Title 34—Education--Volume 1
PART 5b—PRIVACY ACT REGULATIONS
§ 5b.1   Definitions.
As used in this part:
(a) Access means availability of a record to a subject individual.
(b) Agency means the Department of Education.
(c) Department means the Department of Education.
(d) Disclosure means the availability or release of a record to anyone other than the subject individual.
(e) Individual means a living person who is a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. It does not include persons such as sole proprietorships, partnerships, or corporations. A business firm which is identified by the name of one or more persons is not an individual within the meaning of this part.
(f) Maintain means to maintain, collect, use, or disseminate when used in connection with the term “record”; and, to have control over or responsibility for a system of records when used in connection with the term “system of records.”
(g) Notification means communication to an individual whether he is a subject individual.
(h) Record means any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by the Department, including but not limited to the individual's education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and that contains his name, or an identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a finger or voice print or a photograph. When used in this part, record means only a record which is in a system of records.
(i) Responsible Department official means that officer who is listed in a notice of a system of records as the system manager for a given system of records or another individual listed in the notice of a system of records to whom requests may be made, or the designee of either such officer or individual.
(j) Routine use means the disclosure of a record outside the Department, without the consent of the subject individual, for a purpose which is compatible with the purpose for which the record was collected. It includes disclosures required to be made by statute other than the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. It does not include disclosures which are permitted to be made without the consent of the subject individual which are not compatible with the purpose for which it was collected such as disclosures to the Bureau of the Census, the General Accounting Office, or to Congress.
(k) Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
(l) Statistical record means a record maintained for statistical research or reporting purposes only and not maintained to make determinations about a particular subject individual.
(m) Subject individual means that individual to whom a record pertains.
(n) System of records means any group of records under the control of the Department from which a record is retrieved by personal identifier such as the name of the individual, number, symbol or other unique retriever assigned to the individual. Single records or groups of records which are not retrieved by a personal identifier are not part of a system of records. Papers maintained by individual employees of the Department which are prepared, maintained, or discarded at the discretion of the employee and which are not subject to the Federal Records Act, 44 U.S.C. 2901, are not part of a system of records; Provided, That such personal papers are not used by the employee or the Department to determine any rights, benefits, or privileges of individuals.
§ 5b.2   Purpose and scope.
(a) This part implements section 3 of the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a (hereinafter referred to as the Act), by establishing agency policies and procedures for the maintenance of records. This part also establishes agency policies and procedures under which a subject individual may be given notification of or access to a record pertaining to him and policies and procedures under which a subject individual may have his record corrected or amended if he believes that his record is not accurate, timely, complete, or relevant or necessary to accomplish a Department function.
(b) All components of the Department are governed by the provisions of this part. Also governed by the provisions of this part are advisory committees and councils within the meaning of the Federal Advisory Committee Act which provide advice to (1) any official or component of the Department or (2) the President and for which the Department has been delegated responsibility for providing services.
(c) Employees of the Department governed by this part include all regular and special government employees of the Department; experts and consultants whose temporary (not in excess of 1 year) or intermittent services have been procured by the Department by contract pursuant to 3109 of title 5, United States Code; volunteers where acceptance of their services are authorized by law; those individuals performing gratuitous services as permitted under conditions prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management; and, participants in work-study or training programs.
(d) This part does not:
(1) Make available to a subject individual records which are not retrieved by that individual's name or other personal identifier.
(2) Make available to the general public records which are retrieved by a subject individual's name or other personal identifier or make available to the general public records which would otherwise not be available to the general public under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and part 5 of this title.
(3) Govern the maintenance or disclosure of, notification of or access to, records in the possession of the Department which are subject to regulations of another agency, such as personnel records subject to the regulations of the Office of Personnel Management.
(4) Apply to grantees, including State and local governments or subdivisions thereof, administering federally funded programs.
(5) Make available records compiled by the Department in reasonable anticipation of court litigation or formal administrative proceedings. The availability of such records to the general public or to any subject individual or party to such litigation or proceedings shall be governed by applicable constitutional principles, rules of discovery, and applicable regulations of the Department.
§ 5b.3   Policy.
