Public-records staff describe heavy workload: 36 public requests last year and large email volumes
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Summary
The district's public-records officer told the board that staff processed 36 public-records requests and 30 student-record referrals last year, reviewed thousands of emails (more than 7,000 across requests) and handled requests that matched more than 16,000 emails; staff outlined redaction, staffing and cost-recovery practices.
District public-records staff briefed the board on Jan. 8 about the scope and resource demands of open-records work.
Mr. Harker told the board his department handled 36 public-records requests last year from 27 distinct requesters and forwarded about 30 student-record requests to the high school registrar. He said staff sometimes had to scour more than 7,000 emails to fulfill sets of requests and that one recent request mapped to 16,753 emails. Harker explained the district’s process for narrowing search terms with requesters, for charging nominal fees for delivery or media (for example, paper-copy charges or a flash drive), and for redacting personally identifiable information and student records in compliance with FERPA and other privacy laws.
On discoverability, Harker told the board that if a district-issued or personal phone is used for district business, messages and texts can be discoverable in a public-records search. He said staff do not try to make money from records requests but may charge for the cost of reproduction or secure delivery.
Board members asked about staffing and how time is budgeted; Harker said two staff members handle public-records tasks alongside HR responsibilities and that unusually large requests can strain those resources. He recommended working with requesters to narrow search terms to reduce processing time.