Response to the 2017-2018 Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection

Dear Forest :

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: N008483-070220
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:

CPS responses to the LEA and school level surveys of the 2017-2017 Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection. These surveys are described here https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/data.html

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,

Forest Gregg

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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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Please log in to the FOIA Center to update any contact or password information and to track the progress of your request.

Your Login ID is:  requests@muckrock.com If you did not submit your request through the Records Center but are receiving this e-mail, an account has been created for you where you can track and monitor the status of your request, and receive any documents in response to your request. If you have never used this system or cannot remember your password you may request a temporary password here: Request Temporary Password. (https://mycusthelp.info/CPS/_rs/forgotpassword.aspx?)



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July 6, 2020 Forest Gregg MuckRock News DEPT MR 97643-411A Highland Ave. Somerville, MA 02144 RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N008483-070220 Dear Forest Gregg: 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 beyond the original due date 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 at least one of the following reason(s): (  )        (i) the requested records are stored in whole or in part at other locations than the office having   charge of the requested records; (  )        (iv) the requested records have not been located in the course of routine search and additional          efforts are being made to locate them; (x)        (v) the requested records require examination and evaluation by personnel having the necessary          competence and discretion to determine if they are exempt from disclosure or should be disclosed        only with appropriate deletions; (x)        (vi) the request for records cannot be complied with by the public body within 5 business days     without unduly burdening or interfering with the operations of the public body; or (x)        (vii) there is a 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. 5 ILCS 140/3(e). An initial response will be provided to you by July 17, 2020. Additionally, please be advised that disruption in normal operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may result in responses to FOIA requests being significantly delayed or impaired. Please visit cps.edu/coronavirus for updates. Thank you for your request. Sincerely, Ana Diaz Freedom of Information Act Officer Chicago Public Schools

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July 17, 2020 Forest Greg MuckRock News Dept. MR 97643 411A Highland Ave. Somerville, MA 02144 requests@muckrock.com (mailto:requests@muckrock.com) Re: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request No. N008483-070220 Dear Forest Greg: This letter is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking the following information:

CPS responses to the LEA and school level surveys of the 2017-2017 Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection. These surveys are described here https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/data.html RESPONSE: The District has reviewed your request and determined it to be unduly burdensome as written as it requires the review of data on 652 schools which contains hundreds of columns that include highly sensitive and private information such as race, sex, special education status etc... Reviewing such a volume of data to determine all instances where the data may inappropriately identify small groups of students in violation of federal and state privacy laws would take dozens of hours and create an undue burden upon the District. 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. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/3 (g), we are asking that you narrow your request to more manageable proportions. Failure to narrow your request will result in denial under 5 ILCS 140/3 (g). If you decide to narrow your request, be advised that responsive data containing private information and highly sensitive student information may be heavily redacted or completely withheld pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(c), 5 ILCS 140/7.5(r), and the Illinois School Student Records Act (ISSRA). Identifiable or de-identifiable student information included within records are exempt from disclosure. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7.5(r): Statutory exemptions. To the extent provided for by the statutes referenced below, the following shall be exempt from inspection and copying: (r): Information prohibited from being disclosed by the 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.). In case of 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 2 nd Street; Springfield, Illinois, 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 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