Ohio Administrative Code › Title 3354:1 - Cuyahoga Community College › Chapter 3354:1-11 - Cuyahoga Community College Policies › Section 3354:1-11-06.1 - Public records procedure

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) Key principles of the Public Records Act.
(1) Public records must be available for
			 inspection during regular business hours of the college. Public records must be
			 made available for inspection promptly. Copies of public records must be made
			 available within a reasonable period of time. "Prompt" and "reasonable" are to
			 be interpreted in light of the volume of records requested, the proximity of
			 the location where the records are stored, and the necessity for any legal
			 review of the records requested.
(2) Although no specific language is required
			 to make a request, the requester must at least identify the records requested
			 with sufficient clarity to allow the public office to identify, retrieve, and
			 review the records. If a requester makes an ambiguous or overly broad request
			 or has difficulty making a request such that the college cannot reasonably
			 identify what public records are being requested, the office of legal services
			 may deny the request but shall provide the requester with an opportunity to
			 revise the request by informing the requester of the manner in which records
			 are maintained and accessed in the ordinary course of business.
(3) Written requests can be encouraged, but
			 cannot be required. A requester is not required to put a public records request
			 in writing, and does not have to provide his or her identity, or the intended
			 use of the requested public record. However, the college may ask for a request
			 to be in writing, for the requester's identity, and/or for the intended use of
			 the records if (a) the requester is first notified that he or she
			 is not required to disclose the information and 
									(b) that
			 disclosing this information would benefit the requester by enhancing the
			 college's ability to identify, locate or deliver the requested
			 records.
(4) The Public Records Act
			 does not require that a new public record be created or that the college
			 perform analysis of existing information in response to a public records
			 request.
(5) The college's records
			 are subject to the college's records retention schedule. The current schedule
			 is available at
www.tri-c.edu/legal
, a location
			 readily available to the public as required by the Public Records
			 Act.
(6) Electronic records.
(a) An electronic record is deemed to exist
			 so long as a computer or existing software program currently in use at the
			 college is already programmed to produce the record through simple sorting,
			 filtering or querying.
(b) Content
			 that is transmitted to or from private email accounts (accounts not issued and
			 maintained by the college) or personal devices and that meets the definition of
			 a public record can be subject to disclosure upon request.
(c) All employees of the college are required
			 to retain their email and other electronic records in accordance with the
			 college's records retention schedule and email policies and
			 procedures.
(7) Costs for
			 public records.
(a) Those seeking public
			 records will be charged only the actual cost of making copies, in whatever
			 format. (There will be no charge for employee time.) The fees received should
			 be remitted to the College's office of legal services.
(b) There will be no charge for documents
			 e-mailed or produced electronically on a compact disc.
(c) Requesters may ask that documents be
			 mailed to them. They will be charged the actual cost of the postage and mailing
			 supplies and reasonable copying costs.