FOIA Requests

A great deal of information about the school district is available on our website. If you are unsure how to navigate our website, use the search bar (click on the magnifying glass) located in the upper-right corner of this webpage.  If you are uncertain about which webpage(s), or actual records contain the information you want to request, complete a request for information ONLINE. 

Please note: certain records are exempt from disclosure under FOIA or other statutes and are not available for public inspection (S.C. Code Section 30-40-4).  The school district is not required to create a public record when one does not exist.

How Searches are Performed and Fee Schedule

Requesters should provide the exact search terms to be utilized so the district can accurately estimate the scope of work associated with the request. In an average month, the district sends and receives almost 2.9 million emails. Thus, broad combinations of search terms frequently pull emails unrelated to the requestor’s intended search. The more explicit the request is, the more accurate the results will be. The IT department cannot attempt to narrow down the searches as to not unintentionally eliminate any emails that the requestor may want. 

For example, a list of terms should be in an “AND” or “OR” statement but can also be both. AND/OR statements should also be included in the request for email addresses and dates requested. 

For example, If you want emails which are from John Smith or Jane Williams and have one of the following terms, cafeteria, lunch, or food, that were sent sometime in the month of October 2022, the request would be written in the following way:

From Jane Williams OR John Smith

AND

Terms to include (cafeteria OR lunch OR food)

AND

during the month of October 2022

The more terms listed in an “OR” statement, the more emails will be retrieved.  And by contrast, the more terms in an “AND” statement the more the search will limit results. Again, the more detailed the request the better.

According to S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-30, "The fee for the search, retrieval, or redaction of records shall not exceed the prorated hourly salary of the lowest paid employee who, in the reasonable discretion of the custodian of the records, has the necessary skill and training to perform the request."

The BCSD charges only for its costs to fulfill each request. FOIA requests can be answered without charge when the request requires a minimal and/or reasonable amount of employee time and photocopying expense.

For requests which require a fee, a cost estimate of hours will be sent to the requestor.  Requestors are required to pay a deposit of 25% in advance before the request will be fulfilled. Payment is required in full before the public records are released to the requestor.

Service	Cost
Printed Copies of Records	$0.10 per page
USB Drive	$10.00 each
Search, Retrieval, and Redactions for Records*	Search, retrieval, and redaction costs of records will be charged at the prorated hourly salary of the lowest paid employee who, in the reasonable discretion of the custodian of the records, has the necessary skill and training to perform the search, retrieval, and, if appropriate, redaction. Records requests involving specialized, technical, or confidential information, or otherwise requiring redaction, will in many cases require an employee with a higher salary to perform the search, retrieval, and/or redaction. The fee rate, accordingly, will vary based on the nature of the records requested, depending on the necessary skill and training level necessary. (The fee schedule may vary from time to time as hourly wages, salaries, and commercially reasonable copying costs change.)
Computer/Mainframe Costs	Actual Cost
Postage expense of $2.00 or more	Actual Cost

 

All requests will be responded to within the time required by South Carolina law. The initial response will notify the requestor as to whether the requested information will be released or withheld due to a specific exemption in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).