The Freedom of Information Law (commonly referred to as FOIL) requires school districts to allow public access to certain official records and reaffirms the public’s right to know how government operates.  The law does not require that records be created or compiled in order to comply with a request.  The district is required to provide records that exist, are in its possession, and are not otherwise exempt from the provisions of FOIL.  Manipulation of computer data in response to a request will not be considered “creating” a new record unless it involves significant expense.

Submitting a FOIL

You may visit the link for information (sample FOIL letters): https://opengovernment.ny.gov/

FOIL requests must be made in writing, either in hard copy or electronically, to the Records Access Officer by either:

  • Writing:
    Eldred Central School District
    Attention:  Ms. Lisa Sibirtzeff, District Clerk/Records Access Officer
    P.O. Box 249 - 600 Route 55
    Eldred, NY  12732

  • Emailing: District Clerk email

Please be as specific as possible when describing the requested records. The narrower the request, the faster the District will be able to provide any responsive records. If your request is unclear, you will be contacted to provide specificity before work can begin on your request.

FOIL Request Acknowledgement

The school district must respond within five business days to acknowledge receipt of the written request by either making the record available, issuing a written denial, or acknowledging the request.  The acknowledgement will provide an estimated response date within 20 business days away, unless more time may be needed, of when the request is expected to be granted, or denied, based on the information in the request.  (Business days exclude weekends, holidays, and school recesses).  An extension may be necessary if the request is time consuming, yields a voluminous amount of records, requires extensive redacting, or other factors.  If this is the case, the district will provide another date by which the request will either be granted or denied.

Examples of information that may be withheld from a FOIL request include records that:

  1. Are specifically exempt from disclosure by state or federal law (e.g., attorney-client privileged information, or student records protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA);

  2. Constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

  3. Are inter-agency or intra-agency materials that contain opinion, recommendation or the like;

  4. If disclosed, would impair present or imminent contract awards or collective bargaining negotiations;

  5. If disclosed could endanger the life or safety of any person.

The fee for paper copies of documents up to 8 1/2 x 14 inches is 25 cents per page. The fee for other records will reflect the actual cost of reproducing the record (e.g., the cost of a USB flash drive, or professional copying services for very large documents such as property maps).