It’s fitting that just days before the start of Sunshine Week, a national event celebrating access to public information, a judge ordered members of Douglas County School District’s Board of Education to follow Colorado’s open meetings laws.

This injunction is the result of a lawsuit, which alleges that that school board violated state statute by holding a series of one-on-one meetings in late January to discuss replacing former Superintendent Corey Wise.

“Circumventing the statute by a series of private one-on-one meetings at which public business is discussed and/or decisions reached is a violation of the purpose of the statute, not just its spirit,” Douglas County District Judge Jeffrey Holmes wrote in the order.

He’s absolutely right and it provides a good reminder to members of our local boards and commissions that these laws are on the books for a reason and need to be followed. They are there, not as a nuisance to get around, but as a critical piece of protection for citizens.

“I hope it will send a message that you have to follow the law, basically, and not try to circumvent it,” said Robert Marshall, the man who filed the lawsuit against the directors. We agree.

The court victory over Douglas County is a big deal for Colorado. As Jeff Roberts, executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, said, this ruling is pretty unprecedented in the state and makes clear that using loopholes to get around our sunshine laws is not allowed, making those laws stronger as a result.

“We haven’t had any rulings like this in Colorado before,” he said.

If boards can make decisions behind the scenes, even through one-on-one discussions, without public knowledge or input, it gives the appearance of corruption. People start to ask, what do you have to hide?

As a newspaper, our journalists play an important, constitutionally protected role in covering these boards and commissions. That watchdog reporting is important, as we’ve seen in the past. Our reporting, often aided by Colorado’s sunshine laws, keeps our local officials honest.

When a board tries to get around these transparency rules, we report on it. Often we’ll call it out in this space. Many times this is just a mistake, perhaps from someone new to public service who isn’t aware of the rules, but our reporting can help the community understand what those rules are and why they’re there.

Often when people think of the “media,” they’re imagining the opinionated infotainment you find on cable news channels, but that’s not what you get from your local press. We’re here to inform you, but also serve as a check on local institutions.

That’s why a free press is written right into the constitution. Without local media, the door is opened to corruption, backroom deal making. We’re here to shine a light on the process of local governing. We need support from our readers and strong sunshine laws to do that.

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel editorial board