s perhaps the most damning in all this is an interview given by IPS Assistant Superintendent Dr. Willie Giles that contradicts Bewley’s statements.
Here’s the quote from the Education Action Group, the organization that was kicked out of the meeting for filming…
We contacted Dr. Willie Giles, assistant superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, to ask what grounds the school district cited to evict Olson and VanderKooi from the public meeting. We asked if the district or state law had a “disingenuous” clause, allowing school officials to judge the legitimacy of journalists or their projects, before allowing them to enter or remain at a public meeting. Dr. Giles said he was aware of no such clause. He acknowledged that the meeting was open to the public, and said he was not aware of any special procedures EAGF should have followed to gain access to the meeting. Yikes. The group has filed a formal complaint with the Public Access Counselor’s Office. Does anyone see how IPS gets out of this one?
Dr. Giles has been around the block a few times--although how he keeps his job is beyond me. Nonetheless, you can almost feel his trigger-finger on the trap door beneath Mary Louise's feet. Hint to Dr. White: let Dr. Giles do this--I think he's ready.
I keep thinking about that haughty finger-snapping pose she struck after talking with Andy Gammill--unflattering, gut hanging out and tugging on her shirt to cover the belly. She had the unmitigated nerve to tell these folks, not ASK them, to leave the building.
At the minimum, she should be made to write on the blackboard 1,000 times:
"I do not own these buildings. The taxpayers do. I apologize for acting as if I owned them."
Education reporting by the Indy Star has never been very complex. They take whatever they are told by the IPS administrators and leave it at that. Gammill appears to be no exception. The most courage the Star has shown is to post the Superintendent salaries two times. And, Tully tiptoes occasionally into the complexity.
I can't remember Bewley's maiden name - but wasn't she a Star reporter back when she landed the PR position with IPS?
Aside from Mary Louise Bewley, also caught on the videotape is Indianapolis Star reporter Andy Gammill who is seen whispering to Ms. Bewley who then immediately storms off after the videotapers. According to Ms. Bewley's comment she was kicking out the two people because they were being "disingenuous" by not telling them in advance who they were and why they were videotaping.
It is astonishing to me that Bewley, who is communication director for the largest school district in the state, doesn't even know that videotaping a public meeting like that is protected by Indiana's Open Meetings law. Further those audio or videotaping a meeting do not have to identify who they are or provide an explanation why they are taping, contrary to what Bewley suggests.
Gammill's performance, on the other hand, is disgraceful. He actively participated in turning in someone in for videotaping, apparently clueless that the videotaping is protected by law. That a Indianapolis Star reporter would be taking a position contrary to Indiana's Open Meetings law, which law is critical to protecting the right of reporters to cover meetings and the public's right to know, is bad enough. What is worse is that Gammill shot his objectivity to pieces by his eagerness to assist the IPS administration in targeting an education reform group. Gammill should be fired. As this story filters out, he will hold no credibility in this town when it comes to reporting on IPS and education reform issues.
From the complainant filed with the OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ACCESS COUNSELOR FORMAL COMPLAINT
andy.gammill@indystar.com
Roughly 45 minutes into the meeting, Kyle chatted briefly with Indianapolis Star reporter Andy Gammill, who then got up and went across the room to Mary Louise Bewley and whispered in her ear. She look confused, and he whispered twice more. Bewley then got a perplexed look on her face, headed directly to Don, and requested to speak with him in the hallway.
You know, when I first saw the video, I thought that Gammill was being kind of unprofessional, but not unethical. I mean, he was definitely tattling and gossiping, but we do a lot of that here, don't we? He couldn't have known that Bewley would react the way she did. Even if she isn't aware of Indiana's Open Meetings law, I am 100% certain that Gammill knows them. No, what pushed me from seeing Gammill as eyeroll-worthy to actually seeing Gammill, the Star, and other major local news sources as corrupt is the complete absence of reporting on this incident. This is a big deal, and the public should be made aware of it if for no other reason than to make sure they know the public access laws in Indiana. It's disturbing that this incident is intentionally being kept from the public and makes me question what else these news sources collectively keep under wraps.
The Public Access Law is the very law that allows reporters like Gammill the freedom to attend public meetings and report on his observations. He's literally shooting himself in the foot when he 'makes light' of the law that allows him to do his job. I believe my grandmother would have said about Gammill, "He cut off his nose to spite his face."
So what if they didn't get to videotape? They can takes notes like everyone else. Maybe they were going to use the video tape, cleverly edit out the parts they wanted to, then push their corporate agenda. I knew people who were there and it didn't sound like anything was being "hidden" from the public. Must be a slow news topic day for IPS BS since it's spring break and all. Is this going to be the topic ALL week?? I hope not. Wait till the state takes over then this stuff will look like child's play compared to their closed door/ strong-armed tactics.
The above post must be from Mary Louise Bewley as she is the only one who seems to think that her behavior was acceptable. I hope she behaves in the unemployment line.
They were never given the option of staying but turning off their cameras. This is noted in their complaint. They were told to leave. Period. Like others have noted, this is a really big deal.
