Mansfield University of Pennsylvania RTK

Dear Ms. Costo:

This email is to acknowledge I received your public records request sent to me overnight and viewed earlier this morning. I am bound by legislation to provide an acknowledgement of your request within five business days after receiving it, or in the instance of your request, no later than February 25, 2020. Pursuant to § 67.902 of the Right-to-Know legislation, I have the legislative right to invoke an extension up to 30 calendar days to complete your request, with this extension starting from February 25. I am invoking my right for this extension because the extent of your request precludes a response within the initial time frame. As such, Mansfield University will fulfill your public records request on or before March 26, 2020.

Sincerely,

John Cosgrove, Ph.D.
Director of Institutional Research
Right-to-Know Law Officer
State Authorizations Coordinator

Mansfield University
5 Swan Street
511 North Hall
Mansfield, PA 16933

570-662-4586
jcosgrov@mansfield.edu<mailto:jcosgrov@mansfield.edu>

Dear Ms. Costo:

Mansfield University would like to receive clarification on two aspects of your recent public records request.

First, you requested "The budget for mental health services for each year beginning in 2014 through the present." How are you defining budget? Do you mean salaries/benefits and operating budget? Or instead do you only mean operating budget?

Second, in your fourth item you indicated you want to know "the outcomes of those accommodation requests." By outcomes, are you asking us to let you know if the accommodations were approved/not approved? If not, please let us know what you mean by outcomes.

Thank you.

John Cosgrove, Ph.D.
Director of Institutional Research
Right-to-Know Law Officer
State Authorizations Coordinator

Mansfield University
5 Swan Street
511 North Hall
Mansfield, PA 16933

570-662-4586
jcosgrov@mansfield.edu

Dear Ms. Costo:

Thanks for the clarifications.

John Cosgrove, Ph.D.
Director of Institutional Research
Right-to-Know Law Officer
State Authorizations Coordinator

Mansfield University
5 Swan Street
511 North Hall
Mansfield, PA 16933

570-662-4586
jcosgrov@mansfield.edu

Dear Ms. Costo:

You submitted an information request for various mental health items under Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) on February 18, 2020. I was bound by legislation to acknowledge your request within five business days after receiving it, which I did on the day I received your request. In my acknowledgement I invoked my right for a 30 calendar days extension to complete your request, with this period starting on February 25, 2020. I was therefore bound to fill your request -- which I am now doing -- no later than March 26, 2020.

Your request consisted of five parts, which I'll now go over.

Any annual, quarterly or semesterly logs or reports that detail how often various school therapy services are provided to students. Please provide logs from the academic year beginning in 2014 through the present.

Ø Your request for this information has been granted and is found on the first worksheet in the attached Excel file.

Any reports, logs, or other data that tracks average wait times for students who have sought help for mental health issues. Please provide logs from the academic year beginning in 2014 through the present.

Ø Your request for this information has been denied because no logs or other data that tracks average wait times exists. Pursuant to Section 705 of the RTKL, the agency is not required to create a record that does not exist, or to compile, maintain, format or organize records in a manner in which it does not currently do so. Also, pursuant to the Office of Open Records' final decision in Jenkins vs. Pennsylvania Department of State, OOR Dkt. AP 2009-065, it should be noted that: "It is not a denial of access when an agency does not possess records and [there is no] legal obligation to obtain them (see, e.g. §67506 (d)(1))".

The budget for mental health services for each year beginning in 2014 through the present.

Ø Your request for this information has been granted and is found on the second worksheet in the attached Excel file (and via separate correspondence you indicated you are seeking information on operating budgets).

Any reports, logs, or other data that tracks the number of mental-health related accommodations requested each school year, as well as the outcomes of those accommodation requests. Please provide records beginning in 2014 through the present.

Ø Your request for this information has been granted and is found on the third worksheet in the attached Excel file.

Any and all policies related to mental health, including but not limited to policies governing leaves of absence (voluntary and involuntary) for students, as well as any logs or reports that note the voluntary and involuntary leaves of absences students have taken each year since 2014.

Ø Your request for this information has been denied because no such policies exist, nor are there any logs or reports that track voluntary or involuntary leaves of absence by students due to mental health issues. Pursuant to Section 705 of the RTKL, the agency is not required to create a record that does not exist, or to compile, maintain, format or organize records in a manner in which it does not currently do so. Also, pursuant to the Office of Open Records' final decision in Jenkins vs. Pennsylvania Department of State, OOR Dkt. AP 2009-065, it should be noted that: "It is not a denial of access when an agency does not possess records and [there is no] legal obligation to obtain them (see, e.g. §67506 (d)(1))".

You have a right to appeal the denials in writing to:

Office of Open Records
333 Market Street
16th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333

If you choose to file an appeal you must do so within 15 business days of the mailing date of the agency's response. Please note that a copy of your original Right-to-Know request and this denial letter must be included when filing an appeal. The law also requires that you state the reasons why the record is a public record and address the reasons the Agency denied your request. Visit the Office of Open records website at http://openrecords.pa.gov for further information on filing an appeal.

Please be advised this correspondence will serve to close this record with my office as permitted by law, though feel free to contact if you have any questions or concerns about the information I have provided.

Sincerely,

John Cosgrove, Ph.D.
Director of Institutional Research
Campus Right-to-Know Law Officer
State Authorizations Coordinator

Mansfield University
5 Swan Street
511 North Hall
Mansfield, PA 16933

570-662-4586
jcosgrov@mansfield.edu<mailto:jcosgrov@mansfield.edu>