The OPRA Custodian Position Isn’t Working Out

And That Shouldn’t Surprise Anyone

Everyone familiar with OPRA thought naming Steve Hopkins as the new Records Custodian was a bad idea. Well, almost everyone.

It was nothing about him personally; it was because of the lack of supporting reasoning behind the hire.

And, for those paying close attention, Dr. Varley has made it abundantly clear that those in her inner circle reap the benefits of getting stipends and promotions, and those who oppose her are thrown a bucket of chum.

This isn’t technically nepotism, but it’s pretty damn close.

Dr. Varley claimed the following reasons as the need for this position:

1) Onslaught of OPRAs (which the district failed to prove)
2) Julie Kot was spending her entire day fulfilling OPRA requests (which the district failed to prove)
3) The district would have to pay $200,000 annually if they didn’t hire an internal candidate to take over the fulfillment of OPRA Request (which the district failed to prove)
4) Steve Hopkins was named “the most qualified” person for this position by Dr. Varley (the district failed to identify parameters by which the two candidates were screened)

What we know:

1) The town clerk deals with roughly 30 OPRAs a month, she does not have an assistant, nor does she weaponize these requests at public meetings
2) The district has our lawyers redact all legal bills, and we are paying the bill for that
3) In his few months doing the position, the names and schools of 3 students have been released and blamed on “human error.”
4) Mr. Hopkins has made unreasonable extensions for simple requests (5 weeks is becoming the typical time frame the public can expect to wait for simple requests)
5) Mr. Hopkins had inadvertently displayed that OPRA responses sit in an outbox to be sent only after the maximum amount of time to fulfill a request has passed. He messed up one of those scheduled to be sent out as well.

Email I sent to the Board of Education:

Related Content:

PEELING THE SPIN: A CONDENSED LOOK AT OPRA REQUESTS

PARENT CONCERNS ABOUT BUDGET, SURVEY AND OPRA VIOLATIONS

NATASHA’S COMMENTS DURING THE 03/13/2023 BOE MEETING ON BUILDING THINKING CLASSROOM AND THE OPRA CUSTODIAN POSITION

BHCW NIGHT WATCH EPISODE 6: ATTORNEY WALTER LUERS ON OPRA & OPMA, BHPS, AND NJ

MORE THAN JUST ETHICS: THE FIRST OF THREE OPRA CASES VALIDATES PARENT CONCERNS ON DISTRICT’S COSTLY AND IMPROPER OPRA REDACTIONS

MS. BRADFORD’S OPRA CUSTODIAN VOTE: SUPER SECRET INFORMATION & ONE MORE BUSINESS ASSISTANT

EMAIL TO THE BOE ON THE PROPOSED OPRA CUSTODIAN OF RECORDS POSITION

OPMA & OPRA: WE SHOULD FEARLESSLY DEMAND TRANSPARENCY

OPRA: THE FINAL LINE OF DEFENSE