OPRA Request for School Reopening and Air Quality/Systems Information
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.
I am requesting, under OPRA, copies of your school district’s records and reports on air systems and air quality, among other items listed below. This is in my capacity with the media and as a published author & historian. I have written for the Washington Post, Newsweek/Daily Beast, Haaretz, Tablet and other news outlets. I also have appeared on podcasts from Slate and Salon, on radio for WNYC, among others. I also have authored or co-authored three books. I am looking to gather information about how districts have prepared for and responded to the COVID pandemic as it relates to schools. I am considering a book or expose on the issue of school re-openings in NJ.For my OPRA request I would like to specifically request the following:
Records, documents, digital or paper, on the most recent air inspections or audits of the air for each and any building in your district, prior to March 15, 2020.
The records and documents, digital or paper, on your current air-systems and HVAC including:
*The last updates and upgrades to your HVAC systems in every school building in your district.
*The model and type of HVAC system used in every school building in your district.
*The model, type and CADR of every air purifier used in your building.
*The MERV rating on the filters you use in all of your current buildings.
*The MERV rating for your prefiltration.
*Annual expenses on heating and cooling for the district.
Records, digital or paper, of any consultations you have made with outside experts or firms, related to COVID19, health preparations, air systems, air quality, for your district or any of the buildings in your district. This should include any materials provided by said experts or firms to your district.
Records of any and all purchase orders that include the following: hand sanitizers, masks, gloves, disinfectant sprays, portable air purifiers, CO2 gauges, anemometers and/or hygrometers.
All communications you have, digital or written, between administrators, union (NJEA) officials, staff members, maintenance workers, parents or board members, on the issue of school reopenings in 2020.
Records of any complaints, over the past 15 years, related to air quality or ventilation, in any of your buildings. This would include but is not limited to complaints about humidity or excessive chilliness in any room; complaints about malfunctioning or inadequate HVAC/air conditioning systems or thermostats.
Records of any communications or discussions you have had relating to any the following outside government, scientific or professional groups and their guidelines related to safely reopening schools:
Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, the National Academy of Sciences, The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Association of Physical Plant, Administrators/Leadership in Educational Facilities (APPA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Federation of European Heating, National Institute of Building Sciences.
The above groups have argued that schools should have at least for one or more of the following interventions to safely reopen schools: MERV13 quality HVAC filters, true portable HEPA air purifiers in every room, and/or a consistent humidity in buildings and rooms between 40 to 60%.
The school district’s reopening plan as well as all records and communications surrounding the decision to reopen.
If, at any point before the official start of school, your district chooses to go to full, remote instruction-- with no in-building, in-person instruction-- for more than four weeks, please disregard this request.
Regards,
Stuart Wexler
Dear Mr. Wexler,
I am in receipt of your August 26, 2020 email (below) requesting copies of
our school district’s records and reports on air systems and air quality,
among other items listed below. Pursuant to the current pandemic rules
(See link:
[1]https://www.state.nj.us/grc/news/alerts/...
) , I, as Custodian of Records, will need additional time for myself and
district professionals to gather the requested documents and formulate
responses. Accordingly, the responses will not be available until
September 23, 2020. There will be a special services charge for my time
and that of our IT professionals, engineers and architects for an
estimated 30 hours. Total estimated cost is $4500.00. A 15% deposit of
$675.00 is due on September 4, 2020 to begin the process, with the balance
of $3,825 due on September 21, 2020. Please make checks payable to the
Ridgewood Board of Education. Once full payment is received, responses
will be sent to you by September 23, 2020. As a courtesy to you, I am
enclosing a copy of the district’s reopening plan. I also encourage you
to visit our website at
[2]https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/our_dist...
to read more about the re-opening plan, and communications surrounding the
decision to re-open. I also refer you to the NJ Department of Education
re-opening guidance: [3]https://nj.gov/education/reopening/ ; the CDC
guidelines for schools:
[4]https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nco...
; the NJ Department of Health guidelines for re-opening procedures:
[5]https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covi... ; and the NJ
indoor air quality standards:
[6]https://www.state.nj.us/health/workplace....
If your request for access to a government record has been denied or
unfilled within the seven (7) business days required by law, you have a
right to challenge the district’s decision to deny access. At your
option, you may either institute a proceeding in the Superior Court of New
Jersey or file a complaint with the GRC by completing the Denial of Access
Complaint Form. You may contact the GRC by toll-free telephone at
(866)-850-0511, by mail at P.O. Box 819, Trenton, New Jersey 08625, by
email at [7][email address] , or at their website at
[8]www.state.nj.us/grc . The Council can also answer other questions
about the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in Superior Court
should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.
Sincerely,
Antoinette Kelly,CPA
School Business Administrator
Board Secretary
Ridgewood Public Schools
49 Cottage Place
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Phone: 201-670-2700 Ext10503
[9]Email:[email address]
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: STUART WEXLER
<[10][OPRA #16250 email]>
Date: Wed, Aug 26, 2020 at 10:08 AM
Subject: OPRA request - OPRA Request for School Reopening and Air
Quality/Systems Information
To: OPRA requests at Ridgewood Public School District
<[11][email address]>
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.
