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Administrators to draft formal notification language for public-records requests
Summary
The committee asked administration to draft policy language that would notify board members and employees when they are named or included in public-records requests; administration said current practice is to notify affected parties and legal counsel agreed it is reasonable to codify a limited notification procedure.
The policy committee discussed adding language to Policy 8310 to formalize a practice of notifying board members and employees when they are named in or included in public-records requests.
Dr. Reuter said he has informally notified board members and employees when their names surfaced in records requests and that district counsel cautioned careful limits to avoid excessive administrative burden. "I think it's a courtesy to know that someone has asked for your information that you have disseminated," one board member said; another observed that Wisconsin permits anonymous open-records requests, so the requester is not always identifiable.
Administration will draft proposed language that specifies who will be notified, the scope of notification and practical limits to avoid an unmanageable process for broad requests; the committee favored formally codifying the practice and asked counsel to draft safeguards and guidelines.
Next step: Dr. Reuter will bring draft language to the next committee meeting for review and refinement.
