• Valley View School District 365U Information Accessibility Procedures

    Valley View School District 365U believes that the public has a right to access to all public records, as defined in the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. It is also the belief of the district that members of the public have a right to expect prompt and thorough responses to requests for information, whether through personal inspection or through copying.

     

    Filing a request for information


    1. Contact Jim Blaney, the Freedom of Information Officer for Valley View School District 365U, using one of the following methods. Please be specific about the information you request.

    • E-mail: PR@vvsd.org
    • Fax: 815-886-7294
    • Telephone: 815-886-2700, ext. 6021 (written or e-mailed follow up is required)
    • Letter: Mail request to 801 West Normantown Rd, Romeoville, IL 60446
    • In person: Stop by 801 West Normantown Rd, Romeoville, IL 60446 You request will be directed to either of our Registered FOIA Officers, Mr. Jim Blaney or Mrs. Raquel Banuelos
     
    2. Unless we determine your request is for commercial purposes, you will receive one of the following responses within five (5) business days. Please note that the first business day is considered to start at 7:30 a.m. the day after the request is received. Saturday, Sunday and all school holidays are not considered business days. If your request is deemed a commercial request, you will receive a response within 21 business days.
    • You will receive the materials you requested. In some cases this may be information on how you may access the materials on line.
    • We need more information on the materials you are seeking or the request is for so many materials that it is unduly burdensome and will require an additional number of days up to a maximum of five (5) to produce.
    • Certain materials in your request are not considered part of the public record. (You will receive a very specific written explanation as to why. A copy of this denial will also be forwarded to the Illinois Attorney General's Office.)
    • All of the materials in your request are not considered part of the public record. (You will receive a very specific written explanation as to why. A copy of this denial will also be forwarded to the Illinois Attorney General's Office.)
     

    3. If you are told we need more information, we will also ask that you give us an additional five (5) days to respond to you once you have given us the additional information.

     
    4. When you receive your materials, please inspect them to make sure they are what you requested. If they are what you requested, no further action is required of either party. If you feel they are not what you requested or that something is missing, please contact the Freedom of Information Officer as soon as possible and we will work together to rectify the situation in a fair and prompt manner.
     
    5. If you are informed that some or all of the materials you requested are not a matter of public record and you disagree, you do have the right to appeal as outlined below.
     
     
     
    If my request is granted, how will I receive my materials and at what cost?
    1. If the materials are stored electronically you will either be given information as to how to access them via the Internet or you will receive an e-mail with the information included as an attachment.

    2. If the materials are stored as hard copies, you will receive a printed copy of the material either by e-mail or some alternative delivery method or, if the materials are too cumbersome, you will be informed that they will be left at the reception desk of the Valley View Administration Center for pickup.

    3. In some cases the volume of materials may require that you view these materials in person in which case you will be notified as such.

    Freedom of Information Act Fee Schedule

    In accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) (5 ILCS 140/1, et seq.) and Board Policy 2.250, Valley View Community Unit School District 365U (the “District”) may charge persons requesting public records reasonable fees associated with the District’s record production. The District may waive or reduce the fees outlined below when it is determined that the fee waiver is in the public interest.[1]

    Copying Fees[2]

    First 50 Pages Black & White Letter or Legal Sized Copies                                          No Charge

    After Page 50 Black & White Letter or Legal Sized Copies                                           $0.15 per page

     

    Fees for Responding to a Request for a Commercial Purpose[3]

    In addition to the copying fees, persons making a request for commercial purpose[4] may incur the following charges:

    First 8 Hours Search & Retrieval of Requested Records                                              No Charge

    After 8 Hours Search & Retrieval of Requested Records                                             $10 per hour

     

    The District may also charge the actual cost of retrieving and transporting public records from an off-site storage facility when the public records are maintained by a third-party storage facility with the District. 

    Whenever the District charges for any fees due to a commercial request, the District will provide the requester with an accounting of all fees, costs and personnel hours in connection with the request for public records.

     

    Voluminous Requests[5]

    Requests for voluminous records in electronic format will adhere to the following fees:

     

    Records not in a portable document format (PDF)[6]

    Not more than 2 megabytes of data                                                                         up to $20

    More than 2 but not more than 4 megabytes of data                                            up to $40

    More than 4 megabytes of data                                                                                up to $100

     

    Records in PDF[7]

    Not more than 80 megabytes of data                                                                        up to $20

    More than 80 but not more than 160 megabytes of data                                        up to $40

    More than 160 megabytes of data                                                                             up to $100

     

    [1] 5 ILCS 140/6(c)

    [2] 5 ILCS 140/6(b)

    [3] 5 ILCS 140/6(f)

    [4] "Commercial purpose" means the use of any part of a public record or records, or information derived from public records, in any form for sale, resale, or solicitation or advertisement for sales or services. For purposes of this definition, requests made by news media and non-profit, scientific, or academic organizations shall not be considered to be made for a "commercial purpose" when the principal purpose of the request is (i) to access and disseminate information concerning news and current or passing events, (ii) for articles of opinion or features of interest to the public, or (iii) for the purpose of academic, scientific, or public research or education. 5 ILCS 140/2(c-10).

    [5] "Voluminous request" means a request that: (i) includes more than 5 individual requests for more than 5 different categories of records or a combination of individual requests that total requests for more than 5 different categories of records in a period of 20 business days; or (ii) requires the compilation of more than 500 letter or legal-sized pages of public records unless a single requested record exceeds 500 pages. "Single requested record" may include, but is not limited to, one report, form, e-mail, letter, memorandum, book, map, microfilm, tape, or recording.
        "Voluminous request" does not include a request made by news media and non-profit, scientific, or academic organizations if the principal purpose of the request is: (1) to access and disseminate information concerning news and current or passing events; (2) for articles of opinion or features of interest to the public; or (3) for the purpose of academic, scientific, or public research or education.5 ILCS 140/2(h).

    [6]  5 ILCS 140/6(a-5)

    [7]  5 ILCS 140/6(a-5)

    (Created March 31, 2021)

     
     
    What happens if I disagree with your decision?
    1. Contact the Valley View School District 365U Freedom of Information Officer and we will be happy to discuss it with you.

    2. You may also contact the Public Access Counselor in the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Illinois at 217-558-0486 or at publicaccess@atg.state.il.us. You may also write to them at 500 S. 2nd St., Springfield, IL 62706.
     

    What appeals recourse do I have?
    You may contact the Public Access Counselor in the Office of Lisa Madigan, the Attorney General of the State of Illinois, 500 S. 2nd Street, Springfield, IL 62706; 217-558-0486 or e-mail at publicaccess@atg.state.il.us. Appeals must be filed in writing within 60 days of the discovery of a possible violation of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. The Public Access Counselor has seven business days to determine if a violation may have occurred. If the Public Access Counselor finds no violation occurred, no further action will be taken. If the Public Access Counselor has some concerns that a violation may have occurred, the Public Access Counselor will ask the Valley View School District 365U Public Access Officer to review the decision. The Valley View School District 365U Public Access Officer has seven (7) business days to either produce the materials requested or respond to the allegations made by the Public Access Counselor. A copy of Valley View School District 365u’s response will be provided to you. You may, but do not have to, respond to the Valley View School District 365U response within an additional seven business days. The total maximum time in the process will be 21 days unless the Public Access Counselor extends the period with a written notice to everyone involved. The Public Access Counselor will issue a binding opinion within 60 days from the first day the office initiated the review. Mediation may be used. Under certain circumstances, the Public Access Counselor may also ask the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office to become involved in the investigation.