Earlier this month, students in Mercer University’s Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism sent open records requests to agencies in Macon-Bibb, Houston, Jones and Monroe counties in an effort to check their compliance with Georgia’s law and gauge their accessibility to members of the public. You can see a list of all the grades here.

Agency: Jones County Schools

Records that were requested:  I requested a copy of the contract between Jones County Schools and PrologicITS for AV Equipment and Installation in the gym of Gray Elementary.

When do you first hear back from the agency? I filed the request on Oct. 1, and I heard back on the same day. 

Did agency request a fee? The agency did not request a fee. 

Describe the response: The response was brief. They informed me there would be no fee attached, and I received the records in the first response. They said “In response to your Open Records Request below, please refer to the attached document.  There will be no associated fee for the attached record.”

Assign a grade for contact/process:  I would give them an F, as I was unable to find information on how to contact them about an open records request. I was only able to get contact them through a generic web contact form on their website.

Assign a grade for response: They would receive an A when it comes to their response. They responded three hours after I sent my request, and gave me the requested information on the same day. 

Grading scale for the ease of contacting agency staff and finding or filing for public records.

A: Agency uses an online portal or has a clearly defined process or contact on its website for requesting public records. An “A” agency may also readily provide the most commonly  requested records on its website, including agendas and meeting minutes.

B: Agency has some public information online such as meeting agendas or meeting times, but additional information on how to request public information is not available. There is contact information available for staff.

C: Agency website has contact information for staff but nothing specific about how to request public information.

D: Agency has limited contact information on its website but it is not clearly labeled and/or easily accessible.

F: Agency contact information or how to get public records is not available on the website. 

Grade scale for agency’s overall responsiveness and compliance with open records law

A: Provided records within the three-day window or less.

B Acknowledgedf the request within the three-day requirement, but records were provided after three days.

C:  Acknowledged the request but then put forth a long timetable for response or requested a high fee or retrieval price for what should be a digital record and/or PDF that could be emailed.

D: Acknowledged the request but no further information or follow-up.

F:  No response.

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