Public Records Act Requests
Please Note – Student records are NOT public records.
Please contact your child's school for copies of student records. PUSD adheres to the California Public Records Act ( Gov. Code, §§ 6250 et seq.) and District Administrative Procedure (Section 6.71.1) in the fulfillment of public records requests.
Requests for public records of the District are processed by the Communications Department.
The Poway Unified School District is committed to transparent and open government practices. The District responds to requests for public records pursuant to the California Public Records Act (PRA), Government Code sections 6250 et seq.
For the most efficient response possible, all requests for public records should be emailed to Darl Danford, Legal Support Specialist, at ddanford@powayusd.com.
Requests may also be submitted verbally or in writing at the District Office, by phone at (858) 521-2706; or by mail at 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128.
As of August 1, 2022, PUSD is no longer utilizing a separate online portal for public records requests.
PUSD is subject to California laws relating to public records. All information contained in a PRA request, including a requester's information, is considered public record, and may be subject to public inspection, pursuant to Government Code Section 6252(e).
All forms of communication, including emails, phone records, and written records, sent or received by PUSD employees or elected officials, are subject to these laws. Unless otherwise exempted from the provisions of the California Public Records Act, senders and receivers of PUSD correspondence, including PRA requests, should presume that their information is a public record subject to release upon request. PRA requests can be made anonymously; however requesters are strongly encouraged to provide at least some contact information so PUSD staff may communicate important information, or ask questions to gain clarification about the request.
Process & TImeline for receiving public records
Per Government Code section 6253, PUSD will respond within 10 days from receipt of a public records request as to whether disclosable public records exist. In some cases, a 14-day extension to respond may be necessary. If PUSD determines non-exempt, disclosable public records exist, they will be made available within a reasonable timeframe and following the required payment, if applicable, for copies of such records. (There is no fee for documents provided electronically.)
The "10-day" and "14-day extension" language in the California PRA is commonly misperceived as the time frame in which to produce documents; however, that is not that case. The PRA specifically states the agency must respond within 10 days (or 24 days if extended by 14 days) to notify the requester simply whether records exist and will be disclosed.
The length of time it takes to receive requested documents depends on the types and volume of documents being requested, the scope of the request and our current workload. Depending on the type and volume of records requested, documents may be made available in as short as 48 hours or as long as several months.
PUSD will make every effort to provide responsive records in a reasonable timeframe.