I am requesting, under OPRA, copies of your school district’s records and
reports on air systems and air quality, among other items listed below.
This is in my capacity with the media and as a published author &
historian. I have written for the Washington Post, Newsweek/Daily Beast,
Haaretz, Tablet and other news outlets. I also have appeared on podcasts
from Slate and Salon, on radio for WNYC, among others. I also have
authored or co-authored three books. I am looking to gather information
about how districts have prepared for and responded to the COVID pandemic
as it relates to schools. I am considering a book or expose on the issue
of school re-openings in NJ.For my OPRA request I would like to
specifically request the following:
Records, documents, digital or paper, on the most recent air inspections
or audits of the air for each and any building in your district, prior to
March 15, 2020.
The records and documents, digital or paper, on your current air-systems
and HVAC including:
*The last updates and upgrades to your HVAC systems in every school
building in your district.
*The model and type of HVAC system used in every school building in your
district.
*The model, type and CADR of every air purifier used in your building.
*The MERV rating on the filters you use in all of your current buildings.
*The MERV rating for your prefiltration.
*Annual expenses on heating and cooling for the district.
Records, digital or paper, of any consultations you have made with outside
experts or firms, related to COVID19, health preparations, air systems,
air quality, for your district or any of the buildings in your district.
This should include any materials provided by said experts or firms to
your district.
Records of any and all purchase orders that include the following: hand
sanitizers, masks, gloves, disinfectant sprays, portable air purifiers,
CO2 gauges, anemometers and/or hygrometers.
All communications you have, digital or written, between administrators,
union (NJEA) officials, staff members, maintenance workers, parents or
board members, on the issue of school reopenings in 2020.
Records of any complaints, over the past 15 years, related to air quality
or ventilation, in any of your buildings. This would include but is not
limited to complaints about humidity or excessive chilliness in any room;
complaints about malfunctioning or inadequate HVAC/air conditioning
systems or thermostats.
Records of any communications or discussions you have had relating to any
the following outside government, scientific or professional groups and
their guidelines related to safely reopening schools:
Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, the National Academy of
Sciences, The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Association of Physical Plant,
Administrators/Leadership in Educational Facilities (APPA), the Center for
Disease Control (CDC), the Federation of European Heating, National
Institute of Building Sciences.
The above groups have argued that schools should have at least for one or
more of the following interventions to safely reopen schools: MERV13
quality HVAC filters, true portable HEPA air purifiers in every room,
and/or a consistent humidity in buildings and rooms between 40 to 60%.
The school district’s reopening plan as well as all records and
communications surrounding the decision to reopen.
If, at any point before the official start of school, your district
chooses to go to full, remote instruction-- with no in-building,
in-person instruction-- for more than four weeks, please disregard this
request.
Regards,
Stuart Wexler
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use deliver records electronically via email to the below UNIQUE
address for all replies to this request:
[12][OPRA #16250 email]
Is [13][email address] the wrong address for OPRA requests to
Ridgewood Public School District? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[14]https://opramachine.com/change_request/n...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[15]https://opramachine.com/help/officers
View this OPRA request & responses online:
[16]https://opramachine.com/request/opra_req...
Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.
If you find this service useful as an OPRA custodian, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's website.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MESSAGE (E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHMENTS) IS
INTENDED ONLY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL AND CONFIDENTIAL USE OF THE DESIGNATED
RECIPIENT(S).
If any reader of this message is not an intended recipient or any agent
responsible for delivering it to an intended recipient, you are hereby notified
that you have received this document in error, and that any review,
dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message is
prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us
immediately by reply e-mail message or by telephone and delete the original
message from your e-mail system and/or computer database. Thank you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTICE: The information contained in this email and any attachments from
Sciarrillo, Cornell, Merlino, McKeever & Osborne, LLC, may be confidential
and privileged and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. This email
is intended for the exclusive use of only the person or entity to whom it
is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient (or someone
responsible for delivering this e-mail message to the intended recipient),
please be aware that any use, distribution, printing or copying of this
email or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
email in error, please notify Sciarrillo, Cornell, Merlino, McKeever &
Osborne, LLC immediately by return email or telephone (908-481-5000). Any
U.S. federal tax advice contained in this document (including any
attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used by
the recipient and any other taxpayer, for the purpose of (i) avoiding
penalties under the Internal Revenue Code, or (ii) promoting, marketing or
recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed in this
communication.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MESSAGE (E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHMENTS) IS
INTENDED ONLY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL AND CONFIDENTIAL USE OF THE DESIGNATED
RECIPIENT(S).
If any reader of this message is not an intended recipient or any agent
responsible for delivering it to an intended recipient, you are hereby notified
that you have received this document in error, and that any review,
dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message is
prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us
immediately by reply e-mail message or by telephone and delete the original
message from your e-mail system and/or computer database. Thank you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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. https://www.state.nj.us/grc/news/alerts/...
