Penn State apparently has a history of guarding its secrets closely and now that a highly paid stable of attorneys is bracing for an onslaught of civil suits, security is probably even tighter than usual...
Perhaps, not for much longer though.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are now questioning the the school’s special legal status under the state’s “open records” law.
Those laws have so far hampered the Sandusky investigation and members of the Keystone state’s General Assembly may be about to make a change.
Penn State has cited its exemption from the law in the past month in denying requests by The Associated Press for documents related to a 1998 investigation into Sandusky that began when a woman complained he had showered with her son; a copy of his severance agreement; and emails among top administrators about Sandusky.
Penn State and the other three "state-related universities" -- Pitt, Lincoln and Temple -- together are collecting $560 million in state government subsidies this year. Unlike similar institutions in most other states, they function independently and do not have to produce the records required of state government agencies.
"You would think at least now they should understand why they should be bending over backwards in being more forthcoming in releasing information," said state Rep. Eugene DePasquale. The York County Democrat has signed up 31 co-sponsors for a bill he will introduce Monday to put the four schools completely under the Right-to-Know Law.
Other lawmakers "think this is a no-brainer," DePasquale said. "It should have been done years ago."
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