Mr. Curcio,

This correspondence shall serve as Nutley Township (the “Township”)’s
response to your request for access to government records pursuant to the
Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1, et seq. (“OPRA”), which was
received by the Township on October 21, 2021 during regular office hours.
Below is a list of each request for access and the Township’s response to
the same:

"All documents relating to tents at our schools Who made this decision Are
the tents following executive orders for kids Cost of each tent Documents
showing what other options were considered Safety plans for the kids while
they are eating in these tents Security while outside the school How are
we protecting the kids in the winter when they have to walk from the
building to the tents.” Please be advised that records pertaining to the
Nutley public schools are owned and maintained by the Nutley Board of
Education. The Nutley Board of Education operates as a separate entity
from the Township. The Township of Nutley neither owns nor controls that
entity, nor does it make, maintain or keep on file any of the entity’s
records. Please contact the Board of Education at 973-661-3500 or visit
their website at [1]www.nutleyschools.org in order to find out about
submitting an OPRA request to their organization.

To the extent that you have also requested access to the above government
records under the common law, your stated interest in obtaining the
records must be balanced against the Township of Nutley’s interest in
nondisclosure.  See Loigman v. Kimmelman, 102 N.J. 98 (1986).  The
foregoing response to your request for access to government records
incorporates the aforementioned balancing test.  Please note that "a
party's status as a litigant does not enlarge its access to government
records under OPRA”.  MAG Entm't, LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage
Control, 375 N.J. Super. 534, 545-46 (App. Div. 2005).  The Township of
Nutley reserves the right to raise any other grounds for denial not raised
in this response.  Failure of the Township of Nutley to assert an
exemption or privilege does not act as a waiver of any grounds for
denial.  Furthermore, a reviewing Court or the Government Records Council
("GRC") may deem a denial of access to be authorized on grounds other that
those advanced by a custodian.  See Paffv. Twp. of Plainsboro,
A-2122-05T2, 2007 WL 957289, at *2 (App. Div., Apr. 2, 2007), affirming,
Paff v. Township of Plainsboro, GRC Complaint No. 2005-29 (March 2006). 
If your request for access to a government record has been denied or
unfilled, you have a right to challenge the decision by the Township of
Nutley to deny access.  At your option, you may either initiate a
proceeding in the Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint with
the GRC by completing the Denial of Access Complaint Form.  You may
contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at P.O.
Box 819, Trenton, NJ, 08625, by e-mail at [2][email address], or on
its website at [3]www.state.nj.us/grc.  The GRC can also answer other
questions about the law.  All questions regarding complaints filed in
Superior Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.

Sincerely,

Ceci Tramontana, RMC

Deputy Municipal Clerk

Municipal Clerk’s Office

Township of Nutley, NJ

(973) 284-4951 x2233 Office

(973) 284-5668 Fax

[4]www.nutleynj.org

References

Visible links
1. http://www.nutleyschools.org/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.state.nj.us/grc
4. http://www.nutleynj.org/