CPS: Email Logs, Office of Access and Enrollment Fall 2022

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: N011995-111722
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 Sarah Briggs, most recently the director of the Office of Access and Enrollment, from August 1, 2022 to current. Please search all of her 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.

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 MR137138 263 Huntington Ave
Boston MA 02115

Dear Miriam:

RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N011995-111722
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 N011995-111722 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 Sarah Briggs, most recently the director of the Office of Access and Enrollment, from August 1, 2022 to current. Please search all of her 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 7,637 e-mail messages. In order to comply with this request, each and every of the 7,637 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. If you have any questions, please contact our office at (773) 553-3500.
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 N011995-111722 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 Sarah Briggs, most recently the director of the Office of Access and Enrollment, from August 1, 2022 to current. Please search all of her 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: I am only seeking a log and not full emails. As such, the content of the emails do not need to be reviewed for the production of records. I will however narrow my request to include only emails from August 22, 2022 - August 31, 2022. RESPONSE : Documents responsive to your narrowed 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 personal 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, identifiable student information included within records are exempt from disclosure pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7.5(r) in accordance with Illinois Student Records Act (ISSRA). ISSRA prohibits the disclosure of “school student records” and defines a “school student record” as “any writing or other recorded information concerning a student and by which a student may be individually identified, maintained by a school or at its direction or by an employee of a school, regardless of how or where the information is stored. 105 ILCS 10/(d): Release of a minor’s record may only be authorized by the parent or guardian in accordance with the Illinois student Records Act (105 ILCS 10/1 et seq.). Pursuant to 20 U.S. Code § 1232g (b)(1) and (b)(2)(A): The parent or eligible student shall provide a signed and dated written consent before an educational agency or institution discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except as provided in §99.31. (b) The written consent must: (1) Specify the records that may be disclosed; (2) State the purpose of the disclosure; and (3) Identify the party or class of parties to whom the disclosure may be made. 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 Freedom of Information Act Officer Chicago Public Schools