Public Records Request

Iowa’s public records law allows for any person to make a request to local and state government agencies. Most school district records are available to the public and many UCSD reports, data, policies and other information are available on the district website or school board management website . If you have a public request, you may wish to first use the search function on the district and school board management websites to see if the information you are looking for is available immediately online.

While many public records are available at no cost and in a short amount of time (including immediately for items posted on our websites), state law does allow public entities to charge for the actual costs associated with compiling records prior to the start of discovery. Please review Board Policy 1005 Public Examination of School District Records . To submit a request, please complete the Public Records Request Form below.

Public Records
The Board Secretary shall act as custodian of public records of the District and shall be responsible for implementing the requirements of the Iowa public records law. Such records shall be open for public examination, except that records required or authorized by law to be kept confidential shall not be made available for public examination. The Board Secretary may seek opinion of counsel whether a record is a public or confidential record prior to releasing the document.

Confidential Records
Pursuant to Iowa law, the Board of Directors has determined that the following types of records shall remain confidential and shall not be released to the public in order not to jeopardize the safety of District students, employees, and visitors and of District property: security procedures, security passwords and codes, emergency preparedness procedures, evacuation procedures, rescue procedures, procedures in the event of bomb or other catastrophic threats, and tests and evaluations of such procedures.

Examination of Records
Public records may be examined during hours determined by the board. These hours are 9:00 a.m. through 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except when the District Office is closed. Persons wishing to examine public records shall contact the Board Secretary and make arrangements for the viewing. The Board Secretary will make arrangements for viewing the records as soon as practicable; depending on the nature of the request. Such examination shall be done under the supervision of the Board Secretary or their designee. No person shall destroy, alter, disorganize, or damage any record or remove any record from the central administration office.

Persons may request copies of public records via telephone, e-mail, facsimile or in person. Persons wanting copies may be assessed a reasonable fee for the copies. The Board Secretary shall make arrangements to produce requested copies as soon as reasonably practicable, giving consideration to the number of documents that are requested, the ease of retrieval, and other necessary work to be accomplished.

Costs for Record Requests
Persons wanting compilation of information may be assessed a reasonable fee for the time of the employee to review and compile the requested information. The district will make every effort to provide the public record requested at no cost other than copying costs for a record which takes less than thirty minutes to produce. Costs for legal services utilized for the redaction or review of legally protected confidential information may also be assessed to the individual requesting the records. Printing of materials for the public at the expense of the school district will only occur when the event is sponsored by the school district.

Fulfillment of Record Request
Every effort will be made to fulfill a request in a timely and efficient manner. State law allows 10 to 20 days for a record request response to be completed.

Public Records Request Form
If you would like to submit a Public Records Request, please complete this fillable Public Records Request Form and return to UCSD Board Secretary Julie Mitchell via email mitchellj@urbandaleschools.com or in person at the UCSD District Administration Office 11152 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, IA 50322. (Note: Download the form prior to completing.)

Contact
Julie Mitchell
UCSD Board Secretary
mitchellj@urbandaleschools.com
(515) 457-5050

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