The attorney general of Guam says there is a lawsuit brewing against the Government of Guam now that Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero has signed bills into law that appear to remove the requirement for sanitary permits at Guam Department of Education schools.

AG Doug Moylan used an analogy to explain the issue.

“Guys, when we look at the check engine lights, or even women for that matter, you can’t just take the bulb out on the check engine light on the car, cause that doesn’t remove the problem that there’s something wrong with the engine," he said. "The admission by the government by removing the sanitary permit inspection requirement is almost an admission by our government that the kids are going to be exposed to an environment that might endanger their health and safety.”

Moylan added that schools are not driven by sanitary permits; rather, sanitary permits are intended to create the inspection to determine if there is a safe environment for kids. He doubles down that removing them will not change what’s happening in schools right now.

“We’ve seen all the complaints and the photographs of all the problems in the different schools," he said. "You’ve got your kind of minor problems, but then what about the more serious ones where there’s exposure to potential hepatitis–fleas, other things that the senators have been discussing–that’s what in the AG’s office, we’re concerned about.”

Oversight chair on education, Sen. Chris Barnett, also weighed in on the matter–telling KUAM News, Public Law 37-4 was a sign of good faith to those already wanting to sue.

“I think some of these laws that the governor has signed open up the superintendent to liability–they open up the Government of Guam, the Guam Department of Education–they’re exposing us to the potential of lawsuits," he said. “People were ready to sue, but Public Law 37-4, to a lot of people, represented a good-faith effort for the Government of Guam to again, finally, address the unsafe and unsanitary conditions of our schools, and I think that people who were going to sue looked at that effort and said, okay hey, let’s give GDOE the benefit of the doubt, let’s let do this work to come into compliance."

And with someone already ready to take legal action, Moylan clarified that under the adequate education law, anybody can sue GovGuam. Also, the AG has a role that they can go in representing the people under protecting the public interest type of lawsuit.

“The main point is that these suits are intended to protect the kids," Moylan said. "So, that’s why I’m not in any position to just fight somebody because they’re suing to try and better the conditions for the kids. We’re going to take a look at them; we’re going to be in communication with all our elected leaders."

He said if the court starts having jurisdiction on this, and the court now becomes the proper authority to determine whether the schools are safe for the schools, so beit. Moylan indicated that’s what the judiciary is for–to take control of the situation when there’s a dispute.

Moylan says his office will continue to monitor the situation.