• Right to Know/ Open Records

    In accordance with Pennsylvania's Right to Know Law, the Rochester Area School District has established the following procedure to address all requests for open records.
     
    Procedure
     
    Rochester Area School District asks that all requests for records be made in writing on the required form and be submitted in person, by mail, fax, or e-mail to the Open Records Officer:
     

    Dr. Jane Bovalino
    Superintendent of Schools
    Rochester Area School District 
    540 Reno Street
    Rochester, PA 15074 
    Fax : (724) 775-4077
    E-mail : bovalinoj@rasd.org

    Standard Right-to-Know Law Request Form,

    which is available here in both PDF and DOCX formats:

    https://www.openrecords.pa.gov/RTKL/Forms.cfm

     
    Response
     
    Upon receipt of a written request for access to records, the District's Open Records Officer will respond to the request within five (5) business days from the date the written request is received. The Open Records Officer will provide one of the following responses:
     

    • grant access to the requested records;
    • deny access to the requested records;
    • partially grant or deny access to the requested records;
    • notify the requester of the need for an extension of time to fully respond; or
    • request more information from the requester to clearly identify the requested material.

     
    Note: The District may take up to a 30-day extension to fully respond to a specific request. The extension does not require the consent of the requester.
     
    If the Open Records Officer determines that the request will be granted, public records will be provided to the requester in the medium requested, if it exists in that medium; otherwise, it will be provided in its existing medium.
     
    For specific information regarding Rochester Area School District's administrative regulations and procedures regarding requests for access to the District's public records, please refer to:
     

    RASD Policy 801 – Public Records

    Fees
     
    A fee of 25 cents per page may be charged for copies of District records. Fees may also include the actual cost of postage, when records are mailed to the requester. The District may impose an additional fee for official certification of copies, if the certification is at the behest of the requester and is for the purpose of legally verifying the public records. The District may require pre-payment of estimated fees when the fees required to fulfill the request are expected to exceed $100.

    Appeals
     
    If the District denies a request, the requester may file an appeal with the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records within 15 business days of the District response or deemed denial.

    Appeals may also be submitted via fax (717-425-5343) or postal mail:

    Office of Open Records
    333 Market Street, 16th Floor
    Harrisburg, PA 17101-2234