“The public has the right to know not only what government does, but how it does it.” - New Jersey OPRA handbook
(In other words: stop shoving the receipts into your junk drawer.)
So, Here’s the Scoop
You know that feeling when you finally clean out an old desk drawer and find a stack of documents that really should’ve been filed somewhere sensible? That’s basically what happened when an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request turned up a trail of Board emails sliding from [email protected] straight into Donna Carey’s personal @yahoo.com address. We’re talking legal advice, budget notes, even a few fully redacted mysteries. All sent off the district server and into a private inbox most of us only use for store coupons.
And yes-she’s the Board President.
A Glimpse Behind the Curtain
The forwarding log itself is mostly under wraps-names blurred, chunks blacked out-but the broad strokes are impossible to miss. We see whole threads about security planning, legal advice, and budget haggling quietly funneled off-server. A few entries are so sensitive the subject lines were swallowed by black bars.
Bottom line? Official business slipped into a personal inbox, and nobody outside the loop would’ve known without an OPRA request. Specific dates and titles stay sealed for privacy, yet the pattern tells the story loud and clear.
(If you’re picturing a stack of manila folders marked “CONFIDENTIAL,” you’re not far off.)
Why Forwarding Matters (a.k.a. The Four Horsemen of Email Oopsies)
- Transparency - If emails live in a private account, OPRA has to play hide-and-seek to retrieve them. Spoiler: sometimes it loses.
- Records Retention - The state requires years-long archiving. Yahoo’s purge policy? Not so much.
- Cybersecurity - Sure, our district email isn’t fortified with fancy multi-factor logins-but it still lives on a monitored, backed-up server the IT team can audit. A personal Yahoo inbox? No logs, no oversight, and no guarantee messages stick around once a hacker (or an overeager spam filter) sweeps through.
- Public Trust - Voters hate surprises-especially the kind wrapped in legal redactions.
Which Policy Did This Violate?
Hardyston’s own Policy 0169 - Board Member Use of Electronic Mail/Internet couldn’t be clearer:
- Board e-mails are governmental records subject to OPRA.
- Written communications “should not involve confidential matters” that belong in executive session.
- E-mail or chat discussions must not replace open deliberation or include a quorum the public can’t observe.
Forwarding confidential drafts and legal memos to a private Yahoo account flunks all three bullets. The policy even warns that improper disclosure “may compromise the Board or Board member.” Guess we’re there.
When a violation happens, Policy 0169 says the Board President (yep, Ms. Carey) and the Board Attorney should step in. That conversation is officially overdue.
“But Everyone Forwards Stuff…” (Do They, Though?)
Look, we all forward the occasional cat meme to a personal address. But forwarding board memos labelled CONFIDENTIAL is a different ball game. Plus, most districts have policies (or at least sternly worded memos) telling officials to keep public business on public servers. That way, when someone asks, “Hey, can I see those emails?” the district can actually cough them up.
What the Board Should Do-Yesterday
- Flip the Forwarding Switch Off. Many districts already block auto-forwarding outside their domain. Time to join the cool kids.
- Pull the Strays Back Home. IT can bulk-import the Yahoo stash into the district archive. (Yes, that’s a thing.)
- Review-or Write-Policy. If the current policy’s mushy, make it crystal clear: no personal inboxes for public business. Period.
- Own It Publicly. A simple, “We messed up; we’ll fix it” goes a long way. So does actually fixing it.
Questions You Might Toss at the Next Board Meeting
- President Carey, what was the purpose of forwarding these emails to your personal Yahoo account?
- Were any student or personnel records included? If so, how is the district protecting that data now?
- Will you authorize the district’s IT staff to archive your Yahoo account to ensure full OPRA compliance?
- What specific technical controls will be implemented to stop future off-server forwarding?
(Feel free to print, fold, and bring to the mic.)
Final Thought
I’m not mad that Yahoo still exists-okay, maybe a little. I’m mad that official school business took a detour there. Sunshine laws matter, not because they’re fun bureaucratic hoops, but because they keep public servants honest and communities informed.
Let’s keep the conversation (and the emails) where they belong: out in the open.
If you found this breakdown useful, share it with a neighbor-or your favorite school-spirit group chat. Transparency works best when everyone’s watching.*