Mom protests reported $117,000 charge for records request from Rhode Island district after teacher called Charlie Kirk ‘garbage’ 

A mom is fighting a Rhode Island district’s reported charge of $117,000 for her public records request after a high school teacher described the late Charlie Kirk as a “piece of garbage.” 

“This estimate that we received is exorbitant, completely unreasonable, just to get the curriculum materials,” Nicole Solas told Fox News Digital, as reported by the New York Post. 

“I just don’t see how this can stand if we file a lawsuit on it.” 

Solas lives in Rhode Island, but she noted her children did not attend the Barrington School District, from which she filed the records request. 

After learning Benjamin Fillo, a Barrington High School social studies teacher, had criticized Kirk as a “piece of garbage” who “hated” democracy, women’s rights and the LGBTQ community, Solas asked for information related to Fillo’s course materials and school email. 

“The law firm (representing the district) wrote that Solas clarified she was looking for all material Fillo used since he started teaching at the school in 2010, which came out to thousands of documents from 157 courses stored in three different learning management systems,” the Post reported, adding the request found “a staggering 789 emails” from Fillo containing the word “Trump” since Sept. 1, 2024. 

“If she wanted to obtain all the requested materials, she would have to fork over $117,130.50 — with the 15-year curriculum alone costing roughly $116,000, according to the letter.” 

Solas believed the curriculum materials were important to review in addition to Fillo’s emails, arguing it was “the only way that you can see what kids are [doing] in public schools,” according to the Post. 

Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative commentator, was assassinated Sept. 10 while at an event at Utah Valley University. 

In the weeks following his death, many public-school educators sparked national outrage over their social media posts celebrating the murder. 

‘Go away price’ commonly quoted on open records requests 

For years, many school districts nationwide have drawn criticism for charging high amounts for public records requests. 

“Exorbitant fees to fill open records requests are fairly standard practice across the country and in Kansas,” wrote The Sentinel in 2022. 

“Known as a ‘go away price,’ the hope is if a news organization or resident is quoted an outrageous sum for records they’ll simply drop the request.” 

In one example, the Gardner News blasted the Gardner-Edgerton school district in Kansas after repeated attempts to get a copy of the superintendent’s contract extension in 2021. 

“We wish we could say it’s not usually like this dealing with USD 231, but it is,” the editorial noted. “Don’t blame the employees, it’s the administration and (Board of Education) that create the problem. By causing a hassle, and keeping secrets they retain control. 

“It’s not unusual to have to threaten a lawsuit to get KORA (Kansas Open Records Act) requests answered. USD 231 pays an attorney to stall KORA requests, just to be obtuse.”