Right-to Know
Request for Public Records
Pequea Valley School District
166 South New Holland Road
P.O. Box 130
Kinzers, PA 17535
Office Hours - 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Contact Information for the District Open Records Officer
John Bowden
Business Administrator
Phone: 717-768-5530
Fax: 717-768-7176
Contact Information for Pennsylvania Office of Open Records
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Office op Open Records
Commonwealth Keystone Building
400 North Street, Plaza Level
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225
717-346-9903
Exective Director: Terry Mutchler
Deputy Director: Barry Fox
Chief Counsel: Leo L. Dunn
PA Office of Open Records -
Pequea Valley Request for Public Records Form
Request For Access
A written request for access to a public record shall be submitted on the required form(s) and addressed to the Open Records Officer.
Written requests may be submitted to the district in person, by mail, to a designated facsimile machine, or to a designated e-mail address.
Each request must include the following information:
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Identification or description of the requested record, in sufficient detail.
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Medium in which the record is requested.
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Name and address of the individual to receive the district's response.
The district shall not require an explanation of the reason for the request or the intended use of the requested record, unless otherwise required by law.
Response To Request
The Open Records Officer shall respond as promptly as possible under the existing circumstances, and the initial response time shall not exceed five (5) business days from the date the written request is received by the Open Records Officer.
This initial response shall grant access to the requested record, deny access to the requested record, partially grant and partially deny access to the requested record, notify the requester of the need for an extension of time to fully respond, or request more detail from the requester to clearly identify the requested material.
If the district fails to respond to a request within five (5) business days of receipt, the request for access shall be deemed denied.
Extension Of Time
If the Open Records Officer determines that an extension of time is required to respond to a request, in accordance with the factors stated in law, written notice shall be sent within five (5) business days of receipt of the request. The notice shall indicate that the request for access is being reviewed, the reason that the review requires an extension, a reasonable date when the response is expected, and an estimate of applicable fees owed when the record becomes available.
Up to a thirty (30) day extension for one (1) of the listed reasons does not require the consent of the requester. If the response is not given by the specified date, it shall be deemed denied on the day following that date.
A requester may consent in writing to an extension that exceeds thirty (30) days, in which case the request shall be deemed denied on the day following the date specified in the notice if the Open Records Officer has not provided a response by that date.
Granting Of Request
If the Open Records Officer determines that the request will be granted, the response shall inform the requester that access is granted and either include the regular business hours of the administration office, provide electronic access, or state where the requester may go to inspect the records or information electronically at a publicly accessible site. The response shall include a copy of the fee schedule in effect, a statement that prepayment of fees is required in a specified amount if access to the records will cost in excess of $100, and the medium in which the records will be provided.
A public record shall be provided to the requester in the medium requested if it exists in that form; otherwise, it shall be provided in its existing medium. However, the district is not required to permit use of its computers.
The Open Records Officer may respond to a records request by notifying the requester that the record is available through publicly accessible electronic means or that the district shall provide access to inspect the record electronically. If the requester, within thirty (30) days following receipt of the district's notice, submits a written request to have the record converted to paper, the district shall provide access in printed form within five (5) days of receipt of the request for conversion to paper.
A public record that the district does not possess, but is possessed by a third party with whom the district has contracted to perform a governmental function and which directly relates to that governmental function, shall be considered a public record of the district. When the district contracts with such a third party, the district shall require the contractor to agree in writing to comply with requests for such records and to provide the district with the requested record in a timely manner to allow the district to comply with law.
If the Open Records Officer determines that a public record contains information both subject to and not subject to access, the Open Records Officer shall grant access to the information subject to access and deny access to the information not subject to access. The Open Records Officer shall redact from the record the information that is not subject to access. The Open Records Officer shall not deny access to a record if information is able to be redacted.
If the Open Records Officer responds to a requester that a copy of the requested record is available for delivery at the administration office and the requester does not retrieve the record within sixty (60) days of the district's response, the district shall dispose of the copy and retain any fees paid to date.
Denial Of Request
If the Open Records Officer denies a request for access to a record, whether in whole or in part, a written response shall be sent within five (5) business days of receipt of the request. The response denying the request shall include the following:
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Description of the record requested.
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Specific reasons for denial, including a citation of supporting legal authority.
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Name, title, business address, business telephone number, and signature of the Open Records Officer on whose authority the denial is issued.
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Date of the response.
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Procedure for the requester to appeal a denial of access.
The Open Records Officer may deny a request for access to a record if the requester has made repeated requests for that same record and the repeated requests have placed an unreasonable burden on the district.
The Open Records Officer may deny a request for access to a record when timely access is not possible due to a disaster, or when access may cause physical damage or irreparable harm to the record. To the extent possible, a record's contents shall be made accessible even when the record is physically unavailable.
Information that is not subject to access and is redacted from a public record shall be deemed a denial.
If a written request for access to a record is denied or deemed denied, the requester may file an appeal with the state's Office of Open Records within fifteen (15) business days of the mailing date of the Open Records Officer's response or deemed denial.