Public Records

Guidelines for Public Access to Records Maintained by Tustin Unified School District (TUSD)

California Public Records Act (Government Code section 6250, et seq.)

Public records in the possession of the TUSD which are not exempt from mandatory disclosure under the Public Records Act shall be available for inspection, and copies of such public records shall be provided, pursuant to these guidelines.

Requesting Inspection or Copies of Public Records: Requests should be sufficiently specific and focused to enable identification, location and retrieval of the public records sought. The law does not require requests to be in writing, but TUSD recommends that requests be submitted in writing to help staff understand what records are being sought . Requests that are not made in writing will not be rejected. If a request is not specific, TUSD staff will help the requester identify the public records that are responsive to the request. TUSD does not supplement responses to previous requests when new records are created or received. A separate request must be submitted each time records are sought. TUSD does not hold open requests in anticipation of the creation of records that are not in existence at the time the request is submitted.

Public Records Exempt from Disclosure: TUSD may opt to not disclose records which are exempt from mandatory disclosure under the Public Records Act (see, for example, Government Code sections 6254 and 6255).

Inspecting Public Records at TUSD: Public records in the possession of TUSD which are not exempt from mandatory disclosure shall be available for inspection during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday). If the request seeks inspection of numerous records, a mutually agreeable time shall be established for the inspection. TUSD reserves the right to review the documents prior to the inspection to ensure that confidential and exempt documents are not included. TUSD functions will not be disrupted to permit inspection of records, and records will not be available for inspection if, at the time the request is made, TUSD personnel require the records to perform their official duties. Records will not be removed from the possession of TUSD. A TUSD employee will be present during the inspection of records to prevent the loss or destruction of records.

Obtaining Copies of Public Records: TUSD will determine within 10 days of receipt of a records request the extent to which it will disclose any records pursuant to the request. TUSD will promptly notify the person making the request of its determination. TUSD will provide disclosable records at the cost of 10 cents per page for duplication plus applicable postage costs. The charges may be waived for any request that is for less than 50 pages. Payment of any applicable charges must be received before the copies are made and provided. TUSD does not accept payment of estimated duplication costs at the time a request is submitted.

Obtaining Public Records in Electronic Format: If a request seeks public records in an electronic format, TUSD will provide those public records that are not exempt from mandatory disclosure in an electronic format if TUSD has them in that format at the time the request is received.

More info: Office of the California Attorney General (Summary of the California Public Records Act )