To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the New York Freedom of Information Law, I hereby request the following records:

-Catalog of Holdings for all School Libraries for the year ending 2012
-Catalog of Holdings for all School Libraries for the year ending 2019
-Catalog of Holdings for all School Libraries as of the date this request is fulfilled (2022)
-Copies of all Library material censorship and complaint records, including evaluations by staff, patrons' complaints and record of final decisions, from 1/1/2019 thru the date this request is fulfilled.

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,

Jackson Parker

To Whom It May Concern:

Please find enclosed a check for $1.00 to satisfy the fee associated with the attached public records request.

Thank you.

I am writing to appeal the decision made by the Shenendehowa Central School District in response to my Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request dated March 28, 2022. The request sought the following records:

1. Catalog of Holdings for all School Libraries for the year ending 2012
2. Catalog of Holdings for all School Libraries for the year ending 2019
3. Catalog of Holdings for all School Libraries as of the date this request is fulfilled (2022)
4. Copies of all Library material censorship and complaint records, including evaluations by staff, patrons' complaints and record of final decisions, from 1/1/2019 thru the date this request is fulfilled.

On April 6, 2022, the district responded by stating that the records pertaining to the Catalog of Holdings as of March 31, 2022, contain a total of 45,225 pages and that reproducing these records would cost $11,306.25. The district also stated that it has no records responsive to the other three requests.

On May 15, 2023, I sent a check for $1.00 to satisfy the fee associated with the request. However, on June 8, 2023, and June 9, 2023, the district returned the check, stating that it was less than the fees requested in the response on April 6, 2022, and that the office would not respond to further correspondence on the matter.

I am appealing this decision for the following reasons:

1. The district's claim that organizing the records into a format that can be shared electronically is tantamount to creating a new record is concerning. As per the information available on the district's website, all of the catalogs are electronic. Therefore, it should not require an extensive effort or cost to provide these records in their current form.

2. The district's decision to charge over $11,000 for only one item in the request and reject the others appears to be an attempt to make the expense prohibitive and intimidate requestors from seeking this information. This is contrary to the spirit of the Freedom of Information Law, which is intended to promote transparency and accountability.

3. The district's refusal to accept the $1.00 check and its decision not to respond to further correspondence on the matter is not in line with the principles of good faith and fair dealing.

I kindly request that the district reconsider its decision and provide the requested records in accordance with the Freedom of Information Law. I look forward to your prompt response to this appeal.