Centre County's open records response improves
By Ed Mahon
Centre Daily Times
During two days in early October, five surveyors dispatched by the Centre Daily Times drove more than 230 miles and traveled to 11 public agencies in Centre County to test the state's almost year-old Right-to-Know Law.
The trips to police stations, school district headquarters, and county and municipal offices were part of a freedom-of- information audit coordinated by The Associated Press.
Statewide, the surveyors were given access to information they sought about 85 percent of the time. The results in Centre County were similar, with nine sites providing surveyors with full access to the public records without problems.
In one instance, at the Centre County Government Center, a surveyor reported that a government official asked if she was representing a company and why she wanted the documents. Requiring that information is prohibited under the law, which says it is not necessary for a person “to disclose the purpose or motive in requesting access to records.”
In another, the Bald Eagle Area School District, officials said the superintendent has never had a written contract, which was the document requested.
The five surveyors were: CDT editorial assistant Fran Jacobs, Penn State journalism students Scott King and Natalya Stanko, and freelance writers Lauren McCormack and Jessica Vanderkolk, who frequently write news stories for the CDT.
Like all the people taking part in the AP survey, the five from the CDT, when introducing themselves, provided their names but did not disclose their affiliation with the newspaper. Each asked for a particular public record, such as the contract for the Penns Valley Area School District superintendent; the three most recent grant applications submitted by Bellefonte; and the police blotter from state police at Rockview.
The surveyors were instructed to identify themselves as working for the CDT only if they were asked where they worked, and only after asking whether they needed to provide that information as a condition for access to the public record.
In some instances, Social Security numbers, phone numbers and addresses were redacted from documents provided by the agencies, which is permissible under the law. All 11 agencies included information on how to file a Right-to- Know Law request online, as required by law.
During a similar audit in 2005, employees of the Centre Daily Times were given full access in 14 of 18 requests for public records, partial access to two records and no access to the remaining two records. At that time, all four instances of less than full access occurred at police departments.
Centre Daily Times
During two days in early October, five surveyors dispatched by the Centre Daily Times drove more than 230 miles and traveled to 11 public agencies in Centre County to test the state's almost year-old Right-to-Know Law.
The trips to police stations, school district headquarters, and county and municipal offices were part of a freedom-of- information audit coordinated by The Associated Press.
Statewide, the surveyors were given access to information they sought about 85 percent of the time. The results in Centre County were similar, with nine sites providing surveyors with full access to the public records without problems.
In one instance, at the Centre County Government Center, a surveyor reported that a government official asked if she was representing a company and why she wanted the documents. Requiring that information is prohibited under the law, which says it is not necessary for a person “to disclose the purpose or motive in requesting access to records.”
In another, the Bald Eagle Area School District, officials said the superintendent has never had a written contract, which was the document requested.
The five surveyors were: CDT editorial assistant Fran Jacobs, Penn State journalism students Scott King and Natalya Stanko, and freelance writers Lauren McCormack and Jessica Vanderkolk, who frequently write news stories for the CDT.
Like all the people taking part in the AP survey, the five from the CDT, when introducing themselves, provided their names but did not disclose their affiliation with the newspaper. Each asked for a particular public record, such as the contract for the Penns Valley Area School District superintendent; the three most recent grant applications submitted by Bellefonte; and the police blotter from state police at Rockview.
The surveyors were instructed to identify themselves as working for the CDT only if they were asked where they worked, and only after asking whether they needed to provide that information as a condition for access to the public record.
In some instances, Social Security numbers, phone numbers and addresses were redacted from documents provided by the agencies, which is permissible under the law. All 11 agencies included information on how to file a Right-to- Know Law request online, as required by law.
During a similar audit in 2005, employees of the Centre Daily Times were given full access in 14 of 18 requests for public records, partial access to two records and no access to the remaining two records. At that time, all four instances of less than full access occurred at police departments.