Public Records Request for Data on School Policing

Dear Meghan Leong
Thank you for your interest in public records of Boston Police Department. Your request has been received and is being processed. Your request was received in this office on 1/24/2024 9:11:47 PM and given the reference number B000225-012424 for tracking purposes.
If this is a media request, please contact the Office of Media Relations directly at 617.343.4520.
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

To Whom it May Concern:

This letter constitutes a request pursuant to the Public Records Act, G.L. c.66, §10, for public records in the custody of your school district. Under the Criminal Justice Reform Act, school districts and law enforcement agencies must “specify the manner and division of responsibility for collecting and reporting the school-based arrests, citations and court referrals of students to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education” (DESE).

I am writing to request for:
1) a copy of any active standard operating procedures/or memorandum of understanding developed with the police department and/or other law enforcement agencies regarding police placement or activity in your corresponding school; and
2) any records instructing or informing police personnel of, or otherwise describing data reporting requirements and procedures for complying with G.L. c. 71 § 37P(b).
3) In addition, I would like to know the drafting process of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Boston Police Department and Boston Public Schools.

As this request involves a matter of public interest and will not be used for any commercial purpose, we ask that all fees associated with this request be waived pursuant to 950 C.M.R. 32.07(2)(k). The purpose of this request is to determine whether your school district and police department are complying with their reporting obligations under the Criminal Justice Reform Act. “The public has an interest in knowing whether public servants are carrying out their duties in an efficient and law-abiding manner.”

Please provide public records to a requestor in an electronic format unless the record is not available in an electronic format. G.L.c. 66, § 6A(d).

If you have any questions about this request, or need additional time to respond, please contact me by email at leong.me@northeastern.edu. Thank you in advance for your prompt response to this request.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, and is not made for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Meghan Leong

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below and you'll receive an email when your request has been completed. Again, thank you for using the Public Records Center.
Director, Public Information
Boston Police Department

--- Please respond above this line ---
Reference No: B000225-012424 Dear Meghan Leong: The Boston Police Department (BPD) has received your request for public records.  This response applies only to records that exist and are in the custody of the BPD. See A Guide to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, p. 32, n.115.  It is expected that a custodian of records must use her superior knowledge of her records with respect to responses to public records requests.  950 CMR 32.04(5).  Specifically, you stated: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

To Whom it May Concern:

This letter constitutes a request pursuant to the Public Records Act, G.L. c.66, §10, for public records in the custody of your school district. Under the Criminal Justice Reform Act, school districts and law enforcement agencies must “specify the manner and division of responsibility for collecting and reporting the school-based arrests, citations and court referrals of students to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education” (DESE).

I am writing to request for:
1) a copy of any active standard operating procedures/or memorandum of understanding developed with the police department and/or other law enforcement agencies regarding police placement or activity in your corresponding school; and
2) any records instructing or informing police personnel of, or otherwise describing data reporting requirements and procedures for complying with G.L. c. 71 § 37P(b).
3) In addition, I would like to know the drafting process of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Boston Police Department and Boston Public Schools.

As this request involves a matter of public interest and will not be used for any commercial purpose, we ask that all fees associated with this request be waived pursuant to 950 C.M.R. 32.07(2)(k). The purpose of this request is to determine whether your school district and police department are complying with their reporting obligations under the Criminal Justice Reform Act. “The public has an interest in knowing whether public servants are carrying out their duties in an efficient and law-abiding manner.”

Please provide public records to a requestor in an electronic format unless the record is not available in an electronic format. G.L.c. 66, § 6A(d).

If you have any questions about this request, or need additional time to respond, please contact me by email at leong.me@northeastern.edu. Thank you in advance for your prompt response to this request.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, and is not made for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Meghan Leong

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/ A response to a public records request must be provided within ten (10) business days from the business day a written request was received.  G. L. c. 66, § 10 (a); 950 CMR 32.06(2)(b).  The public records law permits a response time of up to twenty-five (25) business days from the business day a written request is received, so long as a detailed explanation is provided.  G. L. c. 66, § 10(b)(vi); 950 CMR 32.06(2)(i). Due to the nature of your request additional time is needed. As such, BPD will need up to, but no more than, fifteen (15) additional business days to review and process your request. Please provide clarification for Part 2 of your request. It is unclear what records you seek.