Highline Schools Ordered to Court Over Public Records Delays

Questions about public access to information come as Highline prepares to ask voters to approve major bond and levy measures.

Pressure is growing on Highline Public Schools to provide information to the public in a timely and transparent way. That includes public records requests, but it also means getting clear answers from School Board directors and the superintendent on matters that affect the public.

That pressure has now reached King County Superior Court.

Judge Kristin Ballinger signed an Order to Show Cause on Sept. 10, requiring Highline Public Schools to appear in court Sept. 25 and respond to allegations that it violated Washington’s Public Records Act. 

The judge has not ruled that Highline violated the law. The order requires the district to answer claims brought by Burien resident Kristen Price, who is representing herself.

Price, a parent in the district, is asking the court to decide whether Highline violated the Public Records Act when responding to her requests. She also wants the district to search the accounts of Superintendent Ivan Duran and School Board President Joe Van for records, explain why certain records were withheld, and pay any penalties and legal costs ordered by the court.

Six to 10 months for records?

As part of the case, Price asked why some public records requests submitted between May and July 2026 were initially given completion estimates of six to 10 months, and later replaced with notices saying records would be produced “as soon as we are able.” 

The following are responses are from Highline Public Schools, verified under oath by Chief Policy Officer Holly Ferguson on Sept 8, during discovery.

Highline said timelines depend on several things, including the number and complexity of other pending requests, the size of the request, redactions, third-party notifications, holidays and school breaks. 

The district did not specifically explain why the six- to 10-month estimates identified by Price were given.

Highline also disclosed that from Jan. 1, 2024 through July 1, 2026, it had one full-time employee assigned exclusively to responding to public records requests. Another employee assists with electronic records. 

During that period, Highline reported that 327 public records requests were open at some point. 

One question for Highline: Is one full-time employee enough?

Getting answers is another issue

The Highline Journal has also experienced difficulty getting complete answers from district leaders on matters of public interest.

Last week, we asked why measurable academic growth identified by the School Board in July was not specifically included among Superintendent Duran’s four focus themes approved in September. We also asked what academic measures or targets would be used to evaluate him this year.

Communications Chief Tove Tupper responded that the four themes “do not represent the full scope of the superintendent’s responsibilities or Highline’s districtwide priorities” and include “supporting learning for each student.”

But our question about what specific academic measures, targets or standards will be used to evaluate the superintendent was not answered.

Not answering a reporter’s question is different from failing to comply with the Public Records Act. But both raise questions about how easily the public can get information from the district.

We asked Highline again

Before publishing this story, The Highline Journal reached out to the district again for comment.

We asked whether the district believes one full-time employee assigned exclusively to public records is enough to handle its workload.

We also asked whether Highline requires journalists to submit questions through the Communications Department rather than directly contacting district employees, the superintendent or elected School Board directors. If so, we asked what policy, procedure, or directive requires it.

That matters because sometimes a question is meant for the person making the decision, not the Communications Department.

As of publication, we had not received a response. We will update this story when we do.

Why this matters now

Highline is preparing to ask voters to approve hundreds of millions of dollars in ballot measures this November, which makes access to critical district information especially time-sensitive. 

While the Price lawsuit is not tied to the District’s bond or levy ballot measures, the deeper issue is Highline’s level of transparency.

Getting key information should not be difficult.