Memorandum #311 Right-to-know Act

January 5, 2009
Revised: September 26, 2022
Policy Owner: General Counsel
Approved by: President

I. Purpose

Community College of Philadelphia recognizes the importance of public records as the record of the College’s actions and the repository of information about the College. The public has the right to access and procure copies of public records, with certain exceptions, subject to law, Board and administrative policies.

II. Delegation of Responsibility

The College designates the General Counsel as its Right-to-Know Officer, who shall serve as the College's open records officer as defined in Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Act. The Right-to-Know officer shall be responsible to:

1. Receive written requests for access to records submitted to the College.
2. Review and respond to written requests in accordance with law, Board and administrative policies.
3. Direct requests to other appropriate individuals in the College or to the appropriate persons in another agency.
4. Track the College’s progress in responding to requests, including but not limited to noting the date of receipt on the written request, computing the day on which the five-day response period expires and making a notation of that date on the written or electronic copy of a request.
5. Issue interim and final responses to submitted requests including computing the day on which extension of a thirty days to respond expires. If a written request for access to a record is denied, the mailing date of the Right-to-Know Officer’s response shall be noted on the written denial.
6. Maintain a log of all record requests and their dispositions.
7. Maintain a file for each request and all documents submitted with the request, including but not limited to the original request, a copy of the response(s), a record of written communications with the requester, and a copy of any other communications. The file should be maintained for a period of two years unless a longer retention period is required by law or legal hold.
8. Ensure College staff are trained to perform assigned job functions relative to requests for access to records.

III. Guidelines

If their request is granted, requesters may access and procure copies of the public records of the College during the College's regular business hours.

A requester’s right of access does not include the right to remove a record from the control or supervision of the Right-to-Know Officer.

The Right-to-Know Officer shall not limit the number of records requested or made available for inspection or duplication.

When responding to a request for access, the College is not required to create a record that does not exist nor to compile, maintain, format or organize a record in a manner which the College does not currently use.

Information shall be made available to individuals with disabilities in an appropriate format, upon request and with sufficient advance notice.

The College shall post at the Right-to-Know Officer’s office and on the College’s website, the following information:

1. Contact information for the Right-to-Know Officer;
2. Contact information for the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records;
3. The form which may be used to file a request; and
4. Policy, guidelines and procedures governing requests for access to the College’s public records.

Request For Access

A written request for access to a public record shall be submitted on the required form and addressed to the Right-to-Know Officer.

Written requests may be submitted to the Right-to-Know Officer in person, by mail, to the designated email address ( ), or by facsimile to 215-972-6295.

The Right-to-Know Officer will not accept verbal or telephonic requests.

The Right-to-Know Officer may not accept written, anonymous requests. Each request must include the following information:

1. Identification or description of the requested record in sufficient detail/specificity;
2. Medium in which the record is requested; and
3. Name and address of the individual to receive the College’s response.

The College may not deny a requester access to a public record due to the intended use of the public record by the requester, unless otherwise provided by law.

Fees

The College may impose reasonable fees associated with responding to requests for public records.  The fees will be consistent with the Right to Know Law and the fee schedule set forth by the Office of Open Records available here.

No fee may be imposed for review of a record to determine whether the record is subject to access under law. Prior to granting access, the Right-to-Know Officer may require prepayment of estimated fees when the fees required to fulfill the request are expected to exceed $100.

The Right-to-Know Officer may waive duplication fees in the Officer’s discretion, including but not limited to when the requester duplicates the record or the College deems it is in the public interest to do so.

Response To Request

College employees must immediately forward requests for access to public records to the Right-to-Know Officer.

Upon receipt of a written request for access to a record, the Right-to-Know Officer shall determine if the requested record is a public record and if the College has possession, custody or control of that record.

The Right-to-Know Officer shall respond as promptly as possible under the existing circumstances, and the initial response time shall not exceed five (5) business days from the date the written request is received by the Right-to-Know Officer.

The initial response shall grant access to the requested record, deny access to the requested record, partially grant and partially deny access to the requested record, or notify the requester of the need for an extension of time to fully respond. Alternatively, if the Right-to-Know Officer determines that the College is not in possession of the requested records, the Right-to-Know Officer may respond by notifying the requester that the request was misdirected, and directing the requester to the office or agency that possesses the record or can otherwise respond to the request, if known.

If the College fails to send a response within five (5) business days of receipt of the written request, the written request shall be deemed denied.

