PSEA Legal Division victory protects members' home addresses

A preliminary July 29 court order will safeguard PSEA members’ home addresses from being released to the public.

Earlier this year, changes to the Right-To-Know law expanded the information available to the public from state and local government. The state Office of Open Records ruled that home addresses of public employees were now public records. PSEA filed an injunction action against the Office of Open Records on behalf of members requesting that school employees’ home addresses be removed from any information made publicly available.

At a July 29 hearing in Commonwealth Court, several PSEA members and staff, along with representatives from other state organizations, testified to the dangers of releasing home addresses, and the importance of protecting individual rights when complying with Right-To-Know requests.

The preliminary injunction order restricting the release of home addresses was issued by Commonwealth Court Senior Judge Rochelle Friedman. The Office of Open records has posted the order on its website. 

The July 29 court order is merely a first step in the process. PSEA will continue to litigate the issue of whether the new Right-To-Know law requires home addresses to be disclosed by school employers upon request. 

In a public statement to the press, PSEA stated, "There are documented cases in Pennsylvania and other states of teachers and other school employees who have been stalked or harassed or assaulted, by students, former students and other citizens, and some of our members expressed concern that their home addresses were going to be out there in cyber space."

PSEA is committed to protecting the rights of members, inside and outside of the classroom. PSEA’s Legal Division closely monitors laws, regulations, and public policy, and argues on behalf of members. For more information, visit the My Rights section of PSEA.org or contact your PSEA Uniserv Representative.