2. https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/our_dist...
3. https://nj.gov/education/reopening/l
4. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nco...
5. https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covi...
6. https://www.state.nj.us/health/workplace...
7. mailto:[email address]
8. http://www.state.nj.us/grc
9. mailto:[email address]
10. mailto:[email address]
11. mailto:[email address]
12. mailto:[email address]
13. mailto:[email address]
14. https://opramachine.com/change_request/n...
15. https://opramachine.com/help/officers
16. https://opramachine.com/request/opra_req...
Good Morning Mr. Wexler:
I just wanted to follow up on my response to your OPRA request. I wanted
to confirm that you received it.
Sincerely,
Antoinette Kelly,CPA
School Business Administrator
Board Secretary
Ridgewood Public Schools
49 Cottage Place
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Phone: 201-670-2700 Ext10503
[1]Email:[email address]
On Wed, Aug 26, 2020 at 10:08 AM STUART WEXLER
<[2][OPRA #16250 email]> wrote:
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.
I am requesting, under OPRA, copies of your school district’s records
and reports on air systems and air quality, among other items listed
below. This is in my capacity with the media and as a published author &
historian. I have written for the Washington Post, Newsweek/Daily Beast,
Haaretz, Tablet and other news outlets. I also have appeared on podcasts
from Slate and Salon, on radio for WNYC, among others. I also have
authored or co-authored three books. I am looking to gather information
about how districts have prepared for and responded to the COVID
pandemic as it relates to schools. I am considering a book or expose on
the issue of school re-openings in NJ.For my OPRA request I would like
to specifically request the following:
Records, documents, digital or paper, on the most recent air inspections
or audits of the air for each and any building in your district, prior
to March 15, 2020.
The records and documents, digital or paper, on your current air-systems
and HVAC including:
*The last updates and upgrades to your HVAC systems in every school
building in your district.
*The model and type of HVAC system used in every school building in your
district.
*The model, type and CADR of every air purifier used in your building.
*The MERV rating on the filters you use in all of your current
buildings.
*The MERV rating for your prefiltration.
*Annual expenses on heating and cooling for the district.
Records, digital or paper, of any consultations you have made with
outside experts or firms, related to COVID19, health preparations, air
systems, air quality, for your district or any of the buildings in your
district. This should include any materials provided by said experts or
firms to your district.
Records of any and all purchase orders that include the following: hand
sanitizers, masks, gloves, disinfectant sprays, portable air purifiers,
CO2 gauges, anemometers and/or hygrometers.
All communications you have, digital or written, between administrators,
union (NJEA) officials, staff members, maintenance workers, parents or
board members, on the issue of school reopenings in 2020.
Records of any complaints, over the past 15 years, related to air
quality or ventilation, in any of your buildings. This would include but
is not limited to complaints about humidity or excessive chilliness in
any room; complaints about malfunctioning or inadequate HVAC/air
conditioning systems or thermostats.
Records of any communications or discussions you have had relating to
any the following outside government, scientific or professional groups
and their guidelines related to safely reopening schools:
Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, the National Academy of
Sciences, The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Association of Physical
Plant, Administrators/Leadership in Educational Facilities (APPA), the
Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Federation of European Heating,
National Institute of Building Sciences.
The above groups have argued that schools should have at least for one
or more of the following interventions to safely reopen schools: MERV13
quality HVAC filters, true portable HEPA air purifiers in every room,
and/or a consistent humidity in buildings and rooms between 40 to 60%.
The school district’s reopening plan as well as all records and
communications surrounding the decision to reopen.
If, at any point before the official start of school, your district
chooses to go to full, remote instruction-- with no in-building,
in-person instruction-- for more than four weeks, please disregard this
request.
Regards,
Stuart Wexler
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use deliver records electronically via email to the below UNIQUE
address for all replies to this request:
[3][OPRA #16250 email]
Is [4][email address] the wrong address for OPRA requests to
Ridgewood Public School District? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[5]https://opramachine.com/change_request/n...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published
on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[6]https://opramachine.com/help/officers
View this OPRA request & responses online:
[7]https://opramachine.com/request/opra_req...
Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses
will be delayed.
If you find this service useful as an OPRA custodian, please ask your
web manager to link to us from your organisation's website.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MESSAGE (E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHMENTS) IS
INTENDED ONLY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL AND CONFIDENTIAL USE OF THE DESIGNATED
RECIPIENT(S).
If any reader of this message is not an intended recipient or any agent
responsible for delivering it to an intended recipient, you are hereby notified
that you have received this document in error, and that any review,
dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message is
prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us
immediately by reply e-mail message or by telephone and delete the original
message from your e-mail system and/or computer database. Thank you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]
4. mailto:[email address]
5. https://opramachine.com/change_request/n...
6. https://opramachine.com/help/officers
7. https://opramachine.com/request/opra_req...