Emails - Records - Writing - Documents - Washington School Personnel Association and Snoqualmie Valley School District 2016-2020

To the staff member at MuckRock News (Dept. MR 87271) who sent us a request for records,

The Snoqualmie Valley School District acknowledges receipt of your records request which the district received by fax the afternoon of February 3, 2020. As such, our initial response is within the five working days allowed by law to respond.

As part of our school district's practice, we ask that you please fill out the attached form, sign and return it to my attention please. Please include your phone on this to help facilitate clarifying questions or updates on our progress, if needed. This can be returned by scan/email, fax or postal mail, whichever is convenient for you. This form will accompany the fax you sent originally.

Per your fax, you requested:
1) "an electronic copy of all email communication between any employee of the Snoqualmie Valley School District and any member of the Washington School Personnel Association for the years 2014-2020."
2) "an electronic copy of all emails in the possession of the Snoqualmie Valley School District to or from any user of the internet domain WSPA.NET for the years 2016-2020."
3) "an electronic copy of all RECORDS and WRITING, documents, agreements, meetings, papers, scheduling, etc. reference the Washington School Personnel Association for the years 2014-2020."

Given the extremely broad scope of your request, spanning many years, we will have to work on it in a phased approach over time.

Before we can provide a timing estimate for the entire request, however, we need additional clarification on #1 of the request. Specifically, please clarify this part of your request and provide additional parameters or guidance to help us focus our search efforts on specifically what you are seeking. As it's currently written, it is so broad that it has the potential to generate hundreds of thousands of email communications between our Human Resources staff (who may be members of the professional association WSPA) and all staff members who have ever emailed our HR team with a question or concern, spanning six years. The prospect of that process and the magnitude of emails it will likely generate, could take of years to complete - thus I want to be very clear on what you are asking for.

We will wait to proceed with any effort around part 1, until we receive this clarification from you. If we have not heard back from you by February 28, we will assume you are no longer interested and will discontinue that portion of the request.

In the meantime, we will begin working on records you outlined in #2 and #3 of your request.

In considering an estimate of time we'll need to complete this request, we must take into consideration that we are a fairly small district, with limited staff/resources available to work on filling requests. Please note too that our district works to fulfill requests in the order they are received, when possible, and there are some other requests in front of yours that we're working to complete over the next three months.
In addition to time needed to gather relevant records, we must factor time to carefully review every email from the search, manually make any redactions required by law, and log any redactions or omissions needed prior to disclosure.

Our estimate, therefore, is to provide materials related to request #3 (above) by March 24, 2020, and email communication related to request #2 above by April 22, 2020. If these times need to be adjusted earlier or later, I will be in touch.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me.

Please confirm that you have received this communication - and please complete the attached form.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Malcolm
Public Information Officer
Snoqualmie Valley School District
malcolmc@svsd410.org<mailto:malcolmc@svsd410.org>, ph 425-831-8423
SVSD Website: www.svsd410.org<http://www.svsd410.org>
Fax: 425-831-8040

Hello.

I do not have those names confirmed, but estimate it could be around 6-10 folks, between our current HR team and retired individuals over the years you mention, who have likely been members of WSPA. I understand that this is a professional association which provides HR training and professional development to help them stay up-to-date on laws and best practices related to public school employment.

· Again in an effort to clarify what you are seeking in item #1 --- Are you wanting communication between WSPA “employees” (those who work directly for that association) and our staff? If that is your intent of #1, those would be searchable parameters similar to #2. Please confirm.

· On item #3, please clarify if you are wanting training and conference materials from WSPA professional development sessions?

Certainly, if electronic copies exist that do not require redactions, we would send those records electronically per your request.

Please note too that for any records that are only available in hard copy (spiral-bound training manuals, for example), there may be a copy charge of $0.15 per page that applies. Copy charges may also apply for email communication that require redactions, as our practice is to print, carefully review each email, and manually redact information that is exempt from disclosure. If you want materials shipped, we would need payment in advance for copies and shipping charges. You also have the option to review materials in person, before choosing what you want copies of. As copies of records are compiled, I will notify you of the charges that apply.