It is the policy of the Department to protect the privacy of individuals to the fullest extent possible while nonetheless permitting the exchange of records required to fulfill the administrative and program responsibilities of the Department, and responsibilities of the Department for disclosing records which the general public is entitled to have under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and part 5 of this title.
§ 5b.4   Maintenance of records.
(a) No record will be maintained by the Department unless:
(1) It is relevant and necessary to accomplish a Department function required to be accomplished by statute or Executive Order;
(2) It is acquired to the greatest extent practicable from the subject individual when maintenance of the record may result in a determination about the subject individual's rights, benefits or privileges under Federal programs;
(3) The individual providing the record is informed of the authority for providing the record (including whether the providing of the record is mandatory or voluntary, the principal purpose for maintaining the record, the routine uses for the record, what effect his refusal to provide the record may have on him), and if the record is not required by statute or Executive Order to be provided by the individual, he agrees to provide the record.
(b) No record will be maintained by the Department which describes how an individual exercises rights guaranteed by the First Amendment unless expressly authorized (1) by statute, or (2) by the subject individual, or (3) unless pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity.
§ 5b.5   Notification of or access to records.
(a) Times, places, and manner of requesting notification of or access to a record. (1) Any individual may request notification of a record. He may at the same time request access to any record pertaining to him. An individual may be accompanied by another individual of his choice when he requests access to a record in person; Provided, That he affirmatively authorizes the presence of such other individual during any discussion of a record to which access is requested.
(2) An individual making a request for notification of or access to a record shall address his request to the responsible Department official and shall verify his identity when required in accordance with paragraph (b)(2) of this section. At the time the request is made, the individual shall specify which systems of records he wishes to have searched and the records to which he wishes to have access. He may also request that copies be made of all or any such records. An individual shall also provide the responsible Department official with sufficient particulars to enable such official to distinguish between records on subject individuals with the same name. The necessary particulars are set forth in the notices of systems of records.
(3) An individual who makes a request in person may leave with any responsible Department official a request for notification of or access to a record under the control of another responsible Department official; Provided, That the request is addressed in writing to the appropriate responsible Department official.
(b) Verification of identity —(1) When required. Unless an individual, who is making a request for notification of or access to a record in person, is personally known to the responsible Department official, he shall be required to verify his identity in accordance with paragraph (b)(2) of this section if:
(i) He makes a request for notification of a record and the responsible Department official determines that the mere disclosure of the existence of the record would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy if disclosed to someone other than the subject individual; or,
(ii) He makes a request for access to a record which is not required to be disclosed to the general public under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and part 5 of this title.
(2) Manner of verifying identity. (i) An individual who makes a request in person shall provide to the responsible Department official at least one piece of tangible identification such as a driver's license, passport, alien or voter registration card, or union card to verify his identity. If an individual does not have identification papers to verify his identity, he shall certify in writing that he is the individual who he claims to be and that he understands that the knowing and willful request for or acquisition of a record pertaining to an individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense under the Act subject to a $5,000 fine.
(ii) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2)(v) of this section, an individual who does not make a request in person shall submit a notarized request to the responsible Department official to verify his identity or shall certify in his request that he is the individual who he claims to be and that he understands that the knowing and willful request for or acquisition of a record pertaining to an individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense under the Act subject to a $5,000 fine.
(iii) An individual who makes a request on behalf of a minor or legal incompetent as authorized under § 5b.10 of this part shall verify his relationship to the minor or legal incompetent, in addition to verifying his own identity, by providing a copy of the minor's birth certificate, a court order, or other competent evidence of guardianship to the responsible Department official; except that, an individual is not required to verify his relationship to the minor or legal incompetent when he is not required to verify his own identity or when evidence of his relationship to the minor or legal incompetent has been previously given to the responsible Department official.
(iv) An individual shall further verify his identity if he is requesting notification of or access to sensitive records. Any further verification shall parallel the record to which notification or access is being sought. Such further verification may include such particulars as the individual's years of attendance at a particular educational institution, rank attained in the uniformed services, date or place of birth, names of parents, or an occupation.
