Holocaust Survey (North Colonie Central School District)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the New York Freedom of Information Law, I hereby request the following records:

By way of background, on August 10, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law Chapter 490 of the Laws of 2022 requiring a survey regarding instruction on the Holocaust within New York State public school districts. Through the survey, superintendents are required to attest that the district is teaching about the Holocaust appropriately as part of classroom instruction aligned with the NYS Social Studies Learning Standards and §801 of Education Law.

In October 2022, Deputy Commissioner Angelique Johnson-Dingle sent a memo to public school superintendents including a copy of that survey and instructions for accessing and submitting the survey via the SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System in the NYSED Business Portal.

Pursuant to the New York Freedom of Information Law, I hereby request all of the Holocaust Instruction Survey responses submitted since August 10, 2022.

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,

Jackson Parker

I am writing in response to your latest email received on May 17, 2023, where you indicated a further delay until June 16, 2023, in fulfilling my New York Freedom of Information Law request.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Law and Section 89(3)(a) thereof, agencies such as yours are obligated to grant or deny access to requested records within a reasonable period. However, the continuous extensions for this specific request, which has now extended over two months, appear to be unduly excessive and go against the spirit of the legislation.

To recap, my request pertains to the provision of all the Holocaust Instruction Survey responses submitted since August 10, 2022. It is disconcerting that this has led to such significant delays, and this pattern of delay suggests an unwillingness to comply with the law. As a concerned citizen and in the interest of public transparency, I am unable to accept these repeated postponements.

Please understand the gravity of this situation. The requested documents will be made available to the general public and this non-commercial request contributes to an open and transparent discourse about our educational systems' approach to teaching the Holocaust. This is not a matter to be taken lightly or delayed further.

As such, I urge the North Colonie Central School District to expedite the provision of the requested information without further delay. I trust that your team can manage this request as a matter of priority, in respect of the provisions set by the New York Freedom of Information Law.

If there are extenuating circumstances that have not been disclosed leading to these delays, please communicate these at your earliest convenience. My aim is to ensure due process, and I am willing to work with you to find a mutually agreeable resolution, as long as the urgency and importance of this request are respected.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation. I look forward to receiving the requested documents soon.