FYI, I will be out of the office February 13-14 at a conference, and our District is closed next week February 17-21 for Mid-winter Break. If you have additional questions or it’s easier to discuss any of these points by phone, please provide your phone number, and I will get back to you the week of February 24.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Malcolm
Public Information Officer
Snoqualmie Valley School District
malcolmc@svsd410.org<mailto:malcolmc@svsd410.org>, 425-831-8423
SVSD Website: www.svsd410.org<http://www.svsd410.org>

To: The requestor at requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>

Hello. This message is in response to your public records request submitted on February 3.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, our school district closed on March 13 and has remained closed as mandated by the Governor’s “Stay Home” order, which has been extended repeatedly, into June. (As you may recall, the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 and related deaths in the U.S. were in Washington State, and our region has remained a high risk area.) As part of the Governor’s Proclamation 20-28, he waived some of timing requirements around the PRA and OPMA and it is my understanding those provisions continue to be extended as the stay home order continued into June. I appreciate your understanding and patience during these extraordinary circumstances that made searching for records and processing requests a challenge in an in-person setting.

As a one-person communications department, there have been many other demands requiring my attention while working from home: keeping all staff and families well-informed on Public Health about mandates, partnering remotely with other community agencies to help support needs of essential workers and our most vulnerable families, ongoing communication around transitioning to remote learning support, as well as the usual needs around concluding the school year and graduations, all of which culminated last week. (June 19 was our district’s last day of school.)

This week, as our county is moving into Phase 2 of reopening, select staff are allowed to work limited hours from our district office, while we stagger schedules to continue social distancing. With this transition, please know that completing your request will be a priority for me this week and next.

Below is a list of records we have identified (that exist electronically) pertaining to number 3 of your records request, in which you are seeking “"an electronic copy of all RECORDS and WRITING, documents, agreements, meetings, papers, scheduling, etc. reference the Washington School Personnel Association for the years 2014-2020." I will work to upload the following documents today – through the link you provided – since these records are available electronically, do not require any redactions prior to disclosure, and are too large to send via email.

The documents include:
1 - WSPA Region4 Substitutes Absenteeism
2 - WSPA W-9 2015
3 - Snoqualmie Valley Membership 2019 invoice
4 - S275 Reporting Manual – Sept. 2018
5- Family Paid Medical Leave presentation 11-22-19
6- May 31 19 WSPA Mtg on Paraeducator Certification
7- S275 Credits, Clock Hrs, Experience
8- S275 Clock Hours_ October 2018
9- Region 5 Save the date 2018-19
10- POG Notebook Revised June 2017
11- Brown public records 2019
12- Craig Legal compliance
13- Email for Doc Sharing 10-31-14
14- Instructions for WSPA Folder Project on Google Drive-1
15- Student Data Breach Foodforthought 1-17-14
16- HELP Activity Handbook 2013-14

In addition to the electronic records, we have identified other WSPA documents available in hard copy. Some of the documents are in spiral bound notebooks that will require copying page by page. Because this copying will incur a copy charge of $0.15 per page, I wanted to first ensure these are documents you want, and to provide a cost estimate based on the approximate number of pages.

Here’s a list of resources and an estimate of the number of pages of each:

A. S275 Manual 2018 – (approximately 350 pages)

B. S275 Manual 2019 – (approx. 350)

C. ADA Manual 2013 – (approx. 200)

D. Personnel Operations Guide 2017 – (approx. 1000)

E. S275 Presentation 2017 – (approx. 50)

F. S275 Presentation 2018 – (approx. 30)

G. WSPA Job Fair registrations, invoices, information 2013-2020 (approx. 100 pages)

If you’d like us to make a copy of some or all of these resources, please confirm which ones you want. If you want all, the cost estimate of approximately 2080 pages at $0.15 per page will be approximately $312 (plus postage) assuming you’d want it mailed to you. Please confirm how you’d like us to proceed.

If you want all or some copies of A-G documents, we will need payment in advance for the cost of the copies and shipping. Once the copying has been completed and the package weighed for postal cost, I will notify you of the exact amount. (Now that the “stay home” order has been lifted, we can make the copies on office equipment.) Once you confirm your interest in A-G described above, I’ll send you a time estimate too for completion, of this part of your request.

