Public records of the school district may be viewed by the public during the regular business hours of the administration offices of the school district. These hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for holidays and recesses.
Persons wishing to view the school district's public records will contact the board secretary and make arrangements for the viewing. The board secretary will make arrangements for viewing the records as soon as practicable, depending on the nature of the request.
Persons may request copies of public records by telephone or in writing, including electronically. The school district may require pre-payment of the costs prior to copy and mailing.
Persons wanting copies may be assessed a fee for the copy. Persons wanting compilation of information may be assessed a fee for the time of the employee to compile the requested information. Printing of materials for the public at the expense of the school district will only occur when the event is sponsored by the school district.
Pursuant to Iowa law, the board has determined certain records need to be confidential as their disclosure could jeopardize the safety of persons or property and include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Security procedures
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Emergency preparedness procedures
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Evacuation procedures
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Security codes and passwords
It is the responsibility of the board secretary to maintain accurate and current records of the school district. It is the responsibility of the board secretary to respond in a timely manner to requests for viewing and receiving public information of the school district.
NOTE: This is a mandatory policy and is consistent with the Iowa public records law regarding access to, copying of and charging for copies of public records. By law, individuals have a right to access public records during the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. unless the board sets other hours. IASB recommends that the board establish specific hours in board policy, and blanks are provided in the first paragraph for that purpose. For a more detailed discussion of this issue, see IASB's Policy Primer, Vol. 19 #6- June 23, 2006.
Iowa law requires boards to specify what emergency preparedness items need to be confidential in order to protect the safety of individuals or property. A short list is provided but should be added to by the board, if needed.
Legal Reference:
Iowa Code §§ 21.4; 22.7; 291.6.
Cross Reference:
215 . Board of Directors' Records
401.5 Employee Records
506 Student Records
708 Care, Maintenance and Disposal of School District Records
902.1 . News Media Relations
Approved: 12/11/1995 Reviewed: 1/14/2020 Revised: 1/14/2020