Faith Based Czar Communication (ED)

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

All records of communication between your agency and the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships including but not limited to emails, letters or other communication to and from Joshua DuBois or any member of his staff.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, 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 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Jason Smathers
Filed via MuckRock.com
E-mail (Preferred): requests@muckrock.com
Daytime: (617) 299-1832
For mailed responses, please address:
MuckRock
185 Beacon St. #3
Somerville, MA 02143

August 26, 2013


Mr. Jason Smathers
MuckRock
PO Box 55819
Boston, MA 20005-5819
Email: requests@MuckRock.com

RE: FOIA Request No. 11-00590-F

Dear Mr. Jason Smathers:

This email is in regard to your FOIA request (11-00590-F) emailed to the U.S. Department of Education (Department) on January 2, 2013, and officially received by the Department’s FOIA Service Center on January 3, 2013. We attempted to reach you by telephone on July 29, 2013, August 6, 2013, and August 19, 2013, regarding your FOIA request. To date, we have not been able to reach you directly to discuss your request. However, the Department is very much interested in responding to your request prior to the expiration of this fiscal year. Below please find the factors that you may consider relevant to any discussion of your request:

1. You specifically requested “All records of communication between your agency and the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships including but not limited to emails, letters or other communication to and from Joshua DuBois or any member of his staff.”

Does the fact that Mr. DuBois is no longer employed at the White House in any way affect your request for “[a]ll records of communication[s] between your agency and the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships including but not limited to emails, letters or other communication[s] to and from Joshua DuBois or any member of his staff”?

2. In searching the Departmental files for records responsive to your request, we have determined that there are approximately 46,000 email messages that may be responsive.

In an effort to decrease substantially the time needed to complete our review of these communications and to greatly expedite your receipt of records that would be satisfactory for your needs, would you be willing to specify that you are interested in receiving the following rather than what is in your original broader request?

a. Only email messages from “Mr. DuBois or any member of his staff to the Department.

b. All emails from Mr. DuBois only to the Department.

Moreover, if there is some other way that we can substantially reduce the scope of your request, assuming you still desire this information, please contact me directly or you may contact the FOIA Service Center at (202) 401-8365 or via e-mail at EDFOIAManager@ed.gov to discuss your request.

Please be advised that any scope reduction you are willing to provide us at this time will only expedite our response back to you. We would appreciate receiving a response from you by Tuesday, September 3, 2013, to assess what amount of resources to devote to your request. Should we not hear from you by the said time (September 3rd), we will assume you do not wish to narrow the scope of your request. Should you decide not to narrow the scope of your original request; we simply don't have the resources to complete your request within the fiscal year or soon thereafter given the sheer volume of documents involved with your request.

While we deeply regret our delay in responding, we will wait to hear from you before we take further action on your request. Should you choose not to respond within 30 calendar days, we will conclude you no longer wish to pursue this request and your file will be closed.

Sincere regards,

Gregory A. Smith

Director, FOIA Service Center

Privacy, Information & Records Management Services

Office of Management

US Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 2E305

Washington, DC 20202

Phone (202) 453-6362

Email: Gregory.smith@ed.gov

Since Joshua DuBois is no longer at the white house, you may amend my request to include his predecessor, Melissa Rogers. You may limit the searches for DuBois and Rogers to the periods of time in which they directed the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. I am not interested in communication with DuBois after he left the White House.

You can further limit the volume of responsive records by eliminating duplicate records assuming many employees received the same email.

Please provide a telephone number and we will contact you tomorrow or another day this week at your convenience to further discuss your FOIA request.

Dear Mr. Smathers:

Thank you for taking the time today to speak with James Hyler and I about your request. This email serves to confirm our conversation earlier today, in which you narrowed the scope of your FOIA request (Request No. 11-00590-F) as follows:

· You are seeking only emails between the Department of Education and Joshua DuBois or any member of his staff between February 1, 2012 and February 1, 2013.

Please confirm whether this accurately reflects our conversation.

Sincerely,

Robert Wehausen
Management & Program Analyst
FOIA Appeals Coordinator
FOIA Service Center
U.S. Dept. of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4510
202.205.0733

I confirm.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thank you for your help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Jan. 2, 2011. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #11-00590-F.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

I am still interested in this request. Please do not close it without processing it as it was submitted.

Thank you.

Regards,
Jason Smathers

Hi Bobby,

Thanks for your email. The link to directly upload the documents will be at the bottom of this email chain. If you have any issues feel free to call me at 1-650-656-3417 .

Thanks!

Hi Bobby,

Sorry about the technical issue. Changed some settings and the link at the very bottom of this email should work. Resending in the other thread as well.

- Michael

Hi,

Fresh upload link.

Hi Robert,

Thanks for reaching out regarding an update about this request. There should be a link at the bottom of this email that will let you directly upload large files; if you have any issues with it please let me know and happy to resolve.

Thanks,
Michael