For the final portion of your request, Parts 1 & 2 in which you requested email searches, please note that our district is not equipped to complete the review/redaction process electronically. So if any redactions are needed this will require a manual process and copying. So far I haven’t found any that require redactions, so I’m hoping I can convert those into pdfs for you. If a copy charge is warranted, I’ll keep you posted on the amount. I estimate sending a batch of emails for your review by next Thursday, July 2.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding of the challenges caused by the pandemic.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Malcolm
Public Information Officer
Snoqualmie Valley School District
malcolmc@svsd410.org<mailto:malcolmc@svsd410.org>, 425-831-8423
SVSD Website: www.svsd410.org<http://www.svsd410.org>

Hello. This message is in response to your public records request submitted on February 3.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, our school district closed on March 13 and has remained closed as mandated by the Governor’s “Stay Home” order, which has been extended repeatedly, into June. (As you may recall, the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 and related deaths in the U.S. were in Washington State, and our region has remained a high risk area.) As part of the Governor’s Proclamation 20-28, he waived some of timing requirements around the PRA and OPMA and it is my understanding those provisions continue to be extended as the stay home order continued into June. I appreciate your understanding and patience during these extraordinary circumstances that made searching for records and processing requests a challenge in an in-person setting.

As a one-person communications department, there have been many other demands requiring my attention while working from home: keeping all staff and families well-informed on Public Health mandates, partnering remotely with other community agencies to help support needs of essential workers and our most vulnerable families, ongoing communication around transitioning to remote learning support, as well as the usual needs around concluding the school year and graduations, all of which culminated last week. (June 19 was our district’s last day of school.)

This week, as our county is allowed to move into Phase 2 of reopening, select staff are allowed to work limited hours from our office, while we stagger schedules to continue social distancing. With this transition, please know that completing your request has been a priority for me this week and next.

Below is a list of records we have identified (that exist electronically) pertaining to number 3 of your records request, in which you are seeking “"an electronic copy of all RECORDS and WRITING, documents, agreements, meetings, papers, scheduling, etc. reference the Washington School Personnel Association for the years 2014-2020." I will work to upload the following documents today – through the link you provided – since these records are available electronically, do not require any redactions prior to disclosure, and are too large to send via email.

The documents include:
1 - WSPA Region4 Substitutes Absenteeism
2 - WSPA W-9 2015
3 - Snoqualmie Valley Membership 2019 invoice
4 - S275 Reporting Manual – Sept. 2018
5- Family Paid Medical Leave presentation 11-22-19
6- May 31 19 WSPA Mtg on Paraeducator Certification
7- S275 Credits, Clock Hrs, Experience
8- S275 Clock Hours_ October 2018
9- Region 5 Save the date 2018-19
10- POG Notebook Revised June 2017
11- Brown public records 2019
12- Craig Legal compliance
13- Email for Doc Sharing 10-31-14
14- Instructions for WSPA Folder Project on Google Drive-1
15- Student Data Breach Foodforthought 1-17-14
16- HELP Activity Handbook 2013-14

In addition to the electronic records, we have identified other WSPA documents available in hard copy. Some of the documents are in spiral bound notebooks that will require copying page by page. Because this copying will incur a copy charge of $0.15 per page, I wanted to first ensure these are documents you want, and to provide a cost estimate based on the approximate number of pages.

Here’s a list of resources and an estimate of the number of pages of each:
A. S275 Manual 2018 – (approximately 350 pages)
B. S275 Manual 2019 – (approx. 350)
C. ADA Manual 2013 – (approx. 200)
D. Personnel Operations Guide 2017 – (approx. 1000)
E. S275 Presentation 2017 – (approx. 50)
F. S275 Presentation 2018 – (approx. 30)
G. WSPA Job Fair registrations, invoices, information 2013-2020 (approx. 100 pages)

If you’d like us to make a copy of some or all of these resources, please confirm which ones you want. If you want all, the cost estimate of approximately 2080 pages at $0.15 per page will be approximately $312 (plus postage) assuming you’d want it mailed to you. Please confirm how you’d like us to proceed.

