Board weighs resolutions on FOIL fees and new North African/Middle Eastern demographic category
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Summary
Board members discussed two draft resolutions: one urging state action on fees for for‑profit FOIL requesters and another asking the state to recognize North African and Middle Eastern (MENA) demographic categories; members supported refining the language and referred the items to the legislative committee.
A board member identified in the transcript as Mister Croft introduced two proposed resolutions the board might forward to the legislative committee or to NISBA/NISPA for broader advocacy.
The first resolution would ask for state action to allow school districts to recover certain costs when for‑profit entities request and mine public records; board members discussed existing FOIL law (which generally limits fees to reproduction and storage costs) and whether a statewide change or carve‑out for school districts would be needed. One board member noted the state law limits charges to physical copying and storage media and does not allow charging for staff search or review time under current FOIL practice.
The second resolution would request that New York State add one or several demographic categories to better track students of North African and Middle Eastern origin (referred to in the discussion as MENA). Multiple board members supported pursuing a resolution that aligns with recent state proposals from the governors office, while also debating privacy and whether creating a category could unintentionally single out students.
Several members asked Mister Croft to refine the language and promised rewritten drafts for the March 3 board meeting; a separate administrative follow‑up asked staff to circulate Governor Hochuls related legislative material to the full board.