CSI is committed to transparency and open government. The following constitutes the policy of the Colorado Charter School Institute (“CSI”) regarding requests for inspection of “public records” (“Request”) as that term is defined under the Colorado Open Records Act (“CORA”), C.R.S. § 24-72-201 et seq. The policy specifies how CORA will be applied in a uniform and reliable manner to ensure CSI complies with CORA in all respects and meets all statutory duties.
The provisions of this policy set forth rules for the inspection of public records for which CSI is the custodian. These rules are reasonably necessary for the protection of such records and the prevention of unnecessary interference with the regular discharge of the duties of the Custodian of Records (“Custodian”).
All CORA requests must comply with this policy. Please be advised that the Custodian is not obligated to act upon a CORA request unless and until the request meets the requirements of this policy.
Requirements for requesting to inspect records for CSI.
(1) All Requests must be submitted in writing to the Custodian. Requests made to any other person or office within CSI will not be accepted.
(2) Requests may be mailed, emailed or sent via facsimile. The date the request is “received” by the Custodian will be considered the “date of receipt.” A request is considered “received” by CSI the day an e-mail, fax or letter containing a request is opened. A request received after 4:30 p.m. or any day CSI is officially closed will be considered received as of the following working day. If a request is sent via e-mail to anyone other than the Custodian, or if the Custodian does not accept such an e-mail request, it will not be considered as received by CSI.
(3) All requests for records must be specific as to the records sought and the relevant dates. CSI shall not provide any student’s personally identifiable information that is confidential pursuant to state or federal law. See § 22-16-101, et. Seq., C.R.S.
(4) CSI will not be responsible for conducting analysis of records on behalf of a requestor.
Time for response to CORA requests that comply with this policy shall be as follows:
CSI shall make every effort to respond within three working days, as provided by § 24-72-203(3)(b), C.R.S. CSI may extend its response period up to seven working days if it finds extenuating circumstances exist and communicates that finding to the requestor in writing, as described in § 24-72-203(3)(b), C.R.S. The three working-day response time begins the first working day following receipt of the request.
Inspection of Records
If a requestor wishes to inspect available records in advance of receiving copies, such inspection shall be by appointment only during normal working hours. Such inspection shall occur on-site and may be supervised by a CSI representative.
The Custodian has the right to deny inspection of records in accordance with the provisions listed in 24-72-204 et seq.
Fees for Document Retrieval, Review and Copies of Release of Records
The first hour of staff time researching and retrieving requested records and up to 25 pages of printing will be provided for free. CSI will not charge a per-page fee for providing records in a digital or electronic format. If a requested record is stored in a digital format that is searchable, the custodian will provide a digital copy of the public record in a searchable format unless otherwise requested by the requestor. If the requested record is available in a digital format, the Custodian shall transmit a digital copy of the public record in a digital format by electronic mail or by another mutually agreed upon transmission method if the size of the record prevents transmission by electronic communication.
CSI will charge the requestor for all copying expenses in excess of 25 pages and actual costs associated with research and retrieval in excess of one hour, in accordance with § 24-72-205(5)(a) and (6)(a), C.R.S. If a records request requires more than mere retrieval of records—such as technical expertise to synthesize or reconfigure data or legal expertise from attorneys in order to identify how to comply with confidentiality requirements—CSI will charge the requestor for such costs, in accordance with the guidelines below. Any costs charged to a requestor shall not exceed the actual cost of producing the records, in accordance with § 24-72- 205(5)(a), C.R.S.
Prior to producing requested records, CSI will provide an estimate of the costs of production to the requestor. If the requestor does not wish to pay the fees, CSI can provide the requestor with information on how the request can be modified to reduce or eliminate the fees. After a requestor has agreed to the costs of production, CSI will keep the requestor informed if any additional costs are anticipated and will not incur any additional costs without the requestor’s prior consent. After producing the requested records, CSI will provide an invoice to the requestor. Costs must be paid in full before CSI provides the records unless alternative arrangements have been made.
CSI will charge for the actual costs of a request based on the following guidelines:
| Type of Request | Actual costs based on the below rates |
| Records requests that exceed 25 pages | $0.25 per page for all documents photocopied |
| Requests that require more than one hour of staff time for retrieval of records |
$30 per hour, after the first hour |
| Requests that require more than mere retrieval of records, such as technical expertise to synthesize or reconfigure data, apply unique suppression rules to remove identifiability and/or legal expertise to determine how to comply with confidentiality requirements |
Hourly rate of staff member (based on salary), attorney billable hourly rate, or contractor hourly rate, as applicable |
Subsequent to the posting of this policy, if CORA is amended to modify the maximum amount of any charges described above, the policy will be applied consistent with the provisions of such amendments.
Contacting the Custodian of Records
For more information, or to submit a CORA request, please include the requestor’s name, mailing and e-mail address, and contact the CSI Custodian at:
Address: State Services Building
1525 Sherman St., B76
Denver, CO 80203
Fax: 303-866-2530