If you want all or some copies of A-G documents, we will need payment in advance for the cost of the copies and shipping. Once the copying has been completed and the package weighed for postal cost, I will notify you of the exact amount. (Now that the “stay home” order has been lifted somewhat, we can make the copies on office equipment.) Once you confirm your interest in A-G described above, I’ll send you a time estimate too for completion, of this part of your request.

For the final portion of your request, Parts 1 & 2 in which you requested email searches, please note that our district is not equipped to complete the review/redaction process electronically. So if any redactions are needed this will require a manual process and copying. So far I haven’t found any that require redactions however, so I'll try to send the next batch electronically. If a copy charge is warranted, I’ll keep you posted on the amount. I estimate sending a batch of emails for your review by next Thursday, July 2.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding of the challenges caused by the pandemic.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Malcolm
Public Information Officer
Snoqualmie Valley School District
malcolmc@svsd410.org, 425-831-8423
SVSD Website: www.svsd410.org

Hello. Here are email records pertaining to your request. We will be providing email in batches. This is batch #1. No redactions were necessary in these records.

Carolyn Malcolm
Public Information Officer
Snoqualmie Valley School District

Hello muckrock requestor,

I apologize for the delay in response. Due to staff summer vacation schedules, it’s taken a while to connect with others needed regarding the status of this search. We will work to submit the next batch of email pertaining to your request by August 27.

In the meantime, since I had not gotten a response to my question about hard copy records, I was assuming you were no longer interested. Based on your recent inquiry, however, I am excerpting that information again for you to consider. If you want these copies, we will need payment in advance for the pages & postage we’ll need to manually produce a copy of the records for you. Here’s that information again for your consideration.

In addition to the electronic records, we have identified other WSPA documents available in hard copy. Some of the documents are in spiral bound notebooks that will require copying page by page. Because this copying will incur a copy charge of $0.15 per page, I wanted to first ensure these are documents you want, and to provide a cost estimate based on the approximate number of pages.

Here’s a list of resources and an estimate of the number of pages of each:
A. S275 Manual 2018 – (approximately 350 pages)
B. S275 Manual 2019 – (approx. 350)
C. ADA Manual 2013 – (approx. 200)
D. Personnel Operations Guide 2017 – (approx. 1000)
E. S275 Presentation 2017 – (approx. 50)
F. S275 Presentation 2018 – (approx. 30)
G. WSPA Job Fair registrations, invoices, information 2014-2020 (approx. 100 pages)

If you’d like us to make a copy of some or all of these resources, please confirm which ones you want. If you want all, the cost estimate of approximately 2080 pages at $0.15 per page will be approximately $312 (plus postage) assuming you’d want it mailed to you. Please confirm how you’d like us to proceed.

If you want all or some copies of A-G documents, we will need payment in advance for the cost of the copies and shipping. Once the copying has been completed and the package weighed for postal cost, I will notify you of the exact amount. (Now that the “stay home” order has been lifted somewhat, we can make the copies on office equipment.) Once you confirm your interest in A-G described above, I’ll send you a time estimate too for completion, of this part of your request.
If I do not receive confirmation that you want this information, along with your prepayment, I will assume you DO NOT want them. And, we’ll continue to review email related to your request for the next August batch.

Please note that I am on vacation starting today through July, with limited email access. If you have additional questions, I’ll be able to respond after August 2.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Malcolm (she/her)
Public Information Officer
Snoqualmie Valley School District
malcolmc@svsd410.org<mailto:malcolmc@svsd410.org>, 425-831-8423
SVSD Website: www.svsd410.org<http://www.svsd410.org/>

To whom it may concern, This completes your request for records submitting to the Snoqualmie Valley School District.

Yesterday, we uploaded the last batch of emails pertaining to your request. This completes your request.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Malcolm (she/her)
Public Information Officer
Snoqualmie Valley School District
malcolmc@svsd410.org<mailto:malcolmc@svsd410.org>, 425-831-8423
SVSD Website: www.svsd410.org<http://www.svsd410.org/>