(v) An individual who makes a request by telephone shall verify his identity by providing to the responsible Department official identifying particulars which parallel the record to which notification or access is being sought. If the responsible Department official determines that the particulars provided by telephone are insufficient, the requester will be required to submit the request in writing or in person. Telephone requests will not be accepted where an individual is requesting notification of or access to sensitive records.
(c) Granting notification of or access to a record. (1) Subject to the provisions governing exempt systems in § 5b.11 of this part, a responsible Department official, who receives a request for notification of or access to a record and, if required, verification of an individual's identity, will review the request and grant notification or access to a record, if the individual requesting access to the record is the subject individual.
(2) If the responsible Department official determines that there will be a delay in responding to a request because of the number of requests being processed, a breakdown of equipment, shortage of personnel, storage of records in other locations, etc., he will so inform the individual and indicate when notification or access will be granted.
(3) Prior to granting notification of or access to a record, the responsible Department official may at his discretion require an individual making a request in person to reduce his request to writing if the individual has not already done so at the time the request is made.
§ 5b.7   Procedures for correction or amendment of records.
(a) Any subject individual may request that his record be corrected or amended if he believes that the record is not accurate, timely, complete, or relevant or necessary to accomplish a Department function. A subject individual making a request to amend or correct his record shall address his request to the responsible Department official in writing; except that, the request need not be in writing if the subject individual makes his request in person and the responsible Department official corrects or amends the record at that time. The subject individual shall specify in each request:
(1) The system of records from which the record is retrieved;
(2) The particular record which he is seeking to correct or amend;
(3) Whether he is seeking an addition to or a deletion or substitution of the record; and,
(4) His reasons for requesting correction or amendment of the record.
(b) A request for correction or amendment of a record will be acknowledged within 10 working days of its receipt unless the request can be processed and the subject individual informed of the responsible Department official's decision on the request within that 10 day period.
(c) If the responsible Department official agrees that the record is not accurate, timely, or complete based on a preponderance of the evidence, the record will be corrected or amended. The record will be deleted without regard to its accuracy, if the record is not relevant or necessary to accomplish the Department function for which the record was provided or is maintained. In either case, the subject individual will be informed in writing of the correction, amendment, or deletion and, if accounting was made of prior disclosures of the record, all previous recipients of the record will be informed of the corrective action taken.
(d) If the responsible Department official does not agree that the record should be corrected or amended, the subject individual will be informed in writing of the refusal to correct or amend the record. He will also be informed that he may appeal the refusal to correct or amend his record § 5b.8 of this part.
(e) Requests to correct or amend a record governed by the regulation of another government agency, e.g., Office of Personnel Management, Federal Bureau of Investigation, will be forwarded to such government agency for processing and the subject individual will be informed in writing of the referral.
§ 5b.8   Appeals of refusals to correct or amend records.
(a) Processing the appeal. (1) A subject individual who disagrees with a refusal to correct or amend his record may appeal the refusal in writing. All appeals shall be made to the Secretary.
(2) An appeal will be completed within 30 working days from its receipt by the appeal authority; except that, the appeal authority may for good cause extend this period for an additional 30 days. Should the appeal period be extended, the subject individual appealing the refusal to correct or amend the record will be informed in writing of the extension and the circumstances of the delay. The subject individual's request to amend or correct the record, the responsible Department official's refusal to correct or amend, and any other pertinent material relating to the appeal will be reviewed. No hearing will be held.
(3) If the appeal authority agrees that the record subject to the appeal should be corrected or amended, the record will be amended and the subject individual will be informed in writing of the correction or amendment. Where an accounting was made of prior disclosures of the record, all previous recipients of the record will be informed of the corrective action taken.
(4) If the appeal is denied, the subject individual will be informed in writing:
(i) Of the denial and the reasons for the denial;
(ii) That he has a right to seek judicial review of the denial; and,
(iii) That he may submit to the responsible Department official a concise statement of disagreement to be associated with the disputed record and disclosed whenever the record is disclosed.
