Naviance district documents

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Georgia Open Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

1) Copies of all voluntary and mandatory surveys, personality tests, assessments, and questionnaires offered to students through Naviance and/or PowerSchool. Please note: I am requesting blank/template copies, not records containing any student information. I will accept screenshots of each page of a survey, test, assessment, etc. if a single document is not available.

2) A data dictionary/library for all data fields within the district’s Naviance and/or PowerSchool system.

3) All user manuals, guidebooks, or instructions provided to the district by Naviance and/or PowerSchool regarding the use of its/their products.

4) All district policies and instructions for district employees regarding use of Naviance and/or PowerSchool products.

5) All contracts and data privacy agreements between the district and Naviance and/or PowerSchool. Please also include any other formal documentation from Naviance and/or PowerSchool regarding the third parties with which it/they share aggregate or personally identifiable student data. This should include colleges and universities, testing companies, and data clearinghouses/brokers.

6) Any notifications sent by Naviance, PowerSchool, or Hobsons to the district regarding Hobsons’ sale of Naviance to PowerSchool. This should include any documentation regarding the handling or transfer of the district’s student data as part of the sale.

If you have any questions about any aspect of this request or would like to discuss ways to streamline or adjust the request, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I ask that all fees be waived as I am a journalist and intend to use the requested records to publish articles in the public interest. In the event you choose to impose fees, I request a detailed breakdown of the fees, including the hourly wage of each employ involved and an explanation justifying the employee hours required to fulfill the request.

Should you choose to reject this request or redact portions of it, I ask that you provide a detailed breakdown of the statutory exemptions and associated case law underlying your decision to withhold each/any portion from public review.

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 3 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Todd Feathers

Hello Audrey,

Thank you very much for the quick response.

I'm not aware of any exemption under the Georgia public records law that applies to copyrighted material. For example, news articles—which are often copyrighted— shared by government employees via email are routinely released as part of requests for email exchanges. Could you please point me to the specific exemption?

Releasing the records responsive to sections 1, 2, and 3 of my request would not violate any copyright law as neither the district nor I are seeking to reproduce or sell the records.

Appreciate the help!
Todd