What is the Freedom of Information Act?

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is an Illinois law that provides the public the right to access government documents and records subject to certain exceptions.  5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.

FOIA POSTINGS AND INFORMATION

• A brief description of the District and its mission – What We Believe
• Total amount of the District’s operating budget – Budget
• Number and location of all of its separate offices – The administrative offices of the District are located at 910 Woodlawn Ave., Ford Heights, IL 60411.
• Approximate number of full and part-time employees – Public Act 96-434
• Identification and membership of the Board of Education – Board of Education

FOIA Requests & Responses

Requests for information must be in writing and may be made by mail, personal delivery, fax, or email and should be directed to the Ford Heights School District 169 Freedom of Information Officer Ms. LaDonna Harris at 910 Woodlawn Ave., Ford Heights, IL 60411 or lharris@fordheights169.org or fax at (708)758-1372.  Once a FOIA request is received, the District is allowed 5 business days (21 days for commercial requests) to provide a response to the request unless an extension of time is requested.  There is not a specific form that is required to submit a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

If a request for documents is denied, the requestor may seek a review of that determination through the Public Access Counselor which is part of the Attorney General’s Office.

Fees

Information may be reviewed or a request for copies may be made. If copies are requested, the first 50 pages of black and white copies which are letter-sized or legal sized are free of charge. Any copies in excess of the first 50 pages are charged at $0.15 per page.  The charge for color copies or copies of documents which are not letter-sized or legal sized shall be based upon the actual cost of reproduction.

For voluminous requests for electronic records which are not in a portable document format (PDF), the District will charge $20 for not more than 2 megabytes of data, $40 for more than 2 but not more than 4 megabytes of data and $100 for more than 4 megabytes of data.  If there is a voluminous request for electronic records and those records are not in a portable document format, the District will charge $20 for up to 80 megabytes of data, $40 for more than 80 megabytes of data but less than 160 megabytes of data and $100 for more than 10 megabytes of data.

For commercial requests, the District will charge $10 per hour spent by personnel for searching for and retrieving a requested record or reviewing the record for necessary redactions.  This shall only apply after the first eight hours spent by the District in searching for or retrieving a requested record