(b) Notation and disclosure of disputed records. Whenever a subject individual submits a statement of disagreement to the responsible Department official in accordance with paragraph (a)(4)(iii) of this section, the record will be noted to indicate that it is disputed. In any subsequent disclosure, a copy of the subject individual's statement of disagreement, will be disclosed with the record. If the responsible Department official deems it appropriate, a concise statement of the appeal authority's reasons for denying the subject individual's appeal may also be disclosed with the record. While the subject individual will have access to this statement of reasons, such statement will not be subject to correction or amendment. Where an accounting was made of prior disclosures of the record, all previous recipients of the record will be provided a copy of the subject individual's statement of disagreement, as well as the statement, if any, of the appeal authority's reasons for denying the subject individual's appeal.
§ 5b.9   Disclosure of records.
(a) Consent to disclosure by a subject individual. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section authorizing disclosures of records without consent, no disclosure of a record will be made without the consent of the subject individual. In each case the consent, whether obtained from the subject individual at the request of the Department or whether provided to the Department by the subject individual on his own initiative, shall be in writing. The consent shall specify the individual, organizational unit or class of individuals or organizational units to whom the record may be disclosed, which record may be disclosed and, where applicable, during which time frame the record may be disclosed ( e.g., during the school year, while the subject individual is out of the country, whenever the subject individual is receiving specific services). A blanket consent to disclose all of a subject individual's records to unspecified individuals or organizational units will not be honored. The subject individual's identity and, where applicable ( e.g., where a subject individual gives consent to disclosure of a record to a specific individual), the identity of the individual to whom the record is to be disclosed shall be verified.
(2) A parent or guardian of any minor is not authorized to give consent to a disclosure of the minor's medical record.
(b) Disclosures without the consent of the subject individual. The disclosures listed in this paragraph may be made without the consent of the subject individual. Such disclosures are:
(1) To those officers and employees of the Department who have a need for the record in the performance of their duties. The responsible Department official may upon request of any officer or employee, or on his own initiative, determine what constitutes legitimate need.
(2) Required to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and part 5 of this title.
(3) For a routine use as defined in paragraph (j) of § 5b.1. Routine uses will be listed in any notice of a system of records. Routine uses published in appendix B are applicable to more than one system of records. Where applicable, notices of systems of records may contain references to the routine uses listed in appendix B. appendix B will be published with any compendium of notices of systems of records.
(4) To the Bureau of the Census for purposes of planning or carrying out a census or survey or related activity pursuant to the provisions of title 13 U.S.C.
(5) To a recipient who has provided the agency with advance written assurance that the record will be used solely as a statistical research or reporting record; Provided, That, the record is transferred in a form that does not identify the subject individual.
(6) To the National Archives of the United States as a record which has sufficient historical or other value to warrant its continued preservation by the United States Government, or for evaluation by the Administrator of General Services or his designee to determine whether the record has such value.
(7) To another government agency or to an instrumentality of any governmental jurisdiction within or under the control of the United States for a civil or criminal law enforcement activity if the activity is authorized by law, and if the head of such government agency or instrumentality has submitted a written request to the Department specifying the record desired and the law enforcement activity for which the record is sought.
(8) To an individual pursuant to a showing of compelling circumstances affecting the health or safety of any individual if a notice of the disclosure is transmitted to the last known address of the subject individual.
(9) To either House of Congress, or to the extent of matter within its jurisdiction, any committee or subcommittee thereof, any joint committee of Congress or subcommittee of any such joint committee.
(10) To the Comptroller General, or any of the Comptroller General's authorized representatives, in the course of the performance of the duties of the General Accounting Office.
(11) Pursuant to the order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) Accounting of disclosures. (1) An accounting of all disclosures of a record will be made and maintained by the Department for 5 years or for the life of the record, whichever is longer; except that, such an accounting will not be made:
(i) For disclosures under paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section; and,
(ii) For disclosures made with the written consent of the subject individual.
(2) The accounting will include:
(i) The date, nature, and purpose of each disclosure; and
(ii) The name and address of the person or entity to whom the disclosure is made.
(3) Any subject individual may request access to an accounting of disclosures of a record. The subject individual shall make a request for access to an accounting in accordance with the procedures in § 5b.5 of this part. A subject individual will be granted access to an accounting of the disclosures of a record in accordance with the procedures of this part which govern access to the related record. Access to an accounting of a disclosure of a record made under paragraph (b)(7) of this section may be granted at the discretion of the responsible Department official.
