Content provided in partnership with
Open arms, open records: how a school district responds to requests for public information says much about trust and confidence
School Administrator, June, 2002 by Connie J. Blaney
It was one of those days in the superintendent's office when the secretary just couldn't seem to catch her breath. With the phone to her ear as she typed her report on the computer, she noticed a stranger walking through the door of her office. It was a small town in rural America and she hadn't seen this man before.
"What can I do for you, sir?" she asked. The citizen offered his name, then asked for a copy of the salary schedules for central-office administrators.
Her response: "I've never seen you before in my life. How do I know you aren't an undercover reporter?"
- Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »
A hundred miles down the road in a large metropolitan city, an education reporter walked into the high school principal's office to ask the secretary for a copy of the principal's contract. The principal, who had been ridiculed the week before in the newspaper, overheard the reporter's request. Stepping from his office, he sarcastically remarked, "What the heck do you want that for? All you ever do is criticize us."
Ensuring Trust
Whether it was ignorance or arrogance, these two public officials made a serious mistake. In addition to violating this state's Open Records Act, their unwillingness to cooperate created in the visitor's mind a sense of doubt, suspicion and mistrust for themselves and their public institutions. A reporter once said to me, "When you deny the records, you begin the story."
Across the nation, state constitutions recognize and guarantee that all political power is inherent in the people. Thus it is the public policy of the state that the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government. Our founding fathers wrote the Bill of Rights to preserve freedom of speech and the press. Today it is vital we protect these rights and ensure a free and democratic society.
Public schools, along with law enforcement, municipalities and other government agencies, have an obligation to be open and honest with the public. Debra Marlow, director of communications for Chesterfield County, Va., Public Schools, agrees. "The bottom line is that our basic philosophy involves a commitment to provide information, which will lead to greater understanding, support and public confidence by all members of the community for the mission and objectives of the school division," she says.
District policy in Chesterfield, in line with Virginia's Freedom of Information Act, states that requests for information shall be "directed to the community relations department for prompt and courteous replies."
A Performance Test
Is your school district passing the test? Are your employees knowledgeable of the Open Records Act? How are they accommodating these requests?
In June 2000, the state of Oklahoma was put to the test. An open records survey asked reporters and private citizens about their experiences requesting public records. The study, funded largely by media organizations, tested compliance with the state's Open Records Act.
School districts, police departments, city and county clerks, state agencies and the board of regents were included in the survey.
Reporters fanned out across the state. One math professor traveled more than 1,000 miles requesting information. Meanwhile, a private citizen sent letters to school districts requesting the school board agenda.
The results were published in daily and weekly newspapers statewide. Overall the schools fared well, granting 93.7 percent of the requests (538 of 574). It was reported that 33 schools failed to respond and two schools denied the request.
Mark Thomas, Oklahoma Press Association executive vice president, said he was pleased with the overall response from the schools. "The public must have access to records of their government if they are expected to trust the government. Good public servants understand that fundamental truth," he said.
The final 8-page published edition reported specific examples of individuals, institutions and agencies and their responses, exemplary and poor. My school district, Norman Public Schools, received this mention: "Copies of contracts for the superintendent and the head football coach at Norman schools didn't cost, but there was a three-day delay."
With all due respect, our district's policy allows a three-day window for replying to the request. This was noted on the request form, yet it was not mentioned in the final report. Whenever possible, Norman staff provides the requested information on the spot or within several hours. Thomas stresses the importance of providing the information in a timely manner. "If a citizen drops by someone's office unannounced and needs something immediately, there may be times that it could be taken care of right then," Thomas said.
Rapid Response
Many school districts across the country allow up to three days for gathering the requested information and releasing it to the public. If the information is readily accessible, districts will respond with a quicker turnaround time to meet the reporter's deadline or the citizen s timeline.
Find Research Guides for:
Find Featured Titles for: Home & Garden
Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »