PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST PROCEDURES

The following are proper procedures for requesting records from The Altoona Area School District under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. §§ 66.1 et seq. The Altoona Area School District’s Policy (Board Policy No. 801) can be viewed on the AASD website: http://www.aasdcat.com/aasd/PublicRecords/801.pdf

( Note: Requests for student records are covered under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and should be addressed to the appropriate building principal and/or the Special Education Director. )

  1. All requests for records must be in writing and signed by the requester. The request must be submitted using the Altoona Area School District's Records Request Letter or the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records Standard Right-to-Know Request Form. The request should identify or describe the records sought with sufficient specificity to enable the Altoona Area School District to ascertain which records are being requested; the request shall also include a name and address to which the Altoona Area School District should address its response. The Altoona Area School District will not accept oral or anonymous requests for records.

  2. All requests for records shall be addressed as follows:
    Open Records Officer – Paula Foreman
    Altoona Area School District
    1415 Sixth Avenue
    Altoona, PA 16602
    Email: pforeman@altoonasd.com

  3. All requests shall be in writing and shall be sent to the Altoona Area School District by mail, facsimile to (814) 505-1455, email or delivered in person
  4. If a written request for records is granted, the following fees will be charged:

Postage Fees:

Actual Cost

Photocopies:

Twenty-five (25) Cents per Page

Specialized Documents:

Actual Cost

Certification of Records:

One (1) Dollar per Record (excluding notarization fees)

Conversion to Paper

If a record is only maintained electronically or in other non-paper media, duplication fees shall be limited to the lesser of the fee for duplication on paper or the fee for duplication in the original media unless the requester specifically requests for the record to be duplicated in the more expensive medium

Facsimile/Microfiche/Other

Actual Cost

A photocopy is either a single-sided copy or one side of a double-sided copy of a standard 8.5” x 11” page.  TheAltoona Area School District may require a requester to prepay an estimate of the fees listed, if the fees required to fulfill the request are expected to exceed $100. All costs must be paid by certified check or money order made payable to the Altoona Area School District.

  1. Appeals: 

If a request is denied in whole or in part by the Altoona Area School District, an appeal can be filed.  All appeals must be made in writing and sent to:
                       
Office of Open Records
Commonwealth Keystone Building
400 North Street, 4th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17120

Any appeal must be submitted within 15 business days of the mailing date of the Altoona Area School District’s  response or within 15 business days of a deemed denial.  The appeal shall state the ground upon which the requester asserts that the record is a public record, legislative record or financial record and shall address any ground stated by an agency for delaying or denying the request. 

An identical copy of the appeal must also be submitted to the Altoona Area School District Open Records Officer.

A person other than the Altoona Area School District or requester, with a direct interest in the record subject to an appeal under this section (Section 1101), may file a written request to provide information or to appear before the appeals officer in support of the requester’s or Altoona Area school District’s position.  This request must be made within 15 days following receipt of actual knowledge of the appeal but no later than the date the appeals officer issues an order.

Further information with regard to the appeals process can be found at the Office of Open Records website
http://openrecords.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/open_records/4434/appeals_process_%E2%80%93_interim_guidelines/487900

 

Related Materials:
      Records Request Letter
      AASD Fee Schedule
      AASD Board Policy