Jan 8th Meeting Summary
Dear Ridgewood Public School District,
This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested:
Regarding the meeting on 1/8/24:
1. Provide the Bill List.
2. Provide any walk-in or impromptu agenda items, resolutions, or ordinances voted on at the meeting not listed on the website agenda by 1/6/2024.
3. Provide the count of applicants and interviewees for new appointments made by the board during the 1/8/24 meeting.
Thank you,
Anonymous
Dear Sir/Madam:
The Ridgewood Public Schools (“District”) is responding to your Open
Public Records Act (“OPRA”) and common law request (“Request”) submitted
on January 9, 2024. The seven business day deadline to respond to your
Request is January 19, 2024. As such, the District is timely responding to
your request in accordance with New Jersey law.
Your Request seeks the following:
Regarding the meeting on 1/8/24
1. Provide the Bill List.
1. Provide any walk-in or impromptu agenda items, resolutions, or ordinances voted on at the meeting not listed on the website agenda by 1/6/2024.
1. Provide the count of applicants and interviewees for new appointments made by the board during the 1/8/24 meeting.
With respect to item 1 of your Request, the District conducted a
good-faith search and identified the enclosed 17 pages of records as
responsive. Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1, account numbers have been
redacted. See Yoskin v. N.J. Dep’t of Environmental Protection, GRC
Complaint No. 2009-17 (2010) (holding that bank account and routing
numbers should be redacted because “its disclosure may lead to
improprieties or theft”); see also R. 1:38-7 (providing that an “active
financial account number” constitutes a confidential personal identifier).
There are no records responsive to item 2 of your Request.
Item 3 is invalid as it constitutes a request for information. Please note
that OPRA operates to make identifiable government records “readily
accessible for inspection, copying, or examination.” N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1;
MAG Entertainment, LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 375 N.J.
Super. 534, 546 (App. Div. 2005). In MAG, the court opined, “[w]hile OPRA
provides an alternative means of access to government documents not
otherwise exempted from its reach, it is not intended as a research tool .
. . to force government officials to identify and siphon useful
information.” Id. at 547. “Under OPRA, agencies are required to disclose
only ‘identifiable’ government records not otherwise exempt. Wholesale
requests for general information to be analyzed, collated and compiled by
the responding government entity are not encompassed therein.” Id. at
549; see also Bent v. Stafford Police Dep’t, 381 N.J. Super. 30, 37
(App. Div. 2005) (holding that OPRA only allows requests for records as
contrasted from information, and to qualify under OPRA a request must
reasonably identify a record and not generally data, information or
statistics).
Accordingly, your request for a count of applicants and interviewees is a
request for information, rather than a specifically identifiable
government record and is therefore outside the scope of OPRA.
Your Request is now deemed answered and closed.
Sincerely,
Julie Kot
Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Enclosures
--
Julie Yohana
Assistant to the Business Administrator and Manager of IT
Ridgewood Public Schools
201-670-2700 x10543
[1]ridgewood.k12.nj.us
[2][IMG][3][IMG][4][IMG][5][IMG] [6][IMG]
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Public record notice: You are advised that e-mail correspondence and
attachments between the public and the Ridgewood Board of Education are
obtainable by any person who files a request under the NJ Open Public
Records Act (OPRA) unless it is subject to a specific OPRA exception. You
should have no expectation that the content of e-mails sent to or from
school district e-mail addresses, or between the public and school
district officials and employees, will remain private.
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/
2. https://twitter.com/RwdPubSchools
3. https://www.facebook.com/RidgewoodPublic...
4. https://www.instagram.com/ridgewoodpubli...
5. https://www.threads.net/@ridgewoodpublic...
6. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...
Dear Ridgewood Public School District,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Open Public Records Act reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Ridgewood Public School District's handling of my OPRA request 'Jan 8th Meeting Summary'.
Regarding my third request, I am specifically seeking numerical counts. The Supreme Court decision validates this OPRA request, as the information I am inquiring about is electronically stored within the district's HR Management Systems, as outlined in the following link: https://www.pashmanstein.com/publication...
Should you choose not to adhere to the court's decision and furnish me with the requested counts, my modified request should be interpreted as a request for copies of all applications submitted for the respective job postings. It is important to note that these are documents rather than mere information, and I intend to ascertain the number of applicants directly from these documents. While I still prefer the less intrusive option of solely obtaining counts, I am prepared to proceed with the alternative request if necessary.
A full history of my OPRA request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://opramachine.com/request/jan_8th_...
Yours faithfully,
anonymous
Dear Sir/Madam:
The Ridgewood Public Schools (“District”) is responding to your
correspondence dated January 20, 2024 regarding the above-referenced OPRA
Request. Specifically, you have asked for the “count of applicants and
interviewees for new appointments made by the [B]oard during the 1/8/24
meeting.”
Please be advised that there are no records responsive to your request, as
the employee was selected from a list of individuals available to provide
services to the District on a temporary basis.
Your Request is now deemed answered and closed.
Very truly yours,
Julie Kot
Business Administrator/Board Secretary