Public Disclosure in Public Schools: An OSD Perspective Diana - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Public Disclosure in Public Schools:

An OSD Perspective

Diana Crawford Public Disclosure Officer Olympia School District

What is a Public Records Request?

A public records request is a request for existing records (hard copy or electronic) that are related to a public agency and its business.

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We Can Only Provide Existing Records

• We don’t create records, we can only

produce what we already have

• We are obligated to comply with the

Washington State retention schedule for public agency documents

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Information Requests

An information request differs from a public records request in that materials requested would need to be summarized or created.

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OSD Public Records History

The Olympia School District Communication’s Director was the Public Disclosure Officer until my hire in 2012.

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OSD Public Disclosure Officer

My role is to:

• Properly fulfill public records requests and

educate district staff about public records

• Keep district administration informed about

current requests and responsive records

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OSD Public Disclosure Officer

Holds weekly* meetings with:

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This team reviews progress of pending PRRs & strategizes searches for responsive records for new requests. Keeps administration apprised of records that are going to be produced. * Or as necessary

• Assistant Superintendent
• Technology Staff
• Communications Director
• HR Director

OSD Public Records Requests

— PRRs are on the rise

• Past year: 160+ PRRs (60+ from one attorney)
• Our district is under a microscope
• People can ask for anything
• Even if you’re doing everything correctly,

you can still be the subject of a PRR

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Who’s Included?

Every employee in the district is subject to the Public Records Act.

• Board of Directors
• Superintendent
• Administrators
• Teachers & Paras

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• Transportation
• Food Service
• Support Staff
• Coaches

Who’s Included?

A district employee could be:

• The subject of the public records request
• A custodian of responsive records

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Employees as Subjects of a PRR

Can be very troubling for the employee. Staff education concerning PRRs helps ease fears and helps with guidelines for communication.

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What Employee Info Could Be Provided?

• Salary Info – PAFs
• Non-routine evaluations
• Letter of Direction or reprimand
• Leave requests (medical info exempt)
• Letters of Resignation
• Certification Information

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What’s Exempt?*

• Employee personal contact info
• Home address, home phone and personal cell#
• Date of Birth
• SSN
• Banking Info
• Medical Info
• Application Materials
• Routine employee evaluations & observations

* This info could be redacted or withheld in full

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Some Requests We’ve Received

• Any and all email written or received by employee X

during their entire employment

• All websites employee Y has visited or “browsed”
• Employee records from 20 years ago
• Performance evaluations
• Documents on hard drives
• Handwritten notes from hard copy files

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Some Things We’ve Found & Provided

• Dating service correspondence on district email (with

multiple prospective dates)

• “You’re just too good for me…”
• “Will you wire me money?”
• Correspondence between spouses/partners about

personal finances, including banking information

• Personal conversations about family, friends & kids
• Personal catch-ups with old friends
• Inappropriate jokes, cartoons or racial slurs

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Some Things We’ve Found & Provided

Comments about that terrible:

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• Boss
• Co-worker
• Employee

Comments about the district:

• “We’re awful at doing ___________ .”
• Co-worker
• Board Member
• Community Member

Things to Remember

• Every document you create is accessible, including stuff in your

electronic trash can, even if the trash has been “emptied”

• Everything you write in email is public
• Do you want to read it in local paper?
• Do you want your family, friends, co-workers, boss or neighbors

to read it?

• A phone call is good thing
• Good news can be shared in writing
• Bad news should be shared face to face or with a phone call
• Remember, sometimes you should document things on paper or in

an email

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Things to Remember with Technology

District business on personal email accounts

• Can open up your home email for inspection
• Flash drives are your friends

Use of personal devices for school district business

• They are all subject to public records requests
• Texting history is also available upon request

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Employee-owned cell phone, computer, iPad and other equipment/system District-issued cell phone, computer, iPad and other equipment/system

Technology: What’s Subject to Public Disclosure?

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• Any record (hard copy or electronic)

that is non-exempt and responsive to a PRA request

• Includes text messages
• Includes email
• Includes phone bills
• Redaction is allowed only for exempt

information

• If you conduct any work on your

personal equipment or system, those records may be subject to disclosure, if requested

• The fact that an employer does not

contribute monetarily to acquiring or maintaining a system or equipment is not controlling

• District may be required to attempt

to acquire records from personal equipment or systems

• Court may compel productions,

recent court rulings confirm this

Questions?

Please contact:

Diana Crawford

Public Disclosure Officer Olympia School District (360) 596-6112 dcrawford@osd.wednet.edu

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