§ 5b.10   Parents and guardians.
For the purpose of this part, a parent or guardian of any minor or the legal guardian or any individual who has been declared incompetent due to physical or mental incapacity or age by a court of competent jurisdiction is authorized to act on behalf of an individual or a subject individual. Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of § 5b.5, of this part governing procedures for verifying an individual's identity, an individual authorized to act on behalf of a minor or legal incompetent will be viewed as if he were the individual or subject individual.
§ 5b.11   Exempt systems.
(a) General policy. The Act permits an agency to exempt certain types of systems of records from some of the Act's requirements. It is the policy of the Department to exercise authority to exempt systems of records only in compelling cases.
(b) Specific systems of records exempted under (j)(2). The Department exempts the Investigative Files of the Inspector General ED/OIG (18-10-01) and the Hotline Complaint Files of the Inspector General ED/OIG (18-10-04) systems of records from the following provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552a and this part:
(1) 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(3) and § 5b.9(a)(1) and (c)(3) of this part, regarding access to an accounting of disclosures of a record.
(2) 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(4) and §§ 5b.7(c) and 5b.8(b) of this part, regarding notification to outside parties and agencies of correction or notation of dispute made in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(d).
(3) 5 U.S.C. 552a(d) (1) through (4) and (f) and §§ 5b.5(a)(1) and (c), 5b.7, and 5b.8 of this part, regarding notification or access to records and correction or amendment of records.
(4) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(1) and § 5b.4(a)(1) of this part, regarding maintaining only relevant and necessary information.
(5) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(2) and § 5b.4(a)(2) of this part, regarding collection of information from the subject individual.
(6) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(3) and § 5b.4(a)(3) of this part, regarding notice to individuals asked to provide information to the Department.
(7) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) (G), (H), and (I), regarding inclusion of information in the system notice about procedures for notification, access, correction, and source of records.
(8) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(5), regarding maintaining records with requisite accuracy, relevance, timeliness, and completeness.
(9) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(8), regarding service of notice on subject individual if a record is made available under compulsory legal process if that process becomes a matter of public record.
(10) 5 U.S.C. 552a(g), regarding civil remedies for violation of the Privacy Act.
(c) Specific systems of records exempted under (k)(2). (1) The Department exempts the Investigative Files of the Inspector General ED/OIG (18-10-01), the Hotline Complaint Files of the Inspector General ED/OIG (18-10-04), and the Office of Inspector General Data Analytics System (ODAS) (18-10-02) from the following provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552a and this part to the extent that these systems of records consist of investigatory material and complaints that may be included in investigatory material compiled for law enforcement purposes:
(i) 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(3) and § 5b.9(c)(3) of this part, regarding access to an accounting of disclosures of records.
(ii) 5 U.S.C. 552a(d) (1) through (4) and (f) and §§ 5b.5(a)(1) and (c), 5b.7, and 5b.8 of this part, regarding notification of and access to records and correction or amendment of records.
(iii) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(1) and § 5b.4(a)(1) of this part, regarding the requirement to maintain only relevant and necessary information.
(iv) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) (G), (H), and (I), regarding inclusion of information in the system notice about procedures for notification, access, correction, and source of records.
(2) The Department exempts the Complaint Files and Log, Office for Civil Rights (18-08-01) from the following provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552a and this part:
(i) 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(3) and § 5b.9(c)(3) of this part, regarding access to an accounting of disclosures of records.
(ii) 5 U.S.C. 552a(d) (1) through (4) and (f) and §§ 5b.5(a)(1) and (c), 5b.7, and 5b.8 of this part, regarding notification of and access to records and correction or amendment of records.
(iii) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) (G) and (H), regarding inclusion of information in the system notice about procedures for notification, access, and correction of records.
(d) Specific systems of records exempted under (k)(5). The Department exempts the Investigatory Material Compiled for Personnel Security and Suitability Purposes (18-05-17) system of records from the following provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552a and this part:
(1) 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(3) and § 5b.9(c)(3) of this part, regarding access to an accounting of disclosures of records.
