Sweeny Independent School District

Nicole Larson- Communications Director

Daniel Fuller- Superintendent

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (979) 491-8000

Fax: (979) 491-8030

Mail: 1310 N. Elm St, Sweeny, TX 77480

Rights of Requestors:
You have the right to:

Responsibilities of Governmental Bodies:
All governmental bodies responding to information requests have the responsibility to:

• Prompt access to information that is not confidential or otherwise protected;

• Receive treatment equal to all other requestors, including accommodation by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements;

• Receive certain kinds of information without exceptions, like the voting record of public officials and other information;

• Receive a written statement of estimated charges, when charges exceed $40, in advance of work being started and the opportunity to modify the request in response to the itemized statement;

• Choose whether to inspect the requested information (most often at no charge), receive copies of the data, or both;

• A waiver or reduction of charges in the governmental body determines that access to the information primarily benefits the general public;

• Receive a copy of the communication from the governmental body asking the Office of the Attorney General for a ruling on whether the information can be withheld under one of the accepted exceptions, or if the communication discloses the request information, a redacted copy;

• Lodge a written complaint about overcharges for public information with the Texas Building and Procurement Commission. Complaints of other possible violations may be filed with the county or district attorney of the county where the governmental body, other than a state agency, is located. If the complaint is against the county or district attorney, the complaint must be filed with the Office of the Attorney General.

• Establish reasonable procedures for inspecting or copying public information and inform requestors of these procedures;

• Treat all requestors uniformly and shall give to the requestor all reasonable comfort and facility, including accommodation by ADA requirements;

• Be informed about open records laws and educate employees on the requirements of those laws;

• Inform requestors of the estimated charges greater than $40 and any changes in the estimates above 20 percent of the original estimate, and confirm that the requestor accepts the payments, has amended the request, or has sent a complaint of overcharges to the Texas Building and Procurement Commission, in writing before finalizing the demand;

• Inform the requestor if the information cannot be provided promptly and set a date and time to offer it within a reasonable time;

• Request a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding any information that a governmental body wishes to withhold, and send a copy of the request for order, or a redacted copy, to the requestor;

• Segregate public information from information that may be withheld and provide that general information promptly;

• Make a reasonable faith effort to inform third parties when their proprietary information is being requested from the governmental body;

• Respond in writing to all written communications from the Texas Building and Procurement Commission regarding charges for the information. Respond to the Office of the Attorney General regarding complaints about violations of the Act.