Public Records Requests

South Whidbey School District (SWSD) is committed to transparency and providing easy access to public records pursuant to the Washington Public Records Act (PRA) RCW 42.56. The Washington Public Records Act gives the public the right to access records created and maintained by public agencies in the course of their normal business.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are parent/guardian seeking information about your own child, please contact the building principal.

Publicly Available Records

Many SWSD records are available online at https://www.sw.wednet.edu/home. Enter a key word or phrase in the search engine in the top right corner to find what you are looking for.

How to file a Public Records Act Request

 South Whidbey School District has a new Public Records Portal  (NextRequest) that allows anyone to submit a request, correspond with SWSD staff, and track requests online. Please visit the portal  to search for available records or submit a new request.  

Information About PRA Request Submissions

The SWSD is subject to Washington laws relating to public records. All information contained in a PRA request, including a requester's information, is considered public record, and may be subject to public inspection.

Public Records

Pursuant to RCW 42.56, a public record is defined as “any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public's business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics.”

Public records requests may be used to obtain "agency records," which include a wide variety of documents and other materials (including print, photographic, and electronic formats) that were created or obtained by the agency and are, at the time the request is filed, in the agency's possession and control. The PRA excludes certain categories of records from disclosure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What contact information should I include on my request?

 Requesters are strongly encouraged to provide at least some contact information. Providing an email address will allow you to log into the portal to view your request and access records that are uploaded to your request. In addition, this will allow SWSD staff to send you notifications regarding the status of your request.

Who can see my contact information?

Requesters contact information is not published on the portal. However, all information sent and received by any SWSD employee is subject to the PRA; therefore, any communications and data exchanged or provided to the SWSD is a public record and may be released in response to a public records request.

How detailed should my request be?

• The SWSD strongly recommends including details that will facilitate a focused search:
• Describe the nature of the record being requested and/or provide the name or identification number of the records to the best of your knowledge.
•  Provide the time frame or date range you are interested in, for example: School Year 20-21 or from February 2020 to present.
•  When possible, identify the departments and/or SWSD employees that may be involved in the subject matter.
•  Avoid abbreviations.

How does the SWSD process Public Records Request?

The SWSD responds to requests for public records through its public records portal (NextRequest). SWSD will determine whether it has disclosable records within 5 days from receipt of a request. In some instances, depending on the complexity of the request, the SWSD may take a 14-day extension in which to conduct a search to determine whether responsive records exist.

If disclosable records exist, the SWSD will make every effort to provide responsive non-exempt records within a reasonable timeframe; however, response times will vary depending on the types and volume of records requested and the scope or timeframe of the request.

Are there any fees or charges for public records requests?

Records will be provided in accordance with the PRA.  No fee shall be charged for the inspection of or locating the public records. Please note that copying charges and postage may apply to digital, paper or physical media copies (CD/DVD). SWSD reserves the determination not to charge actual costs if doing so would be unduly burdensome. 

If you prefer to review the records, please note this on your request.

When may public records be inspected?

In general, electronic records identified as responsive to WaPRA requests are made available through the public records portal.

Any further physical inspection of records must be done via an appointment with the Public Records Coordinator.

Questions?

South Whidbey School District

Public Records Officer - Jo Moccia

Phone: 360-221-6808 Ext 2245

Email:kmacarro@sw.wednet.edu

Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Superintendent Jo Moccia serves as the Public Records Officer. Per the South Whidbey School District Policy 4040, Dr. Moccia has designated Kristina Macarro as the Public Records Coordinator for the district.