Open Records Request

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) stipulates that a governmental body must "promptly" produce public information in response to your request. "Promptly" means that a governmental body may take a reasonable amount of time to produce the information, which varies depending on the facts in each case. The amount of information you have requested is highly relevant to what makes for a reasonable response time.

The Public Information Act (PIA) prohibits the governmental body from asking you why you want the information you have requested. Yellowstone Schools reserves the right to request specific parameters for your request in order to be able to provide the materials in a timely fashion. 

Please note that the PIA allows a governmental entity to charge fees for processing your request. For more information on cost rules and other open records information, you may visit the Attorney General of Texas-Open Records Division. 

Fees For Records Requests

Yellowstone Schools uses the rates established by the Office of the Attorney General to determine charges for copies of public records. At the discretion of the staff member responding to a request, fees may be waived when there are a minimal number of responsive documents.

If the cost of the request is expected to exceed $40, Yellowstone will send a cost estimate letter to the requestor. The estimate letter includes an itemized statement of any copying, personnel, mailing or other charges that will be incurred in fulfilling the request. Once the requestor confirms that he or she agrees to the estimated costs, Yellowstone will begin compiling the records. If the requestor does not respond to the cost estimate letter within ten (10) days, the request will be closed.

Where estimated costs exceed $100, the requestor will be required to make a deposit before any records are compiled.

For more information, please see the Attorney General's Open Government website regarding charges for Public Information.

Common Charges Include:

• Paper copies (single sided, black & white, standard size 8.5x11) | $0.10/page
• Oversize paper (not including maps and photographs) | $0.50/page
• Compact Disk (CD) | $1.00 each
• DVD | $3.00 each

Labor Charges:

• Personnel time for locating, compiling, manipulating data, and reproducing records | $15.00/hour
• Computer Programming | $28.50/hour
• Overhead | 20% of the personnel or programming charge