(2) 5 U.S.C. 552a(d) (1) through (4) and (f) and §§ 5b.5(a)(1) and (c), 5b.7, and 5b.8 of this part, regarding notification of and access to records and correction or amendment of records.
(3) 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) (G) and (H), regarding inclusion of information in the system notice about procedures for notification, access, and correction of records.
(e) Basis for exemptions taken under (j)(2), (k)(2), and (k)(5). The reason the Department took each exemption described in this section is stated in the preamble for the final rulemaking document under which the exemption was promulgated. These final rulemaking documents were published in the Federal Register and may be obtained from the Department of Education by mailing a request to the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Privacy Act Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Regulatory Information Management Group, Washington, DC 20202-4651.
(f) Notification of or access to records in exempt systems of records. (1) If a system of records is exempt under this section, an individual may nonetheless request notification of or access to a record in that system. An individual shall make requests for notification of or access to a record in an exempt system or records in accordance with the procedures of § 5b.5 of this part.
(2) An individual will be granted notification of or access to a record in an exempt system but only to the extent that notification or access would not reveal the identity of a source who furnished the record to the Department under an express promise, and, prior to September 27, 1975, an implied promise, that his identity would be held in confidence if—
(i) The record is in a system of records or that portion of a system of records that is exempt under subsection (k)(2), but not under subsection (j)(2), of the Act and the individual has been, as a result of the maintenance of the record, denied a right, privilege, or benefit to which he or she would otherwise be eligible; or
(ii) The record is in a system of records that is exempt under subsection (k)(5) of the Act.
(3) If an individual is not granted notification of or access to a record in a system of records exempt under subsections (k)(2) (but not under subsection (j)(2)) and (k)(5) of the Act in accordance with this paragraph, he or she will be informed that the identity of a confidential source would be revealed if notification of or access to the record were granted to the individual.
(g) Discretionary actions by the responsible Department official. Unless disclosure of a record to the general public is otherwise prohibited by law, the responsible Department official may, in his or her discretion, grant notification of or access to a record in a system of records that is exempt under this section. Discretionary notification of or access to a record in accordance with this paragraph will not be a precedent for discretionary notification of or access to a similar or related record and will not obligate the responsible Department official to exercise his or her discretion to grant notification of or access to any other record in a system of records that is exempt under this section.
§ 5b.12   Contractors.
(a) All contracts entered into on or after September 27, 1975 which require a contractor to maintain or on behalf of the Department to maintain, a system of records to accomplish a Department function must contain a provision requiring the contractor to comply with the Act and this part.
(b) All unexpired contracts entered into prior to September 27, 1975 which require the contractor to maintain or on behalf of the Department to maintain, a system of records to accomplish a Department function will be amended as soon as practicable to include a provision requiring the contractor to comply with the Act and this part. All such contracts must be so amended by July 1, 1976 unless for good cause the appeal authority identified in § 5b.8 of this part authorizes the continuation of the contract without amendment beyond that date.
(c) A contractor and any employee of such contractor shall be considered employees of the Department only for the purposes of the criminal penalties of the Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a(i), and the employee standards of conduct listed in appendix A of this part where the contract contains a provision requiring the contractor to comply with the Act and this part.
(d) This section does not apply to systems of records maintained by a contractor as a result of his management discretion, e.g., the contractor's personnel records.
§ 5b.13   Fees.
(a) Policy. Where applicable, fees for copying records will be charged in accordance with the schedule set forth in this section. Fees may only be charged where an individual requests that a copy be made of the record to which he is granted access. No fee may be charged for making a search of the system of records whether the search is manual, mechanical, or electronic. Where a copy of the record must be made in order to provide access to the record ( e.g., computer printout where no screen reading is available), the copy will be made available to the individual without cost.
(b) Fee schedule. The fee schedule for the Department is as follows:
(1) Copying of records susceptible to photocopying—$.10 per page.
(2) Copying records not susceptible to photocopying ( e.g., punch cards or magnetic tapes)—at actual cost to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
(3) No charge will be made if the total amount of copying does not exceed $25.