There are outstanding FOIA requests that are older than some grade schoolers. Some appeals are just as aged. And babies born today may get their driver’s licenses before some people get their records from the the George W. Bush Library. FOIA can be slow and strange, but that might be all the more reason to introduce the youth, the future, to it now. For you educators, MuckRock’s made up some materials to assist you in starting a discussion about transparency in government.
Born of our FOIA 4 Kidz program - which brought students together with local data and local artists - this introductory lesson plan takes a page out of the PBS NewsHour template to help you localize a conversation about transparency and a foray into Freedom of Information laws for your students.
Take a look through the materials below. Then reach out at info@muckrock.com. We’d love to help you and your class learn more about public records.
Open Data, Public Records, and You - Talking about Transparency
How to File a FOIA: The Elements of a Request and What to Expect
Subject-Specific Supplement - Some Ideas
An Introduction to Using MuckRock
Image via Wikimedia Commons