Extension Of Time

If the Right-to-Know Officer determines that an extension of time is required to respond to a request, in accordance with the factors stated in law, written notice shall be sent within five (5) business days of receipt of the written request. The notice shall indicate that the request for access is being reviewed, the reason for the review, a reasonable date when the response is expected, and, if applicable, an estimate of applicable fees owed when the record becomes available. Where this policy requires that “written notice” be provided, this shall include but is not limited to notice sent by the use of electronic mail or facsimile transmission.

Where this policy requires that “written notice” be provided, this shall include but is not limited to notice sent by the use of electronic mail or facsimile transmission.

The Right-to-Know Officer may invoke a thirty (30) day extension as permitted by the Right to Know Law without consent from the requester. Extensions beyond thirty (30) days require the requester’s consent.

Granting Of Request

If the Right-to-Know Officer determines that the request will be granted, the response shall inform the requester that access is granted and either include information on the regular business hours of the Right-to-Know Officer during which the record may be accessed, provide electronic access, or state where the requester may go to inspect the records or information electronically at a publicly accessible site.

A public record shall be provided to the requester in the medium requested if it exists in that form; otherwise, it shall be provided in its existing medium. However, the College is not required to permit use of its computers.

If the Right-to-Know Officer responds to a records request by notifying the requester that the record will be available through publicly accessible electronic means or that the College shall provide access to inspect the record electronically; the requester may, within thirty (30) days following receipt of the College’s notice, submit a written request to have the record converted to paper. The College shall provide access in printed form within five (5) days of receipt of the request for conversion to paper.

If the Right-to-Know Officer determines that a public record contains information both subject to and not subject to access, the Right-to-Know Officer shall grant access to the information subject to access and deny access to the information not subject to access. The Right-to-Know Officer shall redact from the record the information that is not subject to access.

If the Right-to-Know Officer responds to a requester that a copy of the requested record is available for delivery at the office maintained by the Right-to-Know Officer and the requester does not retrieve the record within sixty (60) days of the College’s response, the College shall dispose of the copy and retain any fees paid to date.

The Right-to-Know Officer, after consultation with the College President may make an otherwise exempt record accessible for inspection and copying if all of the following apply: (1) disclosure of the record is not prohibited under any (i) Federal or State law or regulation or (ii) Judicial order or decree; (2) the record is not protected by a privilege; and (3) the College President determines that the public interest favoring access outweighs any individual, agency or public interest that may favor restriction of access.

Notification To Third Parties

When the College produces a record that is not a public record in response to a request, the Right-to-Know Officer shall notify any third party that provided the record to the College, any person that is the subject of the record, and the requester.

The Right-to-Know-Officer shall notify a third party in writing of a record request if the requested record was provided by the third party and the third party included a written statement signed by a representative of the third party that the record contains a trade secret or confidential or proprietary information. In these circumstances, the Right-to-Know Officer shall notify the third party within five (5) business days of receiving the request. The written notice to the third party will advise that the third party has five (5) business days from the date the third party receives notification from the College to provide input on the release of the record. Within five (5) business days of receiving the request, the Right-to-Know Officer may also provide written notice of the need for a thirty (30) day extension of time to the requester.

The College will review the third party's submission to determine whether or not access should be granted, and will deny the request or release the record within ten (10) business days of provision of notice to the third party. The College will notify the third party of its decision to grant or deny the request. Release of information previously designated as containing a trade secret or confidential proprietary information should only be made after review by the College's General Counsel.

Denial Of Request

If the Right-to-Know Officer denies a request for access to a record, whether in whole or in part, the denial must be in writing. The response denying the request shall include the following:

1. Description of the record requested.
2. Specific reasons for denial, including a citation of supporting legal authority.
3. Name, title, business address, business telephone number, and signature of the Right-to-Know Officer on whose authority the denial is issued.
4. Date of the response.
5. Procedure for the requester to appeal a denial of access.

In addition to the other permissible reasons for denying a request under the Right to Know Law, the Right-to-Know Officer may deny a request for access to a record if the requester has made repeated requests for that same record and the repeated requests have placed an unreasonable burden on the College. The Right-to-Know Officer may also deny a request for access to a record when timely access is not possible due to a disaster, or when access may cause physical damage or irreparable harm to the record. To the extent possible, a record's contents shall be made accessible even when the record is physically unavailable.

If a written request for access to a record is denied or deemed denied, the requester may file an appeal with the state's Office of Open Records within fifteen (15) business days of the mailing or transmittal date of the Open Records Officer's response or within fifteen (15) business days of a deemed denial.

Appeals may be filed in person or via postal mail to the Office of Open Records:
Office of Open Records
333 Market Street, 16th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 19120

Appeals may also be filed via fax at (717) 425-5343, via email to , or by using the online form available here.