Court Opinion

ID: 9529684
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 03:53:21.298664+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:27:53.540366
License: Public Domain

DEITS, P. J.,
concurring.
I agree with the ultimate result reached by the majority in this case. I also agree with most of the majority’s analysis in reaching its result. My concern relates to the majority’s discussion of the fourth condition for exemption under ORS 192.502(3), that the “public interest would suffer by disclosure” of the withheld material.
I write to emphasize that I agree with the majority’s result only because, under these particular circumstances, there is nothing in those portions of the documents that the majority holds must be disclosed that is source-identifying in any way. If there was anything about the information to be disclosed that did identify its source, I would hold that the public interest would suffer from the disclosure.
I strongly believe that while an applicant’s interest in knowing what is being said about him or her and by whom is an important one, on balance, a school district’s need to receive complete and accurate information in order to perform the critical task of making hiring decisions regarding teachers and administrators must prevail. The public interest in exempting such materials from disclosure is well stated in the affidavit of the District’s Human Resources Director in this case:
*569“As Director of Human Resources it is my position and the position of the defendants that the need to accurately assess a candidate’s background, skills, and abilities, is crucial to a school district in the hiring process, and it is accepted and understood throughout the education profession that confidential references will be sought, provided and used in the hiring process.
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“If it were subject to public disclosure, the informants would be less than candid in their reports to prospective employers, and in this instance, the District would not be fully able to analyze the applicant’s background, his past performance, whether he would be a suitable employee for the District, and whether there is a good likelihood that he would succeed in the position.”
Because the disclosure of information from references would have a potential “chilling effect” on the willingness of former employers or others to provide candid information about applicants for teaching and administrative positions, in my view, the public interest requires that it be exempt from disclosure. Here, however, as noted above, after reviewing the pertinent documents, there is simply nothing in the materials that the majority has ordered disclosed that reveals the source of the information. Accordingly, I concur in the majority’s opinion.