The Anacortes School District is dedicated to operating in an open and accessible manner and in full compliance with the Washington State Public Records Act, a law that the Legislature enacted to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by state agencies.

Washington law requires state and local agencies to make public records available to the public. This law, the Washington State Public Records Act RCW 42.56, supports the public's right to be informed about what their government is doing.

The Act also lists certain public records that do not have to be disclosed. These exemptions are intended to prevent unreasonable invasions of personal privacy or the use of public records for personal or commercial gain.

The Act also requires that the public records requested are "identifiable." Your public disclosure request must include a reasonable description that would allow an Anacortes School District employee to locate the records. A general question is not a public disclosure request.

Special Education Records Requests

To make a records request, please complete a  Special Education Records Request Form and return it to the the Student Support Services Department at inclusiveservices@asd103.org.  School districts utilizing IEP Online are welcome to submit an IDT request.

Retention Notification

Pursuant to WAC 392-172A-05235 and the Office of the Secretary of State for Washington State, the Anacortes School District retains special education records, including IEPs, evaluations, and 504 plans, for six years from separation of services. If a student has not received special education or 504 services from ASD in more than six years, the records are no longer available.

Some public records may be accessed through the district website without the necessity of a public records request. Below are some links to commonly requested items. 

• District Policies
• School Board Meeting Notices
• Agendas and Minutes
• District Strategic Plan
• District Budget Collective Bargaining Agreements
• OSPI Washington State Report Card

List of Laws Exempting or Prohibiting Disclosure Pursuant to RCW 42.56.070 (2), these procedures contain a list of laws — other than those specifically listed in the Washington Public Records Act, Chapter 42.56 RCW — which may exempt disclosure of certain public records or portions of records. The district has identified the following laws:

• The Family Educational and Privacy Rights Act (FERPA), 20 USC § 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99 (regarding student educational records);
• Washington State Student Education Records Law, RCW 28A.605.030;
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et. seq. and 34 CFR Part 300 (protecting the confidentiality of personally identifying information contained in student records of students with disabilities);
• Privileged communications and attorney work product, such as set forth in Chapter 5.60 RCW;
• Criminal Records Privacy Act (CRPA), Chapter 10.97, RCW;
• Information on students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, 42 USC § 1758(b)(6);
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), 45 CFR Parts 160-164 (regarding health care information privacy and security);
• Abuse of Children – Protection and Procedure, RCW 26.44.010; RCW 26.44.030(9);
• Notification of Juvenile Offenders, RCW 13.04.155(3);
• Examination questions for teachers or pupils prior to the examination, Questions, RCW 28A.635.040;
• Public Law 98-24, Section 527 of the Public Health Services Act, 41 USC § 290dd-2 (confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records);
• United States and Washington Constitutional provisions including, but not limited to, the right of privacy and freedom of association. In addition to these exemptions, RCW 42.56.070 (9) prohibits providing access to lists of individuals requested for commercial purposes, and the district may not do so unless specifically authorized or directed by law.

The above list is for informational purposes only and is not intended to cover all possible exemptions to the Public Records Act. Under appropriate circumstances, the district may also rely upon other legal exemptions which are not set forth above or contained within the Public Records Act. 

Policy

4040 - Public Access to District Records

Procedure & Forms

4040-P - Public Access to District Records
4040-R - Public Access to District Records

To request a public record from the Anacortes School District, please complete the Public Records Request Form and submit your request via mail, drop-off, or email: information@asd103.org

Anacortes School District
Public Records Request 
2200 M Avenue
Anacortes, WA  98221

Here are some general tips for submitting your request.

• Remember that this form is for public records requests for Anacortes School District only.
• Be specific as possible when submitting your request. The more specific you can be, the better the results will be. 
• It is recommended to provide an exact date range with your records request. For example: "all emails from January 1, 2023 to January 7, 2024.

Cost of Printed Copies and Mailing

The cost of providing photocopies or printed copies of electronic records is 15 cents per page.

Alternatively, if the District determines and documents that the fees allowed under this procedure are clearly equal to, or more than, two dollars, the District may instead charge a flat fee of two dollars to provide the records.

If the District charges a flat fee for the first installment, the District will not charge an additional flat fee or a per page fee for any subsequent installments. Payment may be made by cash, check, or money order payable to the District.

The District may also charge actual costs of mailing, including the cost of the shipping container or envelope.

The Public Records Officer or designee may require the payment of the remainder of the copying costs before providing all the records, or the payment of the costs of copying an installment before providing that installment.

If requested, the District will provide a summary of the applicable charges before any copies are made. The requestor will be allowed to revise the request in order to reduce the applicable charges.

Customized Service Charge

A customized service charge may be imposed if the District estimates that the request would require the use of information technology expertise to prepare data compilations, or to provide customized electronic access services when such compilations and customized access services are not used by the District for other District purposes. The customized service charge may reimburse the District up to the actual cost of providing the services in this paragraph.

The District will not assess a customized service charge unless it has notified the requestor of the customized service charge to be applied to the request, including an explanation of why the customized service charge applies, a description of the specific expertise, and a reasonable estimate cost of the charge. The notice will also provide the requestor the opportunity to amend his or her request in order to avoid or reduce the cost of a customized service charge.

Cost for Electronic Records

The cost for providing electronic records is as follows:

• Ten cents per page for public records scanned into an electronic format or for the use of District equipment to scan the records;
• Five cents per each four electronic files or attachment uploaded to email, cloud-based data storage service, or other means of electronic delivery;
• Ten cents per gigabyte for the transmission of public records in an electronic format or for the use of District equipment to send the records electronically; and
• The actual cost of any digital storage media or device provided by the District, the actual cost of any container or envelope used to mail the copies to the requestor, and the actual postage or delivery charge.

The District will take reasonable steps to provide the records in the most efficient manner available to the District in its normal operations;

Alternatively, if the District determines and documents that the fees allowed under this procedure are clearly equal to, or more, than two dollars, the District may instead charge a flat fee of two dollars to provide the records. If the District charges a flat fee for the first installment, the District will not charge an additional flat fee or a per page fee for any subsequent installments.

The Public Records Officer or designee may also require the payment of the remainder of the copying costs before providing all the records, or the payment of the costs of copying an installment before providing that installment.

If requested, the District will provide a summary of the applicable charges before charges are imposed under this procedure. The requestor will be allowed to revise the request in order to reduce the applicable charges.

The District will not impose copying charges for access to or downloading of records that the District routinely posts on its website prior to the receipt of a request, unless the requestor has specifically requested that the District provide copies of such records through other means.

Deposits

Before beginning to make the copies, the Public Records Officer or designee may require a deposit of up to ten percent of the estimated costs of copying all the records selected by the requestor, including the cost of a customized service charge according to the provision above.

Waiver

The Public Records Officer may waive any charge assessed for a request. On behalf of the District, the Public Records Officer may also enter into any contract, memorandum of understanding, or other agreement with a requestor that provides an alternative fee arrangement to the charges authorized in this Procedure, or in response to a voluminous or frequently occurring request.