CPS: Holden Email Logs, GSA October 2021

Dear Miriam:

Thank you for your interest in Chicago Public Schools. Your FOIA request has been received and is being processed. Your FOIA Center reference number for tracking purposes is: N011994-111722
You have requested the following records: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:

Records sufficient to show the following:

1. A log of all emails to/from Derrick Little, most recently a specialist in the Office of Student Health and Wellness, from October 24, 2021 to November 4, 2021. Please search all of his CPS email accounts as well as personal accounts used for public business. The log should include but not be limited to: sender, recipient(s), date and time, and subject line.

2. All email & Google Chat messages sent between October 15, 2021 and November 15, 2021 to/from Holden Elementary School Principal Konstantinos Patsiopoulos (kpatsiopoulos@cps.edu) containing any of the following terms: "GSA", "G-SA", "Gay Straight Alliance". Please search all of his CPS email accounts as well as personal accounts used for public business.

Because this request is in the public interest for Illinois nonprofit The FOIA Bakery’s work to advocate for public education, please waive any fees in accordance with 5 ILCS § 140/6(c). Feel free to contact me with any questions, or if clarification is needed.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

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 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Miriam Bhimani

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) responds to all public records requests in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.
If further time is needed to assemble and copy all documents responsive to your FOIA request, we will contact you with a time estimate and a request to extend.
Upon the completion of a response, CPS will provide the first 50 pages to you at no charge.  If a response is more than 50 pages, a fee of 15¢ per page will be charged for each additional page. Copies of video recordings have a fee of $48. All applicable fees must be paid prior to the copying. CPS will inform you of any fees due if your paper response exceeds 50 pages. You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below and you’ll receive an email when your request has been completed. Thank you for using the CPS FOIA Center.

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11/18/2022

Miriam Bhimani
MuckRock News, DEPT MR137137 263 Huntington Ave
Boston MA 02115

Dear Miriam:

RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N011994-111722
Thank you again for using the Chicago Public Schools FOIA Center.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, a public body may extend the time to respond to a FOIA request by up to 5 business days for a limited number of reasons. 5 ILCS 140/3(e).
We are extending the time to respond to your request by 5 business days for one or more of the following reason(s):
(  ) the requested records are stored in whole or in part at other locations than the office having charge of the requested records;
( )  the request requires the collection of a substantial number of specified records;
( ) the request is couched in categorical terms and requires an extensive search for the records responsive to it;
( ) the requested records have not been located in the course of routine search and additional efforts are being made to locate them;
(x ) the requested records require examination and evaluation by personnel having the necessary competence and discretion to determine if they are exempt from disclosure under Section 7 of this Act or should be revealed only with appropriate deletions;
(x ) the request for records cannot be complied with by the public body within the time limits prescribed by 5 ILCS 140/3 (c) without unduly burdening or interfering with the operations of the public body;
(x ) there is need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another public body or among two or more components of a public body having a substantial interest in the determination or in the subject matter of the request
Sincerely,

