Board adopts resolution allowing denial of public records requests for commercial uses

The School City of Mishawaka Board of School Trustees approved a resolution Sept. 10 allowing district officials to deny certain public‑records requests intended for commercial purposes.

Superintendent Dr. Stevens presented the resolution and said the policy mirrors a recent action by the City of Mishawaka. "We're trying to follow suit, just to make sure that we're providing information to personal entities that need it for the right purposes, not for commercial purposes," Dr. Stevens told the board, adding that vendors may still bid on district opportunities through normal procurement rather than using public records requests for competitive advantage.

Board members moved, seconded and approved the resolution at the meeting. No roll‑call breakdown of votes by name was recorded in the meeting transcript.

The resolution allows district staff to consider purpose when responding to requests and to deny requests they conclude are primarily for commercial resale or competitive advantage, the superintendent said. Implementation details and administrative procedures were not presented at the meeting.