Records & Research Requests

The division is committed to providing access to public information while protecting the privacy rights of students and staff.

Whether you are requesting student records, seeking access to public records under Virginia FOIA, or submitting a proposal to conduct research within the division, this page includes information to help you identify the appropriate process and requirements.

Student Records Requests

Request transcripts, education verifications, or other student records for current or former students. Student records are protected by federal privacy laws and may only be released to authorized individuals.

Submit Student Records Request

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Public Records Requests

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) guarantees Virginia citizens media representatives access to public records.

Public records are considered any writing or recording - regardless of whether it is a paper record, an electronic file, an audio or video recording or any other format - prepared or owned by, or in the possession of a public body or its officers, employees or agents in the transaction of public business. All public records are presumed to be open, and may only be withheld if a specific, statutory is properly invoked.

School Board Policy KBA - Requests for Information

Superintendent Regulation KBA - Requests for Information

Your FOIA Rights

You have the right to request to inspect or receive copies of public records, or both.
You have the right to request that any charges for the requested records be estimated in advance.
If you believe that your FOIA rights have been violated, you may file a petition in district or circuit court to compel compliance with FOIA. Alternatively, you may contact the FOIA Council for a nonbinding advisory opinion.

Making a Request for Records

You may request public records by mail, email, phone, or in person. FOIA does not require you specifically reference FOIA or submit your request in writing.
While not required, submitting your request in writing can help avoid misunderstandings and create a record of when the request is made.
Please describe the records you seek as clearly as possible so staff can identify and locate the records. Reasonable specificity" is considered a common-sense standard, but does not limit the volume or number of records you are requesting
FOIA applies to existing public records maintained by the division. It gives you the right to inspect or copy records. FOIA does not require the division to create new records or compile information not already in existence. Additionally, general questions do not fall within the scope of FOIA.
You may choose to receive electronic records in any format used by the Board in the regular course of business.

If we need additional information to identify the records you are seeking, a staff member may contact you for clarification. Working together to clarify requests helps ensure you receive the records you need as efficiently as possible. To request records from the Board, you may direct your request to the division’s FOIA Officer, Jennifer Test, 302 Dare Road, Yorktown, Virginia 23692, 757-898-0314.

Submit a FOIA Request Online

Types of Records

The division maintains variety of records related to the operation of public schools and the administration of division programs and services. Examples include:

School Board agendas, minutes, policies, and supporting documents
Budget, financial, purchasing, and audit records
Contracts, agreements, and procurement records
Personnel and employment records
Enrollment, attendance, discipline, and academic statistics
Curriculum, instructional, and assessment records
School safety, transportation, facilities, and operations records
Reports, studies, and other records created or received in the course of conducting division business

Some records may be exempt from disclosure under state or federal law, including records containing confidential student, personnel, or other protected information.

Common Records Exemptions

The Code of Virginia allows any public body to withhold certain records from public disclosure. The following records are typically withheld by the York County School Division:

Personnel records (§ 2.2-3705.1 (1) of the Code of Virginia)
Student records and testing materials (§ 2.2-3705.4 (1) of the Code of Virginia)
Records subject to attorney-client privilege (§ 2.2-3705.1 (2)) or attorney work product (§ 2.2-3705.1 (3))
Vendor proprietary information (§ 2.2-3705.1 (6))
Records relating to the negotiation and award of a contract, prior to a contract being awarded (§ 2.2-3705.1 (12))

It is the general policy of the Board to use the following common exemptions:

personnel records, whenever it applies to protect the privacy of employees and officials of the Board.
student records, whenever it applies in order to protect the privacy of YCSD students.
attorney-client privilege and attorney work product records, in those instances where it applies in order to protect written advice of legal counsel, legal memoranda and other work product compiled specifically for use in litigation or administrative investigations
contract negotiations, whenever they apply in order to protect the Board’s bargaining position and negotiating strategy
vendor proprietary information, whenever it applies in order to protect vendor proprietary information software that may be in the official records of a public body.

