Board Chair Emails in March, 2024

Dear Miriam:

Thank you for your interest in Chicago Public Schools. Your FOIA request has been submitted. Your FOIA Center reference number for tracking purposes is: N015096-040124
You have requested the following records: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:

A log of all emails to/from the CPS Board Chair, from March 01, 2024 to March 31, 2024.

1. Please search all CPS email accounts as well as personal accounts used for public business. The log should include but not be limited to: sender, recipient(s), date and time, subject line, and attachment.

Because this request is in the public interest for Illinois nonprofit The FOIA Bakery’s work to advocate for public education, please waive any fees in accordance with 5 ILCS § 140/6(c). Feel free to contact me with any questions, or if clarification is needed.

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,

Miriam Bhimani

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) responds to all public records requests in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.
Due to the volume and complexity of requests received in the normal course of business, CPS is extending the time for its initial response to your request by an additional 5 business days (to 10 business days total beginning on the first business day following receipt of the request) pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/3(e)(v) which allows for the examination and evaluation of the requested records by personnel to determine if they are exempt from disclosure under Section 7 of Illinois FOIA or should be revealed only with appropriate deletions.
Upon the completion of a response, CPS will provide the first 50 pages to you at no charge.  If a response is more than 50 pages, a fee of 15¢ per page will be charged for each additional page. Copies of video recordings have a fee of $48. All applicable fees must be paid prior to the copying. CPS will inform you of any fees due if your paper response exceeds 50 pages. You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below and you’ll receive an email when your request has been completed. Thank you for using the CPS FOIA Center.

Track the issue status and respond at: https://cps.mycusthelp.com/WEBAPP//_rs/RequestEdit.aspx?rid=15096

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04/15/2024 Miriam Bhimani
Dear Miriam: RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N015096-040124 Thank you again for using the Chicago Public Schools FOIA Center. We are writing regarding your Freedom of Information Act Request for the following records: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:

A log of all emails to/from the CPS Board Chair, from March 01, 2024 to March 31, 2024.

1. Please search all CPS email accounts as well as personal accounts used for public business. The log should include but not be limited to: sender, recipient(s), date and time, subject line, and attachment.

Because this request is in the public interest for Illinois nonprofit The FOIA Bakery’s work to advocate for public education, please waive any fees in accordance with 5 ILCS § 140/6(c). Feel free to contact me with any questions, or if clarification is needed.

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,

Miriam Bhimani

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/ The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) FOIA Office is seeking ten additional business days to respond to this request. If agreed, we will respond by end of business day Monday, April 29, 2024. Please note that the CPS FOIA Office is still reviewing responsive documents and we are working diligently on fulfilling your request. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you, Annie Righi Freedom of Information Act Officer Chicago Public Schools

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April 30, 2024 Miriam Bhimani requests@muckrock.com
RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N015096-040124
Dear Ms. Bhimani: This letter is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking the following information: A log of all emails to/from the CPS Board Chair, from March 01, 2024 to March 31, 2024.

1. Please search all CPS email accounts as well as personal accounts used for public business. The log should include but not be limited to: sender, recipient(s), date and time, subject line, and attachment. RESPONSE : Documents responsive to your request are available to download via the CPS FOIA Center at www.cps.edu/FOIARequests . Please log in with your username and password to access the records. Under the rules of FOIA, private information and unique identifiers contained within public records are exempt from public disclosure; those portions have been redacted including personal email addresses and other highly personal information. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7 (1)(b), “Private information, unless disclosure is required by another provision of this Act, a State or federal law or a court order,” and pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(c), “Personal information contained within public records, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, unless the disclosure is consented to in writing by the individual subjects of the information. “Unwarranted invasion of personal privacy” means the disclosure of information that is highly personal or objectionable to a reasonable person and in which the subject’s right to privacy outweighs the legitimate public interest in obtaining the information. The disclosure of information that bears on the public duties of public employees and officials shall not be considered an invasion of personal privacy. Further, redactions were applied to mask communications between a parent and their child’s school district pursuant to section 7(1)(c). Parents have a personal privacy interest under 5 ILCS 140/7(1)(c) in their identifying information when they contact their child’s school to express opinions. (See Ill. Att' y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 38873, issued June 30, 2016, at 4-5 and Ill. Att' y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 56488). Personally identifiable student record information has been redacted in accordance with the Illinois School Student Records Act 105 ILCS 10/1 et seq. and the corresponding Section 7.5(r) FOIA exemption (5 ILCS 140/7.5(r)). Redactions have been made pursuant to section 7(1)(f) which exempts from release “[p]reliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except that a specific record or relevant portion of a record shall not be exempt when the record is publicly cited and identified by the head of the public body. The exemption provided in this paragraph (f) extends to all those records of officers and agencies of the General Assembly that pertain to the preparation of legislative authority.” 5 ILCS 140/7 (1)(f). Furthermore, this exemption is “intended to protect the communications process and encourage frank and open discussion among agency employees before a decision is made." State Journal-Register v. Univ. of Ill. Springfield, 994 N.E.2d 705, 713 (2013). Further, records have been redacted in accordance with section 7(1)(m) of the FOIA to remove information constituting privileged attorney-client work product. Section 7(1)(m) of the FOIA exempts from release “[c]ommunications between a public body and an attorney or auditor representing the public body that would not be subject to discovery in litigation, and materials prepared or compiled by or for a public body in anticipation of a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding upon the request of an attorney advising the public body.” 5 ILCS 140/7 (1)(m). To the extent you consider this a denial, pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/9.5(a) you may file a Request for Review with the Public Access Counselor (PAC) at: Public Access Counselor; Office of the Attorney General; 500 South 2nd Street; Springfield, IL 62706.  You also have the right to seek judicial review of your denial by filing a lawsuit in the State circuit court; 5 ILCS 140/11. If you have any questions, please contact our office at (773) 553-3500. Thank you for your request. Sincerely, Annie Righi Freedom of Information Act Officer Chicago Public Schools