Well if she didn't want the media to videotape the meeting then say that and tell them it's ok to take notes. I don't believe we heard THAT on the video. We heard them being told to leave...no option to remain there and take notes.
Plus, they were videotaping in plain sight for 40-45 minutes, and nobody cared. It wasn't the cameras that bothered her. It was the organization they belonged to that bothered her. Certainly not a good enough reason to deny them their right to be there.
Mary Louise can give "reviews" of local buffets instead of working for IPS. Plus she needs to lower her dresses, my God those legs look horrific and sure has plenty of lumps. Andy is sure a phony and was a snitch in school.
I am a single male looking for a teaching job in the Indy area, and from a social standpoint, it's obvious I should look to apply in IPS. It's comments like the one above (and a few others) that make me believe that there are a huge number of teachers that look like Jessica Alba or Salma Hayek.
@Is this going to be the topic ALL week??. . .Wait till the state takes over then this stuff will look like child's play compared to their closed door/ strong-armed tactics.
Ok, big shot Ed Center administrator, do you actually believe that you'll be exempt from Tony Bennett's tactics? The bigger they are; the harder they fall, remember?
At least the rank and file IPS teacher is already accustomed to closed door/strong-armed tactics. We can pretty much handle anything anyone throws our way, at this point, including a state take-over. I say, bring it on!
I'm surprised the salary is not higher. Honestly, it would take more money than that for most of us to attempt to cover White's mistakes.
ReplyDeleteMaybe she can afford a personal trainer.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is more to this story. By now you know Indianapolis Public School spokeswoman Mary Louise Bewley may have violated Indiana’s Open Door Law by expelling a Michigan film crew from a public meeting on the budget last week. The film crew was not disrupting the meeting, however Bewley expelled them for being “disingenuous”.
ReplyDeleteSince then I have learned that the line of defense the school district is using to justify their actions is that the gathering was not a “true public meeting” instead it was an information session for parents regarding school budget cuts so therefore not subject to Indiana’s Open Door laws.
Pardon me while I try to keep a straight face.
This defense flies in the face of all logic for a number of reasons. The meeting was advertised as a public meeting on the District’s website. It was held in a public building (George Washington School). Several school board members were there. And the film crew was there for nearly 45 minutes before they were asked to leave. But what’s perhaps the most damning in all this is an interview given by IPS Assistant Superintendent Dr. Willie Giles that contradicts Bewley’s statements.
Here’s the quote from the Education Action Group, the organization that was kicked out of the meeting for filming…
We contacted Dr. Willie Giles, assistant superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, to ask what grounds the school district cited to evict Olson and VanderKooi from the public meeting. We asked if the district or state law had a “disingenuous” clause, allowing school officials to judge the legitimacy of journalists or their projects, before allowing them to enter or remain at a public meeting. Dr. Giles said he was aware of no such clause. He acknowledged that the meeting was open to the public, and said he was not aware of any special procedures EAGF should have followed to gain access to the meeting.
Yikes. The group has filed a formal complaint with the Public Access Counselor’s Office. Does anyone see how IPS gets out of this one?
Good for Willie!
ReplyDeleteDr. Giles has been around the block a few times--although how he keeps his job is beyond me. Nonetheless, you can almost feel his trigger-finger on the trap door beneath Mary Louise's feet. Hint to Dr. White: let Dr. Giles do this--I think he's ready.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking about that haughty finger-snapping pose she struck after talking with Andy Gammill--unflattering, gut hanging out and tugging on her shirt to cover the belly. She had the unmitigated nerve to tell these folks, not ASK them, to leave the building.
At the minimum, she should be made to write on the blackboard 1,000 times:
"I do not own these buildings. The taxpayers do. I apologize for acting as if I owned them."
Education reporting by the Indy Star has never been very complex. They take whatever they are told by the IPS administrators and leave it at that. Gammill appears to be no exception. The most courage the Star has shown is to post the Superintendent salaries two times. And, Tully tiptoes occasionally into the complexity.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember Bewley's maiden name - but wasn't she a Star reporter back when she landed the PR position with IPS?
Aside from Mary Louise Bewley, also caught on the videotape is Indianapolis Star reporter Andy Gammill who is seen whispering to Ms. Bewley who then immediately storms off after the videotapers. According to Ms. Bewley's comment she was kicking out the two people because they were being "disingenuous" by not telling them in advance who they were and why they were videotaping.
ReplyDeleteIt is astonishing to me that Bewley, who is communication director for the largest school district in the state, doesn't even know that videotaping a public meeting like that is protected by Indiana's Open Meetings law. Further those audio or videotaping a meeting do not have to identify who they are or provide an explanation why they are taping, contrary to what Bewley suggests.
