The Executive Director of New York State’s Committee on Open Government Robert Freeman will speak tonight at a presentation hosted by the Clarkstown Council of PTAs in West Nyack.  He is expected to begin with a general introduction of the Freedom of Information Laws, commonly referred to as FOIL, and the Open Meetings Law in New York before accepting questions about the local and state levels of government from the audience.  The Clarkstown Council of PTAs organized the program as a community service for parents, residents and government officials.  

Joan Braunfotel, president of the Clarkstown Council of PTAs, said Freeman was invited at the request of members. They wanted to gain an understanding about how government meetings are supposed to be conducted and what their rights as citizens are to access government information.  

“Council, as a PTA organization, felt it would be a wonderful thing to see if we could invite Mr. Freeman here to speak, so as a community we would all be able to benefit from receiving good, solid information on this topic, “ explained Braunfotel. 

Braunfotel said she expected Freeman to specifyn what rights citizens have to get government records and differentiate between those which are not public and which are closed.

“Specifically, as to FOIL, Mr. Freeman can shed some light on what our rights are concerning our ability to access government records,” she said.  “Moreover, he can differentiate for us what types of records are and are not accessible to the public."  

The PTA president also anticipates there will be questions from the audience about Open Meetings and how they should be conducted.

“As far as the Open Meetings Law is concerned, Mr. Freeman can provide information about what our rights are with respect to meetings of public bodies, as a community we can get a better understanding of what actually is considered a meeting for the purposes of conducting public business, we will find out what type of notice is required in advance of particular meetings, when can meetings be closed, what recourse, if any, we have if a meeting isn't held in an appropriate manner, what is the proper site for a meeting, and things of this nature,” she said.  “This information is an invaluable tool for any informed citizen.”

She said program is in line with the values of the PTA to "collaborate and work in partnership with a wide array of individuals and organizations to accomplish goals" and "commitment to promoting children's wellbeing and educational success through parent, family and community involvement."

The presentation begins at 7 p.m. at the Felix Festa Middle School in West Nyack.  Admission is free and it is open to everyone.