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Grand Island Board of Education: District still hasn't responded to freedom of information request

Sat, Jan 13th 2018 07:00 am
By Larry Austin
Island Dispatch Editor
The Grand Island Central School District has so far failed to comply with a Freedom of Information Law request asking for information on two secret agreements the Board of Education passed at its Dec. 11 meeting.
The Island Dispatch sent the FOIL request Dec. 13 after the Board of Education passed two resolutions:
"PI 4. RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Grand Island Central School District hereby approves, as presented and revised, the first agreement discussed in the immediately preceding executive session of the board.
"PI 5. RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Grand Island Central School District hereby approves, as presented, the second agreement discussed in the immediately preceding executive session of the board."
The district has yet to provide the agreements in writing and by law had 20 days from the day of request to send the information or a reason for a denial of the FOIL request.
Dec. 19, Jude Kuehne, the district clerk and records access officer, acknowledged receipt of the FOIL request Dec. 13.
"We will respond as soon as practical which will be in approximately four weeks or 20 business days as we retrieve, review, and consult legal counsel about the disclosure of the records requested," Kuehne wrote.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Graham said after the meeting Dec. 11 that one of the secret agreements was approval of a sabbatical leave for Huth Road Elementary School Principal Kerri Nowak, who hasn't been on the job since the first week of September.
Without discussion on the substance of the resolutions, which were not on the meeting agenda, the BOE voted 4-3 on the first agreement and 7-0 on the second.
In making the FOIL request, the Dispatch asked, if for any reason any portion of the request is denied, that the district provide the reasons for the denial in writing and provide the name, address and email address of the person or body to whom an appeal should be directed.

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