Opinion ID: 1929169
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Confidential Examinations

Text: Iowa's open records law, as codified in chapter 22 of the Code, ensures that [e]very person shall have the right to examine and copy public records and to publish or otherwise disseminate public records or the information contained therein. Iowa Code § 22.2(1) (1995). We have found the purpose of this statute to be to open the doors of government to public scrutiny to prevent government from secreting its decision-making activities from the public, on whose behalf it is its duty to act. Iowa Civil Rights Comm'n v. City of Des Moines, 313 N.W.2d 491, 495 (Iowa 1981). Similarly, chapter 22 establishe[s] a liberal policy of access from which departures are to be made only under discrete circumstances. City of Dubuque v. Telegraph Herald, Inc., 297 N.W.2d 523, 526 (Iowa 1980). Accordingly, there is a presumption of openness and disclosure under this chapter. Id. at 527. Section 22.7 provides specific exceptions to the otherwise liberal policy of access. This court has held these exceptions are to be construed narrowly, subject to two caveats. Id. First, the narrow construction principle should not be over utilized such that its use frustrates legislative intent. Id. Second, where the expressed exception is broadly inclusive, the narrow construction principle will not aid in the determination of legislative intent. Northeast Council on Substance Abuse, Inc. v. Department of Pub. Health, 513 N.W.2d 757, 759 (Iowa 1994); City of Sioux City v. Greater Sioux City Press Club, 421 N.W.2d 895, 897 (Iowa 1988). At issue here are two enumerated exceptions to disclosure, found at sections 22.7(3) and 22.7(19). Section 22.7 provides: The following public records shall be kept confidential, unless otherwise ordered by a court, by the lawful custodian of the records, or by another person duly authorized to release such information: . . . . 3. Trade secrets which are recognized and protected as such by law. . . . . 19. Examinations . . . to the extent that their disclosure could reasonably be believed by the custodian to interfere with the accomplishment of the objectives for which they are administered. We will first address whether the assessment is excluded under the examination exception of section 22.7(19). Plaintiff does not contend that the eleventh grade assessment does not sufficiently constitute an examination such that it would not fall within the scope of section 22.7(19). Rather, she claims that since the test has already been circulated to the public (both by her own actions and allegedly by those of the district) it is no longer confidential and thus should no longer be exempted from release. Plaintiff bases her argument on the statutory construction of the word confidential. She argues the assessment should not be considered confidential because it is available for public inspection at the Library of Congress (as a result of the district's copyright application), a copy was previously given to plaintiff (who proceeded to distribute it to the public), and a general publication of its content occurred prior to the copyright application (when the assessment was field tested). According to the plaintiff, the assessment is not confidential as a result of these circumstances. Plaintiff, however, has misconstrued the language of section 22.7. Section 22.7(19) specifically excludes examinations from the general rule of disclosure, characterizing them as being confidential by their very nature. Accordingly, section 22.7 does not exclude a general class of records labeled as confidential as the plaintiff would argue, but instead provides that certain, expressed types of public records shall be kept confidential, one type of which is examinations. Iowa Code § 22.7. In other words, the assessment's confidentiality as it relates to chapter 22 is dependent on its being an examination whose disclosure the custodian reasonably believes would destroy the objectives of the test. Id. The statute makes no reference to any other extrinsic factors to be considered in making such a determination and it is not required that the examination be kept from all eyes but the custodian's. Even if records are deemed to be confidential, the custodian still may disclose them, subject to the constraints of the law. Such disclosure does not remove them from the general protection of section 22.7 as it relates to the public. See, e.g., Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman v. Miller, 543 N.W.2d 899, 900 (Iowa 1996) (holding investigatory power of citizens' aide allows disclosure of otherwise confidential records, but confidential status is maintained); Iowa Civil Rights Comm'n, 313 N.W.2d at 495 (holding statutory exceptions are inapplicable when Commission issues subpoena duces tecum, but other protections afforded by law may apply). In making a determination of whether the assessment is a confidential record, it is necessary to decide whether Flynn reasonably believed that its disclosure would interfere with the stated objectives of the examination. Iowa Code § 22.7(19). The district court found as a matter of law that he did reasonably so believe, and the record supports this determination. Both Flynn's testimony by deposition and the affidavit submitted with his motion for summary judgment are uncontested and are consistent with the district court's determination. Plaintiff contends that because the school district had already released copies of the assessment to the public via the field testing, there could be no reasonable expectation that release in its entirety would be detrimental to its objectives. We disagree. It was reasonable for Flynn to believe that a full disclosure would jeopardize the integrity of the assessment; to allow students and parents unfettered access to examination questions, answers, and scoring rubrics would defeat the purpose of the assessment. Certainly, it is a reasonable belief that an examination whose questions and answers are known by the students beforehand cannot adequately assess the students' problem solving abilities. Neither the field testing of the assessment nor its actual administration to the students removes it from the protection of section 22.7(19). In this sense, the field testing of the assessment can be analogized to what is referred to as a limited publication under copyright law. A copyright is not destroyed by a limited publication which occurs when tangible copies of the work are distributed, but to a limited class of persons and for a limited purpose. Burke v. National Broadcasting Co., 598 F.2d 688, 692 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 869, 100 S.Ct. 144, 62 L.Ed.2d 93 (1979); see also White v. Kimmell, 193 F.2d 744, 746-47 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 343 U.S. 957, 72 S.Ct. 1052, 96 L.Ed. 1357 (1952) (holding a limited publication communicates the contents of a [work] to a definitely selected group and for a limited purpose, . . . .). Here, the assessment was distributed for field testing to a select group of students for the limited purpose of determining the examination's usefulness, not to place it into general circulation in the community. The field testing did not compromise the assessment's confidentiality since it occurred prior to the district's assertion that it was confidential. Presumably, Flynn did not believe that field testing would destroy the objectives of the examination, thus there was no issue of breach of confidentiality. Gabrilson further contends that because the district secretary provided her with a copy of the test, it has lost its confidentiality. We find no authority, however, for the proposition that these documents are removed from the definition of confidential records merely because they have erroneously been released. In fact, the record indicates that the secretary was never authorized to release the assessment. The affidavits of both the secretary and her superior indicate that the release of the materials to Gabrilson was unauthorized. Both of these affidavits are uncontested. Thus, the district court was correct in its finding that Flynn made a reasonable determination that release would be detrimental to the objectives of the assessment.