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Public Records Request

Public Records Request

As a public agency, La Grande School District is committed to its obligation to make records available to the public, as required by state law (Chapter 192 of the Oregon Revised Statutes). The district will make available any public record unless it is exempt from public disclosure under state or federal law. Please read the information below to learn more about making a request.

If you are seeking student records or transcripts, do not use the public records request process. 

Making a request

Public records requests should be in writing and submitted to the Human Resource Office. La Grande School District has prepared an electronically-submitted request form that you may use, but it is not required. Please be as specific as possible and if you are unsure what records exist, feel free to call or email to discuss the questions you are trying to answer. If you choose not to use the electronic request form, please be sure to include the following information:

  1. Name and contact information: email address, phone number and mailing address
  2. Date of request
  3. Detailed description of the records being requested
  4. Preferred format for receiving the record (paper copy, electronic or onsite inspection)
     

Submitting the Request
Public records requests can be submitted in 3 ways:

  • Online: Public Records Request Form
  • Email: send to Public Records Request
  • U.S. mail: send to Superintendent’s Office – Attention Public Records, 1305 N Willow Street, La Grande OR 97850
     

Processing Time

  • Most requests are completed within fifteen (15) business days of receiving the request, or sooner. If the request cannot be completed within fifteen (15) business days, the district will provide a written statement with a reasonable updated time estimate for completion.


Questions

  • If you have questions about public records requests, please contact Human Resources at (541) 663-3212. 
     

Resources:

Cost

Oregon Public Records law allows public agencies to recover their “actual cost” in fulfilling a public records request. “Actual cost” may include a charge for the time spent by La Grande School District staff in locating the requested records, reviewing the records to redact exempt material, copying records or sending records by special methods. Public agencies may charge for search time even if they fail to locate any records responsive to the request or even if the records located are subsequently determined to be exempt from disclosure.

If there is a fee for providing the records, the Human Resource Office will provide the requesting party with written notice of the estimated amount of the fee.

The requesting party may decide to pay the fee; in which case, the District would generate an invoice for completing the public records request. The requesting party must pay the fee before the District fulfills the request. If the request takes less than the estimated time to fulfill, the District will refund the difference to the requesting party.

The requesting party may decline to pay the fee; in which case, the District will close the request.

The Human Resource Office is always willing to work with you to narrow the scope of a request to facilitate processing and reduce or eliminate fees.

Fee Schedule

The District will charge for staff time associated with processing requests. If the request requires compilation, review and/or redaction, the fee will be calculated at the employee’s hourly rate.

Fees for staff time may include, but are not limited to: 

  • Compiling, review and/or redaction: $50-90/hour (depending on work and employee's rate of pay)
  • IT: $60-110/hour
  • Administrative/Legal:$200/hour
  • Printing: $.25 per page 
     

Public Records Request Form

  • A “public record” is broadly defined to include writings that contain information relating to the conduct of the public’s business, including handwritten, typed, photographed, electronic, or otherwise recorded words, letters, pictures, sounds, symbols, or combinations of any of these. Despite this broad definition, not all public records are available for inspection through Public Records Law. Many state and federal laws either prohibit public bodies from disclosing certain records, or give public bodies the discretion not to disclose. Some records, such as district policies and public meeting information, can be searched and located online. Others must be located by a specific department or school to ensure that exempt public records are not disclosed.

  • Any person, whether representing themselves or any other organization, has a right to request and review any public record of an Oregon public body if that record is not exempt from disclosure.

  • Some public records are exempt from disclosure, depending on the nature of the record. The reasons for exemption vary but are always provided by either state or federal law, and are often related to protecting personal information of students, employees, or other individuals. Where permitted by law, some public records containing both exempt and non-exempt material may be separated or redacted and the nonexempt material made available. 

  • Oregon law allows the district to charge fees to cover the actual cost of making public records available. Fees are based on the amount of staff time involved, a per-page fee for photocopies, and any mailing or delivery charges. Staff time may include locating, gathering, reviewing, summarizing, compiling, copying, monitoring (if a request is made to inspect records on-site), tailoring and redacting the public records.

  • Most requests can be completed in a matter of days, but complex requests can take several weeks or in some limited circumstances even longer. If it will take longer than fifteen (15) working days to complete your request and provide records, we will tell you and you will receive regular updates. Please note that district records are highly decentralized which can add more time to the process of gathering documents if they are from multiple sites.