MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- An attorney is asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to declare that personal e-mails sent by public employees are not subject to the open records law.

Wisconsin Education Association Council Attorney Jina Jonen asked justices Tuesday to stop the Wisconsin Rapids School District from releasing the personal e-mails of several teachers.

She said e-mails that have nothing to do with government business should be exempted from the records law, which is meant to help citizens understand how agencies function.

But the district's attorney, Robert Burns, said the e-mails should be made public in response to an open records request because they were sent from district accounts. He said the district's policy warned teachers not to expect their e-mails to be private.

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