A1100.00 Administration of Freedom of Information Act

Statement

Shawnee Community College will use the following procedures in an effort to provide information to the public under the requirements of the Illinois Compiled Statutes, Chapter 5, Section 140, et seq. (Freedom of Information Act)

Procedures for Requesting Public Records

Make an Online FOIA Request

1. Individuals seeking permission to inspect college records and/or obtain copies of records may do so by contacting the Office of the President of Shawnee Community College at 8364 Shawnee College Road, Administration Building, Ullin, Illinois, 62992, the designated Freedom of Information Act office of the College. The Administrative Assistant I to the President is the designated Freedom of Information Officer of the College. Requests will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. In order for request to be processed, the College requires that the request be received in writing and include, at a minimum, the information listed below:
   1. The name, address, and phone number of the requestor.
   2. A description of the information requested.
   3. An indication of whether the records are to be inspected at the College offices or mailed to therequestor and , if mailed, whether or not such copies are to be certified or handled in any other special way.
   4. The date of the request.
   5. Any request that complies with the Freedom of Information Act shall be processed by the College.
2. All requests to provide this information must be submitted in letter form to the Office of the President of the College and must be signed by the requestor.
3. Records that are requested and approved for release may be inspected at the College administration building, Office of the President, between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on designated holidays or other times when the College offices are officially closed.
4. Records which are stored and retrieved by electronic data processing means will be printed, as appropriate, and provided to the requestor. If information is requested on a disk or tape format, the requestor must furnish a disk or tape to the College.
5. All copies in writing shall be provided at no cost for the first fifty (50) pages of black and white print and fifteen (15) cents for each page thereafter. All data provided in any other format, including color print, will be provided to the requestor on the basis of cost and time and material to prepare the data. The cost will be determined on the basis of current costs of labor and material as determined by the College business office at the time of the request. Actual cost will be billed by the College for payment of expenses to provide requested information.

Procedures for College Response to Request for Public Records

1. The College will respond to a written request for public records within five (5) working days after the receipt of such request.
2. The College may give notice of an extension of time to respond which does not exceed an additional five (5) working days. Such an extension is allowable only if written notice is provided within the original five (5) working day time limit and only for the reasons provided in Section 3(d) of the FOIA. Such notice of extension shall state the reason the extension is necessary.
3. The college shall respond to a request for public records in one of three ways:
   1. approve the request
   2. approve in part and deny in part
   3. deny the request
4. Upon approval of a request for public records, the college may either provide the materials immediately, give notice that the materials shall be made available upon payment of reproduction costs or give notice of the time and place for inspection of records.
5. A denial of a request for public records shall be made in writing. It shall state the reasons for the denial in accordance with either Section 3(f) or Section 7 of the FOIA and the names and titles of individuals responsible for the decision. It shall also give notice of the requestor’s right to appeal to the President unless the initial denial has been made by the President, in which case that decision is final.
6. Categorical requests creating an undue burden upon the college shall be denied only after extending to the requestor an opportunity to confer in an attempt to reduce the request to manageable proportions in accordance with Section 3(f) of the FOIA.
7. Failure to respond to a written request within five (5) working days may be considered by the requestor a denial of the request.

Procedures for Appeal of Denial

All appeals regarding denial of a FOIA request shall be made directly to the Illinois Attorney General, Public Access Counselor, or the appropriate Circuit Court.

Revised: December 2009, August 2015, July 2016