Gammill's performance, on the other hand, is disgraceful. He actively participated in turning in someone in for videotaping, apparently clueless that the videotaping is protected by law. That a Indianapolis Star reporter would be taking a position contrary to Indiana's Open Meetings law, which law is critical to protecting the right of reporters to cover meetings and the public's right to know, is bad enough. What is worse is that Gammill shot his objectivity to pieces by his eagerness to assist the IPS administration in targeting an education reform group. Gammill should be fired. As this story filters out, he will hold no credibility in this town when it comes to reporting on IPS and education reform issues.
From the complainant filed with the OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ACCESS COUNSELOR
ReplyDeleteFORMAL COMPLAINT
andy.gammill@indystar.com
Roughly 45 minutes into the meeting, Kyle chatted briefly with Indianapolis Star reporter Andy Gammill, who then got up and went across the room to Mary Louise Bewley and whispered in her ear. She look confused, and he whispered twice more. Bewley then got a perplexed look on her face, headed directly to Don, and requested to speak with him in the hallway.
You know, when I first saw the video, I thought that Gammill was being kind of unprofessional, but not unethical. I mean, he was definitely tattling and gossiping, but we do a lot of that here, don't we? He couldn't have known that Bewley would react the way she did. Even if she isn't aware of Indiana's Open Meetings law, I am 100% certain that Gammill knows them. No, what pushed me from seeing Gammill as eyeroll-worthy to actually seeing Gammill, the Star, and other major local news sources as corrupt is the complete absence of reporting on this incident. This is a big deal, and the public should be made aware of it if for no other reason than to make sure they know the public access laws in Indiana. It's disturbing that this incident is intentionally being kept from the public and makes me question what else these news sources collectively keep under wraps.
ReplyDeleteThe Public Access Law is the very law that allows reporters like Gammill the freedom to attend public meetings and report on his observations. He's literally shooting himself in the foot when he 'makes light' of the law that allows him to do his job. I believe my grandmother would have said about Gammill, "He cut off his nose to spite his face."
ReplyDeleteAs Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said, "Sunshine is the best disinfectant."
ReplyDeleteThat is what humors me about the whole thing. Gammill, a reporter, tattles on other reporters. One group gets kicked out but one stays. What??!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo what if they didn't get to videotape? They can takes notes like everyone else. Maybe they were going to use the video tape, cleverly edit out the parts they wanted to, then push their corporate agenda. I knew people who were there and it didn't sound like anything was being "hidden" from the public. Must be a slow news topic day for IPS BS since it's spring break and all. Is this going to be the topic ALL week?? I hope not. Wait till the state takes over then this stuff will look like child's play compared to their closed door/ strong-armed tactics.
ReplyDeleteThe above post must be from Mary Louise Bewley as she is the only one who seems to think that her behavior was acceptable. I hope she behaves in the unemployment line.
ReplyDeleteThey were never given the option of staying but turning off their cameras. This is noted in their complaint. They were told to leave. Period. Like others have noted, this is a really big deal.
ReplyDeleteWell if she didn't want the media to videotape the meeting then say that and tell them it's ok to take notes. I don't believe we heard THAT on the video. We heard them being told to leave...no option to remain there and take notes.
ReplyDeletePlus, they were videotaping in plain sight for 40-45 minutes, and nobody cared. It wasn't the cameras that bothered her. It was the organization they belonged to that bothered her. Certainly not a good enough reason to deny them their right to be there.
ReplyDeleteMary Louise can give "reviews" of local buffets instead of working for IPS. Plus she needs to lower her dresses, my God those legs look horrific and sure has plenty of lumps. Andy is sure a phony and was a snitch in school.
ReplyDeleteI am a single male looking for a teaching job in the Indy area, and from a social standpoint, it's obvious I should look to apply in IPS. It's comments like the one above (and a few others) that make me believe that there are a huge number of teachers that look like Jessica Alba or Salma Hayek.
ReplyDelete@Is this going to be the topic ALL week??. . .Wait till the state takes over then this stuff will look like child's play compared to their closed door/ strong-armed tactics.
ReplyDeleteOk, big shot Ed Center administrator, do you actually believe that you'll be exempt from Tony Bennett's tactics? The bigger they are; the harder they fall, remember?
At least the rank and file IPS teacher is already accustomed to closed door/strong-armed tactics. We can pretty much handle anything anyone throws our way, at this point, including a state take-over. I say, bring it on!
$120,000 a year and does not know the laws she works under. How many classroom teachers is that? And they have to know laws they work under.
ReplyDeleteGuess, it is different for those who are in Dr. Whites lip service.
She's overpaid and underworked. I'd like to see her teach an alternative school class.
ReplyDeleteAt $120K per year, Bewley is earning more than 3 beginning teachers in IPS. I think I'd rather put my money on 3 brand new teachers than on Bewley.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the posts that say that Gammill should lose all credibility covering the education beat.
ReplyDeleteWhere did he get his journalism degree?
Makes you wonder if it may have been one of those online diploma schools.
Tully is no gem either as a journalist.
At $120K per year, Bewley is earning more than 3 beginning teachers in IPS. I think I'd rather put my money on 3 brand new teachers than on Bewley.
ReplyDeleteI have met some awesome first year teachers in IPS and in Charter schools. I am with you my brother or sister...