McHenry County Blog

Former Northwest Herald reporter Allison Smith tells of District 300's allowing Freedom of Information requests over the internet in the following press release:

D300 launches online program for Freedom of Information

CARPENTERSVILLE – Beginning today, School District 300 will offer Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) forms and documents *ONLINE* as a public courtesy.

The District has created a Webpage devoted to this new program. Simply go to www.d300.org and click on the “Freedom of Information Act” alphabetical link.

In the spirit of public access, District 300’s online program goes well above and beyond what the law requires. It helps make D300 a state leader in public access to information, with few if any other public bodies in Illinois now providing this service. It has accordingly received early praise from the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

The Webpage conveniently provides all of the following online and for no charge:

• Downloadable form for requesting documents, and easy instructions
• All D300 documents released in response to a FOIA request (within 2 business days of their completion), beginning with those requests received in September 2007
• Summary reports to the School Board of recent FOIA requests and their status
• A schedule of allowable copy fees for any requestor who would also like a hard copy (on paper or CD) of the District’s response in addition to the *FREE* electronic copy automatically available online
• A brief overview of citizens’ rights for filing or appealing a FOIA request
• Helpful guides from the Illinois Attorney General's Office regarding citizen rights under both FOIA and the Illinois Open Meetings Act

The new online FOIA program continues D300’s commitment to expanding its Website offerings to better engage its community and more fully use the technology available. During the past year, D300’s online additions have included:

• School Board meeting packets
• bills payable listings
• press releases
• staff presentations to the School Board
• and much more.

In tandem with the new online FOIA program, D300 will step up its efforts this year to proactively post more public documents online. The District will also work to make it easier for Website visitors to navigate the abundance of financial, curricular, and other D300 documentation already offered online.

Labels: District 300, FOI, Freedom of Information Act