Information about Maine Township High School District 207 and the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in accordance with Public Act 096-0542 (effective Jan. 1, 2010)

Freedom of Information Act Officers/Procedures/Charges

Under Illinois law, FOIA officers are appointed by a public body to receive FOIA requests and to respond in compliance with the FOIA statute. District 207’s FOIA officer is:

Brett Clark, Director of Communications
1177 South Dee Road
Park Ridge, IL 60058
847.692.6158

How to make a Freedom of Information Act request

Please send Freedom of Information requests to [email protected] or to Freedom of Information Officer, Ralph J. Frost Administration Center, 1177 South Dee Road, Park Ridge, IL 60068. A FOIA request must be in writing; verbal FOIA requests will not be accepted.

In accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (Public Act 096-0542), District 207 will assess the following fees Freedom of Information Act requests:

No fees will be charged for the first 50 pages of black and white, letter or legal-size copies requested.

After the first 50 pages of any requested documents, a fee of 15 cents per page will be charged for each additional black/white photocopy.

Any additional cost to the District of reproducing color copies or copies of seizes other letter- or legal-size documents.

Actual shipping fees if applicable.

No fee will be charged for electronic copies other than the actual cost of the recording medium, for example the cost of any disc, diskette, tape, flash drive or other medium or device used to store and deliver electronic records.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) general information/Frequently Asked Questions

What is FOIA?
An Illinois law that provides public access to government documents and records.

Who is subject to FOIA?
All public bodies in Illinois.

Who can file an FOIA request?
Any person, group, association, corporation, firm, partnership or organization has the right to file a FOIA request with any state or local public body.

How many days does the public body have to respond to a FOIA request?
Five business days, starting the day after the public body receives the request. That period may be extended for an additional five business days under certain circumstances detailed in the statute.

Can someone request records in electronic form?
Yes

What should be included in a FOIA request?
Requests should be written and include the requester’s name, address, date and a daytime phone number so that the public body can contact the requester with any questions. Making the request as specific as possible will expedite the search process.

What kind information is not available through FOIA law?
There are several exceptions to public disclosure that include but are not limited to: private information, such as Social Security numbers, home addresses, personal financial information and other “unique identifiers;” personal information that if disclosed would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy; law enforcement records that, if disclosed, would interfere with a pending or reasonably contemplated proceeding; preliminary drafts or notes in which opinions are expressed or policies are formulated; business trade secrets, proposals and bids for any contracts until a final selection is made; requests that are “unduly burdensome.”

The following documents are currently available on the district website:

Categories of the District’s public records maintained by District 207 as required by 5 ILCS 140/5:

The records maintained by District 207 includes, but may not necessarily be limited to, the following categories:

• 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 expenditures 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.
  

Duties of the Board of Education: With the interests of students in mind, the board represents the views of the community in matters affecting education. It also determines educational standards, adopts policies for the administration of the school system, employs a superintendent, authorizes the appointment of staff members, approves curriculum, adopts a budget to maintain and operate the schools, and levies taxes to support the budget. Although the board has final control over many local school matters, it is also subject to state and federal laws. Six committees accomplish much of the necessary work before the board arrives at final decisions. Like regular board meetings, committee meetings are meetings held in public, but are not public meetings. Interested citizens may better understand the background of board decisions by observing these meetings. The committees are: Buildings and Grounds; Community Relations; Education; Employee Relations; Finance; and Policy.

Budgets: Financial information may be found on the Budgets/Financial Reports page

Additional information regarding Illinois Freedom of Information Act

Additional information regarding Freedom of Information Act may be found at the Illinois Attorney General website at: https://foiapac.ilag.gov/content/howtofileafoiarequest.aspx