MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has determined that a meeting closed to the public by the Appleton school district should have been open, a major victory for advocates of the state’s open meetings law. The court ruled unanimously in the closely watched case Thursday. Open government advocates had warned that an adverse ruling could have provided a means for school boards and others to get around public access requirements. The parent of an Appleton Area School District student filed a lawsuit arguing that meetings of a committee charged with reviewing course material should have been open to the public. The district argued that because the committee wasn’t created by the school board, its meetings were not subject to the open meetings law. But the court disagreed, saying the meeting should have been open.
