California walks back decision to muzzle researchers testifying in pandemic education lawsuit

As noted in this space recently, there’s been a recent trend in California’s state government toward secrecy – restricting the flow of information to media and the public about what officialdom is doing.

A prime example of that trend was a harsh warning from the Department of Education to education researchers that they could be punished if they testified in any lawsuit against the department.

A clause in research contracts banned such testimony, even if the researcher was not using data obtained from the department. The warning, which officials partly walked back, was issued because the state was being sued by students whose schooling was interrupted and damaged by shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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