CPS: Akerman, Ancel, Engler Bills, 2023 - Current

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: N015304-051924
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:

Since January 1, 2023 through current:

1) Copies of all invoices from the Akerman LLP;
2) Copies of records of payments by CPS/Chicago Board of Education to Akerman LLP. I want the actual bills as well as proof of payment by the district.
3) Any and all letters of engagement between CPS/Chicago Board of Education and Akerman LLP, including any modifications or changes.

4) Copies of all invoices from the Ancel Glick PC;
5) Copies of records of payments by CPS/Chicago Board of Education to Ancel Glick PC. I want the actual bills as well as proof of payment by the district.
6) Any and all letters of engagement between CPS/Chicago Board of Education and Ancel Glick PC, including any modifications or changes.

7) Copies of all invoices from the Engler Callaway Baasten & Sraga LLC;
8) Copies of records of payments by CPS/Chicago Board of Education to Engler Callaway Baasten & Sraga LLCC. I want the actual bills as well as proof of payment by the district.
9) Any and all letters of engagement between CPS/Chicago Board of Education and Engler Callaway Baasten & Sraga LLC, including any modifications or changes.

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=15304

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05/20/2024

Miriam Bhimani
MuckRock News, DEPT MR164007 263 Huntington Ave
Boston MA 02115

RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N015304-051924 Dear Miriam: Thank you again for using the Chicago Public Schools FOIA Center. Under the Freedom of Information Act, a public body may extend the time to respond to a FOIA request by up to 5 business days for a limited number of reasons. 5 ILCS 140/3(e). We are extending the time to respond to your request by 5 business days for one or more of the following reason(s): (  ) the requested records are stored in whole or in part at other locations than the office having charge of the requested records;
( )  the request requires the collection of a substantial number of specified records;
( ) the request is couched in categorical terms and requires an extensive search for the records responsive to it;
( ) the requested records have not been located in the course of routine search and additional efforts are being made to locate them;
(x) the requested records require examination and evaluation by personnel having the necessary competence and discretion to determine if they are exempt from disclosure under Section 7 of this Act or should be revealed only with appropriate deletions;
(x) the request for records cannot be complied with by the public body within the time limits prescribed by 5 ILCS 140/3 (c) without unduly burdening or interfering with the operations of the public body;
(x ) there is need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another public body or among two or more components of a public body having a substantial interest in the determination or in the subject matter of the request. Sincerely,
Ana Diaz Freedom of Information Act Officer Chicago Public Schools

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06/05/2024 Miriam Bhimani
Dear Miriam: RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N015304-051924 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:

Since January 1, 2023 through current:

1) Copies of all invoices from the Akerman LLP;
2) Copies of records of payments by CPS/Chicago Board of Education to Akerman LLP. I want the actual bills as well as proof of payment by the district.
3) Any and all letters of engagement between CPS/Chicago Board of Education and Akerman LLP, including any modifications or changes.

4) Copies of all invoices from the Ancel Glick PC;
5) Copies of records of payments by CPS/Chicago Board of Education to Ancel Glick PC. I want the actual bills as well as proof of payment by the district.
6) Any and all letters of engagement between CPS/Chicago Board of Education and Ancel Glick PC, including any modifications or changes.

7) Copies of all invoices from the Engler Callaway Baasten & Sraga LLC;
8) Copies of records of payments by CPS/Chicago Board of Education to Engler Callaway Baasten & Sraga LLCC. I want the actual bills as well as proof of payment by the district.
9) Any and all letters of engagement between CPS/Chicago Board of Education and Engler Callaway Baasten & Sraga LLC, including any modifications or changes.

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/ If agreed, we will respond by end of business day 6/20/24. Please note that the CPS FOIA Office is still gathering responsive documents and we are working diligently on fulfilling your request. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you, Ana Diaz Freedom of Information Act Officer Chicago Public Schools

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June 20, 2024 Miriam Bhimani
RE: Chicago Public Schools FOIA Request N015304-051924
Dear Miriam Bhimani: This letter is in reply to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking the following information:
Since January 1, 2023 through current:
1) Copies of all invoices from the Akerman LLP;
2) Copies of records of payments by CPS/Chicago Board of Education to Akerman LLP. I want the actual bills as well as proof of payment by the district.
3) Any and all letters of engagement between CPS/Chicago Board of Education and Akerman LLP, including any modifications or changes.
4) Copies of all invoices from the Ancel Glick PC;
5) Copies of records of payments by CPS/Chicago Board of Education to Ancel Glick PC. I want the actual bills as well as proof of payment by the district.
6) Any and all letters of engagement between CPS/Chicago Board of Education and Ancel Glick PC, including any modifications or changes.
7) Copies of all invoices from the Engler Callaway Baasten & Sraga LLC;
8) Copies of records of payments by CPS/Chicago Board of Education to Engler Callaway Baasten & Sraga LLCC. I want the actual bills as well as proof of payment by the district.
9) Any and all letters of engagement between CPS/Chicago Board of Education and Engler Callaway Baasten & Sraga LLC, including any modifications or changes. RESPONSE : Documents responsive to your FOIA request are available to download via the Chicago Public Schools FOIA Center. Please visit the following link and enter your username and password to access the records: http://cps.edu/About_CPS/Departments/Law/Pages/FOIARequest.aspx Under the rules of FOIA, private information and unique identifiers contained within public records are exempt from public disclosure 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. Be advised that private information and unique identifiers contained within public records are exempt from public disclosure; that data has been withheld, including Federal Tax Identification Number and other bank information. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7 (1)(g), “Trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person or business where the trade secrets or commercial or financial information are furnished under a claim that they are proprietary, privileged or confidential, and that disclosure of the trade secrets or commercial or financial information would cause competitive harm on the person or business, and only insofar as the claim directly applies to the records requested.” Additionally, records have been redacted pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7(m): Communications 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, and materials prepared or compiled with respect to internal audits of public bodies. Furthermore, 5 ILCS 140/7 (1)(f) exempts any “Preliminary 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.” Lastly, identifiable student information included within records are exempt from disclosure pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/7.5(r) in accordance with Illinois Student Records Act (ISSRA). ISSRA prohibits the disclosure of “school student records” and defines a “school student record” as “any writing or other recorded information concerning a student and by which a student may be individually identified, maintained by a school or at its direction or by an employee of a school, regardless of how or where the information is stored. 105 ILCS 10/(d): Release of a minor’s record may only be authorized by the parent or guardian in accordance with the Illinois Student Records Act (105 ILCS 10/1 et seq.). You have a right to have the denial of your request reviewed by the Public Access Counselor (PAC) at the Office of the Illinois Attorney General pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/9.5(a). You can file your request for Review with the PAC by writing to: Public access Counselor, Office of the Attorney General, 500 South 2 nd Street, Springfield, Illinois, 62706, FAX: 217-782-1396, E-mail: publicaccess@atg.state.il.us . You also have the right to seek judicial review of your denial by filing a lawsuit in the State circuit court pursuant to 5 ILCS 140/11. If you choose to file a Request for Review with the PAC, you must do so within 60 calendar days of the date of this denial letter. See 5 ILCS 140/9(a). Please note that you must include a copy of your original FOIA request and this denial letter when filing a Request for Review with the PAC. If you have any questions, please contact our office at (773) 553-3500. Thank you for your request. Sincerely, Ana Diaz Freedom of Information Act Officer Chicago Public Schools