Open Records Requests
Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday–Friday, except official state holidays. Requests received after 5 p.m. will not be logged in and processed until the next business day.
Designated Custodian: Ashley Stites, General Counsel
Download the Kansas State Department of Education's Open Records Request Policy for more information.
Written Request
To assure that the request is clearly understood, the agency requires requests for access to or copies of records be made in writing. All requests for records must state:
- The requestor’s name,
- The requester's e-mail or mailing address,
- A phone number where the requestor can be contacted, and
- Detailed information about the records being requested.
This will help staff in determining if the requested records exist and are in the agency’s possession. Requests for records not yet in existence or documents to be created prospectively cannot be honored.
Records Request Form
Requests for records may be made by submitting a request via either electronic form, mail, e-mail, fax, or in-person. For the convenience of requesters, the Records Request Form may be used to request records. Alternatively, requests may be emailed to GC@ksde.gov or mailed to:
Kansas State Department of Education
Office of General Counsel
900 SW Jackson St. Suite 102
Topeka, KS 66612-1212
Fees
Paper and/or Mailed Copies
Paper and/or mailed copies will incur a charge of $0.25 cents per page.
Staff Time
The time it will take for agency staff to assist and/or respond to the specific request will be charged at the hourly rate of pay for each person(s) whose time is used to assist and/or respond to the request. This may include the time spent accessing records maintained on computer facilities, reviewing records to determine whether closure exceptions apply and/or redacting closed information. Assignment of staff to respond to each request will be made at the discretion of the designated records custodian. Staff time will be charged as follows:
- Clerical time will be charged at $18.00 per hour.
- Assistant Director time will be charged at $35.00 per hour.
- General Counsel, Outside Counsel, and Director time will be charged at $50.00 per hour.
- Other agency staff and contracted staff will be charged at an hourly rate based on the staff member's salary. Staff member salaries differ depending on department, team, and position.
Additional Fees
Any other costs incurred by the agency in connection with complying with a record request may be assessed to the requester.
Payment of Fees
The agency will provide an estimate of the fees which shall be paid prior to the agency gathering the records. The final cost of providing access to or furnishing copies must be paid before the records are provided. However, if the time it will take for staff to compile the requested records is nominal, payment will not be required. If the final cost is less than the estimate, the requestor will be reimbursed for the difference.
Payment may be made by check or money order. Returned checks will incur an additional fee of $30. Please send payment by check or money order payable to the Kansas State Department of Education to the following address:
Topeka, KS 66612-1212
Requests for Electronic Format Records
The record custodian will be the sole judge of the ability of the agency to comply with any record requests for the records to be provided in electronic format or for records that must be produced in any special computer-generated format.
Response Time
The agency will act upon requests as soon as possible, with some response being made to the requester
no later than the third business day following the receipt of the request. If it appears that additional fees will be assessed, or some of the records may be closed by law, a written response will be provided as soon as the records have been located and reviewed.