Ana Diaz
FOIA Officer
Chicago Public Schools

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December 5, 2022 Miriam Bhimani Miriam.bhimani@gmail.com RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N011994-111722 Dear Miriam Bhimani: This letter is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking the following information:
1. A log of all emails to/from Derrick Little, most recently a specialist in the Office of Student Health and Wellness, from October 24, 2021 to November 4, 2021. Please search all of his CPS email accounts as well as personal accounts used for public business. The log should include but not be limited to: sender, recipient(s), date and time, and subject line. RESPONSE: The CPS FOIA office submitted an electronic discovery request and concluded that it is unduly burdensome as it requires the search and/or collection of broad categories of records. The search parameters you provided yielded 713 e-mail messages. In order to comply with this request, each and every of the 713 e-mail message subject lines and “to,” “from,” “cc,” and “bcc’s,” would have to be downloaded and reviewed to determine if content is exempt from release under FOIA. Thereby, as your FOIA request is currently written, the dedication of staff and/or resources is unduly burdensome on the daily operations of the CPS beyond the public interest in this information. This is NOT an automatic denial of your request. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/3 (g), we are asking that you narrow your request to more manageable proportions by replying to this email. If you do not narrow your request within 5 business days, this request will be closed. To the extent you consider this a denial, pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/9.5(a) you may file a Request for Review with the Public Access Counselor (PAC) at: Public Access Counselor; Office of the Attorney General; 500 South 2nd Street; Springfield, IL 62706. You also have the right to seek judicial review of your denial by filing a lawsuit in the State circuit court, 5 ILCS 140/11. If you choose to file a Request for Review with the PAC, you must do so within 60 calendar days of the date of this denial letter. 5 ILCS 140/9.5(a). Please note that you must include a copy of your original FOIA request and this denial letter when filing a Request for Review with the PAC. 2. All email & Google Chat messages sent between October 15, 2021 and November 15, 2021 to/from Holden Elementary School Principal Konstantinos Patsiopoulos (kpatsiopoulos@cps.edu) containing any of the following terms: "GSA", "G-SA", "Gay Straight Alliance". Please search all of his CPS email accounts as well as personal accounts used for public business. RESPONSE: The District continues to work on your request and asks for an additional 10 business days to respond. Be advised that responsive documents will be provided to you if they are ready before the new extension. If agreed, this request will be due on December 19, 2022.
Thank you for your request. Sincerely,
Ana Diaz Freedom of Information Act Officer Chicago Public Schools

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December 20, 2022 Miriam Bhimani Miriam.bhimani@gmail.com RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N011994-111722 Dear Miriam Bhimani: This letter is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking the following information:
1. A log of all emails to/from Derrick Little, most recently a specialist in the Office of Student Health and Wellness, from October 24, 2021 to November 4, 2021. Please search all of his CPS email accounts as well as personal accounts used for public business. The log should include but not be limited to: sender, recipient(s), date and time, and subject line. Narrowed request: As a reiteration, I am only asking for an email log and not the full emails. Nevertheless, I will narrow my request. For Mr. Little's emails, please narrow the dates to include October 29, 2021 through November 1, 2021. Please also remove duplicate email subject lines (Re and Fwd). RESPONSE : Documents responsive to your request are available to download via the CPS FOIA Center at www.cps.edu/FOIARequests . Please log in with your username and password to access the records. Under the rules of FOIA, private information and unique identifiers contained within public records are exempt from public disclosure; those portions have been redacted, including private email addresses. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7 (1)(b), “Private information, unless disclosure is required by another provision of this Act, a State or federal law or a court order,” and pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(c), “Personal information contained within public records, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless the disclosure is consented to in writing by the individual subjects of the information. “Unwarranted invasion of personal privacy” means the disclosure of information that is highly personal or objectionable to a reasonable person and in which the subject’s right to privacy outweighs the legitimate public interest in obtaining the information. The disclosure of information that bears on the public duties of public employees and officials shall not be considered an invasion of personal privacy. Additionally, records have been redacted pursuant to Section 7(1)(f) of the FOIA. Section 7(1)(f) states “Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except that a specific record or relevant portion of a record shall not be exempt when the record is publicly cited and identified by the head of the public body. The exemption provided in this paragraph (f) extends to all those records of officers and agencies of the General Assembly that pertain to the preparation of legislative authority.” [5 ILCS 140/7 (1)(f)]. You have a right to have the denial of your request reviewed by the Public Access Counselor (PAC) at the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. 5 ILCS 140/9.5(a). You can file your Request for Review with the PAC by writing to:
Public Access Counselor Office of the Attorney General 500 South 2nd Street Springfield, Illinois 62706 Fax: 217-782-1396 E-mail: publicaccess@atg.state.il.us You also have the right to seek judicial review of your denial by filing a lawsuit in the State circuit court. 5 ILCS 140/11. If you choose to file a Request for Review with the PAC, you must do so within 60 calendar days of the date of this denial letter. 5 ILCS 140/9.5(a). Please note that you must include a copy of your original FOIA request and this denial letter when filing a Request for Review with the PAC. Sincerely,
Ana Diaz FOIA Officer Chicago Public Schools