Chrissy Ryan v. Amherst-Pelham Regional School Districts (SPR 20191731)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records August 28, 2019 SPR19/1731 Debbie Westmoreland Assistant to the Superintendent Amherst-Pelham Regional School District 170 Chestnut Street Amherst, MA O1 002 Dear Ms. Westmoreland: I have received the petition of Chrissy Ryan appealing the response of the Amherst Pelham Regional School District (District) to a request for public records. G. L. c. 66, § lOA; see also 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). It is unclear what specific record(s) Ms. Ryan was seeking to receive, but it appears she was looking for "a list of 'expedited' licenses" from 2012 within the District's possession. Further, it should be noted that the correspondence concerning this request was sent to individuals from state agencies, rather than the Records Access Officer within the District. Subsequent to the intervention by a staff member of the Public Records Division, I learned that a representative from the District intends on proving a supplemental written response to Ms. Ryan aimed at addressing the concerns outlined in her appeal. Accordingly, the District is ordered to provide Ms. Ryan with a response in accordance with the Public Records Law, its Access Regulations and this order within ten business days. This office encourages Ms. Ryan and the District to continue to communicate to facilitate providing records more efficiently and affordably. For example, Ms. Ryan may wish to clarify which additional records she seeks. See G. L. c. 66, § lO(a)(i) (the request must reasonably describe the public record sought); G. L. c. 66, § lO(b)(vii) (an agency shall suggest a reasonable modification of the scope of the request or offer to assist the requestor to modify the scope of the request if doing so would enable the agency to produce records sought more efficiently and affordably). It is preferable to send an electronic copy of pertinent correspondence to this office at pre@sec.state.ma.us. If issues remain unresolved, Ms. Ryan may appeal within ninety days. See 950 C.M.R. 32.08(1). Accordingly, I will consider this administrative appeal closed. One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 • (617) 727-2832• Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre • pre@sec.state.ma.us

Debbie Westmoreland SPR19/1731 Page2 August 28, 2019 Sincerely, Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records cc: Chrissy Ryan