National Police Association argue Covenant school parents shouldn’t have say in release of assailant’s writing

Rachel IacovoneWPLN News

The legal dispute over police records from the Covenant School investigation took another step forward Monday.  

Attorneys for the National Police Association argue related documents should be treated the same as any other public records request.

But lawyers for the parents from the school want to intervene and stop the release of documents. They say it’d cause psychological harm to the schoolchildren. They were given permission to intervene by a chancellor back in May and the case is now on appeal.

The attorney for the policing group, Paul Krog, says the law doesn’t allow the parents a say.

“Third parties such as the interveners here don’t have standing, and concomitantly, the courts don’t have jurisdiction over their claims,” said Krog.

The Tennessee Public Records Act does not give victims of crimes a pathway to block records — but lawyers for the families argue it has happened in the past. The three-judge panel will decide what happens in this case.