How We Respond to FOIA Requests

FOIA requires the division to respond to requests within five working days, beginning the day after the request is received. The five-day period does not include weekends or holidays.
You do not have to explain why you are requesting. However, FOIA does allow the division to require you to provide your name and legal address.
Within five working days, the division will take one of the following actions:
- Provide the requested records in their entirety.
- Provide some of the records and withhold others. If portions of a record are exempt from disclosure, those portions will be redacted. Any withheld information will be accompanied by the applicable exemption under Virginia law.
- Withhold all requested records. If all records are exempt from disclosure, the division will provide a written response citing the applicable exemption(s).
- Inform you, in writing, that the requested records cannot be found or do not exist. (However, if another public body may have the requested records, we will provide contact information when available.
- Notify you that additional time is needed. If it is practically impossible for staff to respond to your request within the five-day period, we will explain the conditions requiring the division to invoke a seven working days extension to respond to your request, giving us a total of 12 working days to respond to your request.

For unusually large or complex requests, Virginia law allows the division to seek additional time through the courts. Before doing so, we will make reasonable efforts to work with you to narrow or adjust the request and establish a mutually acceptable timeline for providing the records.

Costs

Public bodies are allowed to recover the actual costs associated with responding to records requests. These costs may include staff time spent searching for, reviewing, duplicating, and providing records.

The division strives to provide records at the lowest possible cost. Charges will not include general overhead or other costs unrelated to fulfilling your request.

Before beginning work on your request, the division will notify you that fees may apply and offer the opportunity to receive a cost estimate. Reviewing an estimate in advance may help you decide whether to proceed with, modify, or narrow your request.

If the estimated cost of responding to your request exceeds $200, the division may require a deposit before processing the request. The time between requesting and receiving the deposit is not counted toward FOIA response deadlines.

If payment for a previous FOIA request remains unpaid for more than 30 days, the division may require payment of the outstanding balance before processing a new request.

Questions About Virginia FOIA?

Submit a FOIA Request Online

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Research Requests

The York County School Division receives multiple requests from individual and organizations to conduct research studies each year. While YCSD recognizes the benefit of instructional research programs and strives to support as many requests as possible, the division must ensure that research studies and surveys do not interfere with instruction or require excessive pupil or staff time.

External research is defined as research initiated by individuals not employed by the school system or by division employees who want to perform research for non-job-related purposes (e.g., research required by a college course).

The following guidelines describe the general principles underlying the review process and the procedure to follow in submitting a research proposal for review.

Research Requirements

Each request must include the following information before the request can be reviewed:

Research topic
Purpose of study
Documentation of approval to conduct research from school of record
Research methodology & data to be collected (including copies of surveys & survey questions)
Expected completion date of the final report
Participation needs
Relevance and value of research to YCSD

The division is not responsible for identifying participants or facilitating contact with staff or students. Once the researcher has received an approval letter, it will be the researcher's responsibility to contact the school staff cited in the application and make arrangements with appropriate personnel for the implementation of the research project.

Requests will be reviewed by the division's review committee September 1, December 1 and March 1. Please submit applications prior to these dates to ensure prompt review.

Application Evaluation Components

Relevance: The research proposal's correlation to mission and goals of the school division

Value: Demonstrable evidence of the research proposal's clear, direct and immediate benefit to the division in terms of informing educational practice.

Compliance: The division is very limited in the ability to provide student data. All requests must meet federal regulations concerning student records, privacy, and participation in research studies (see FERPA, HIPPA, PPRA). Our main goal is to protect the rights of our students and their families from unauthorized or inappropriate access to them and their school records for research purposes.

Burden: The division will only accommodate research that requires a reasonable amount of time and effort from division staff. Requests to conduct research during regular instructional time must correlate to approved YCSD curriculum and current instructional practices within the division. Research should not take time away from instructional activities. *Research proposals that require parental consent will not be approved.

Request Process

Submit Research Request