Open arms, open records: how a school district responds to requests for public information says much about trust and confidence

School Administrator, June, 2002 by Connie J. Blaney

Building strong alliances in the community is more important than ever for schools. Public entities, whether schools or government agencies, must maintain and nurture a reputation of cooperation and honesty.

Perhaps Paul McMasters, a First Amendment expert at the Freedom Forum, a media foundation in Arlington, Va., said it best: "Openness is what drives a democracy. If government officials don't trust the people with information, how can the people trust their governments? Maximum access to government information and meetings is the best way to make sure that the democratic compact between the people and its government works fairly for both sides."

RELATED ARTICLE: Resources

School officials can obtain information about their state open records act by contacting their state press association or state government.

For information about open records acts across the nation, contact the National Freedom of Information Coalition at www.nfoic.org.

Other sources of information on the subject include the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (www.rcfp.org), the Society of Professional Journalists (www.spj.org/foia), the American Library Association (www.ala.org) and the National School Public Relations Association (www.nspra.org).

Open Records to the Military

The recently enacted "No Child Left Behind" Act added a new wrinkle for school districts in dealing with open records.

Buried deep in the new federal legislation is a requirement that public schools give the military branches access to student directory information, even if the schools have a policy preventing the release of such information to colleges and universities, other postsecondary institutions and commercial interests.

Some school districts now are scrambling to comply.

In Everett, Wash., the school board's policy forbids the release of all student directory information. As the district's public information officer, Gay Campbell had fielded complaints from many parents who were unhappy that the release of student contact information allowed their children to receive unsolicited and unscreened information. This was why the board adopted a blanket policy that applied to all requests. Under state law in Washington, schools may not ask about the purpose of soliciting the student information.

According to Campbell, school districts may need to re-examine their policies relating to open student records in light of the new ESEA legislation.

The new federal requirement does not have sanctions attached, according to Mary Conk of AASA's public policy department.

Connie Blaney is director of public relations for the Norman Public Schools, 131 S. Flood Ave., Norman, OK 73069. E-mail: cblaney@norman.k12.ok.us. She is a past president of the National School Public Relations Association.