Freedom of Information Act

Woodridge 68 under FOIA

The District’s “public records” are those records and documents, regardless of physical or electronic form, pertaining to the transaction of public business and as further defined by law, including the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), and the District’s FOIA Administrative Procedures. The District maintains and makes available for inspection a reasonably current list of the types and categories of records under its control, as well as those documents that are immediately available upon request.

Requests to inspect and/or copy the District’s public records must be submitted in writing and directed to the FOIA Officer, Dr. William Schmidt, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources. Requests are expected to specify with reasonable particularity which public records are sought to avoid inefficient use of staff time in retrieving and preparing records for inspection. Repeated requests from the same person for the same records that are unchanged or identical to records previously provided or properly denied under FOIA are deemed unduly burdensome and may be denied. If a request is for a commercial purpose, as defined in FOIA and the District’s FOIA Administrative Procedures, the request is expected to disclose that in his or her initial written request. It is a violation of FOIA for a person to knowingly obtain a public record for a commercial purpose without disclosing that it is for a commercial purpose, if requested to do so by the District.

What is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a state statute that provides the public the right to access government documents and records. The premise behind FOIA is that the public has a right to know what the government is doing. The law provides that a person can ask a public body for a copy of its records on a specific subject and the public body must provide those records, unless there is an exemption in the statute that protects those records from disclosure (for example: records containing information concerning trade secrets or personal privacy).

Who is subject to FOIA?

Who can file a FOIA request?

FOIA officer

Dr. William Schmidt
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources

630-795-6802
Send an email

7925 Janes Avenue
Woodridge, IL 60517

Categories of public records

The following list identifies the types of public records maintained and available for public inspection (as required by 5 ILCS 140/5):

Administrative materials and procedural rules;
Final opinions and determinations, except for those adjudicating student disciplinary cases where the disclosure would unavoidably reveal the identity of the student, or those adjudicating employee grievances or disciplinary cases;
Final outcomes of employee grievances or disciplinary cases in which discipline is imposed;
Board of Education policies and final documents explaining or interpreting such policies;
Final reports and studies prepared by or for the District;
Information concerning expenditure of public funds, unless otherwise exempt from disclosure under FOIA;
Names, salaries, titles, and dates of employment for all District employees and officers;
Minutes of Board of Education meetings open to the public;
Information concerning grants or contracts made by the District, unless otherwise exempt from disclosure under FOIA;
All other information required by law to be made available for public inspection and copying.

Records for immediate disclosure

Fee schedule for FOIA requests

Unless a fee is otherwise fixed by another statute, or unless the District grants a request for a fee waiver/reduction in the public interest, as defined in FOIA, the charges associated with copies in response to FOIA requests shall be as set forth below:

No fees shall be charged for the first 50 pages of black and white, letter or legal sized copies requested.
Thereafter, a fee of $0.15 per page will be charged for each additional black and white, letter or legal sized copy.
For all other copies, including color copies, the District shall charge no more than the actual cost for reproducing the records.
Color Copies (8 ½ x 11) $0.59 per page

The District may charge the requester for the actual cost of purchasing a recording medium, whether disc, diskette, tape, or other medium.

The cost for certifying a public record shall be $1.

Public records may be furnished without charge or at a reduced charge if the individual requesting the public records states specifically the purpose for the request and the reasons that a waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest. Waiver or reduction of the fee may be determined to be in the public interest if the principal purpose of the request is to access and disseminate information regarding the health, safety, and welfare or the legal rights of the general public and is not for the principal purpose of personal or commercial benefit. In determining the amount of waiver or reduction, the District may take into consideration the amount of materials requested and the cost of copying them.

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