Submit a Record Request
Academy District 20 will only accept records requests made via the CORA Request Form at ASD20.ORG. Requestors are not required to provide personal identification.
If records are stored in paper format, Academy District 20 staff will work with the requestor to schedule a time to inspect the records in person. The department is generally open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Academy District 20 may require that members of the public or press only view copies of documents when the custodian of records determines that allowing access to originals could interfere with the regular discharge of duties of the district or its staff or that the review of original records could jeopardize the condition of the records.
Academy District 20 will not be responsible for conducting analysis of records on behalf of a requestor.
Record Request Response Time
A request is considered “received” by Academy District 20 the day a request is made using the online form. A request received after 4:30 p.m. mountain standard time or any day Academy District 20 is officially closed, is considered received when the district opens following the closure.
Academy District 20 shall make every effort to respond within three working days, as provided by § 24-72-203(3)(b), C.R.S. The district may extend its response time if it finds extenuating circumstances exist and communicates that finding to the requestor in writing, as described in § 24-72-203(3)(b), C.R.S. The three working-day response time begins the first working day after the request is received.
Protection of Confidential Information
Academy District 20 staff will not assume a record is exempt from CORA and will always consult the Director for Communications and/or legal counsel before making a determination to not provide a record. Any redactions or removal of information that Academy District 20 is legally required or allowed to withhold, pursuant to § 24-72-204, C.R.S., will not be done without approval from the Director for Communications and/or review of counsel.
Academy District 20 shall not provide any personally identifiable information that is confidential pursuant to state or federal law. Colorado’s Student Data Transparency and Security Act protects the confidentiality of “information that, alone or in combination, personally identifies an individual student or the student’s parent or family, and that is collected, maintained, generated, or inferred by a public education entity…” (See § 22-16-101, et. seq., C.R.S).
Similarly, the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the confidentiality of student’s identifiable information that is maintained in education records and includes direct identifiers, such as a student’s name or identification number, indirect identifiers, such as a student’s date of birth, race/ethnicity, disability status or other information which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity either directly or indirectly through linkages with other information (See 34 CFR §99.3). When it may be possible to determine a student’s personally identifiable information from a record by using simple calculations, Academy District 20 will redact the data to the extent necessary to protect student privacy. Academy District 20 is also required to protect the confidentiality of licensed personnel evaluations, in accordance with § 22-9-109, C.R.S.
Finally, under CORA, Academy District 20 may deny a request for any of the reasons outlined in § 24-72-204, C.R.S. For a complete list of the types of records that Academy District 20 may withhold, please refer all appropriate sections of statute. A general list of the types of protected records applicable to Academy District 20 is below:
Personnel files;
Letters of reference;
Any investigatory files compiled for any law enforcement purpose;
The specific details of bona fide research projects being conducted by a state institution;
Any records of sexual harassment complaints and investigations;
Specialized details of security arrangements or investigations;
Medical, mental health, sociological, and scholastic achievement data on individual persons;
Library records disclosing the identity of a user;
Trade secrets, privileged information, and confidential commercial, financial, geological, or geophysical data;
Library and museum material contributed by private persons;
Addresses and telephone numbers of students in any public elementary or secondary school;
Records protected under the common law governmental or "deliberative process" privilege.
Test questions, scoring keys, and other examination data pertaining to administration of a licensing examination, examination for employment, or academic examination;
CORA allows a custodian to deny a requester's right to inspect certain records if disclosure of the record would be contrary to the public interest. This includes electronic mail addresses, telephone numbers and home addresses provided by a person to an agency, institution, or political subdivision of the state;
All statements, records, schedules, working papers, and memoranda made by a certified public accountant incident to or in the course of professional service to a client by the certified public accountant, except financial statements submitted by a certified public accountant to a client and books and records prepared for the use of the client;
The final report of a government-authorized investigation of an elected official for sexual harassment in the workplace is requestable as a public record if the investigation concludes that the elected official is culpable for any act of sexual harassment. However, identifiable characteristics of the accuser(s) must be redacted unless all accusers are already known to the public;
Not all emails are public records that may be requested through CORA. To be a ‘public record,’ an e-mail message must be for use in the performance of public functions or involve the receipt and expenditure of public funds.
Format for Records Produced
If a public record is stored in a digital format, whether searchable, sortable, or neither, Academy District 20 will provide that record in the format in which it is stored. Digital records will not be converted into a non-searchable or non-sortable format prior. Digital records will be transmitted via email or by a mutually-agreed upon method.
Academy District 20 may modify the format of digital records if:
Providing the records in their current format would violate copyright, the terms of a licensing agreement, or would result in the release of a third-party’s proprietary information; or
Using the current format, it is not technologically or practically feasible to remove information that Academy District 20 is allowed or required to withhold.
Fees for Document Retrieval, Review and Copies of Release Records
The first hour of staff time researching and retrieving requested records and up to 25 pages of printing is provided at no charge. A page is defined as one side of one page. Printing both sides of a single page is considered two pages. Academy District 20 will charge the requestor for all copying expenses in excess of 25 pages and actual costs associated with research and retrieval in excess of one hour, in accordance with §§ 24-72-205(5)(a) and (6)(a), C.R.S.
If a records request requires more than mere retrieval of records—such as technical expertise to synthesize or reconfigure data or legal expertise from attorneys in order to identify how to comply with confidentiality requirements—Academy District 20 will charge the requestor for such costs, in accordance with the guidelines below. Any costs charged to a requestor shall not exceed the actual cost of producing the records, in accordance with § 24-72- 205(5)(a), C.R.S.
Prior to producing requested records, Academy District 20 will provide an estimate of the costs of production to the requestor. If the requestor does not wish to pay the fees, Academy District 20 can provide the requestor with information on how the request can be modified to reduce or eliminate the fees. After a requestor has agreed to the costs of production, Academy District 20 will keep the requestor informed if any additional costs are anticipated and will not incur any additional costs without the requestor’s consent. After producing the requested records, Academy District 20 will provide an invoice to the requestor. Costs must be paid in full before records are released.
Academy District 20 will charge for the actual costs of a request based on the following guidelines:
Per-page fees are not charged for providing records in a digital or electronic format
Records request that exceeds 25 pages
$0.25 per page for all documents photocopied
Requests that require more than one hour of staff time for retrieval of records
$41.37 per hour, after the first hour
Paying for Your CORA
Online
CORA requests may be paid online using the Academy District 20 Store.
Checks or Cash
Checks should be made out to Academy District 20. Checks may be mailed to, or dropped off at, the following address (please do not send cash via mail):
Academy District 20
Education and Administration Center, Attn: Communications
1110 Chapel Hills Dr.
Colorado Springs, CO 80920