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Should you have question regarding the open records request process or a request you have submitted, email brian.roberts@wosc.edu

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Open Records Request Form

OPEN RECORDS ACT POLICY, PROCEDURE, AND FEE SCHEDULE

POLICY – Open Records Act

Statement of Policy

91��Ƶ�� (“the College”) is subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act and is committed to transparency and public accountability by providing access to public records as required by law.

The College shall make available for inspection, copying, and/or mechanical reproduction those records required to be disclosed under the Act during regular business hours. Access to records shall be provided promptly and within a reasonable time, consistent with the nature of the request and the College’s operational responsibilities. Although there is no statutory deadline for providing requested information, the College will provide a prompt, reasonable response.�� Promptness and reasonableness will be determined by the nexus between the amount of information requested and the time required for preparation of the requested information will be directly related to the reasonable fee payment required.

The College shall deny access to records that are exempt from disclosure under the Oklahoma Open Records Act or other applicable state or federal laws.

To ensure the integrity, security, and organization of institutional records, and to minimize disruption to essential College functions, all requests shall be processed in accordance with established procedures.

The College may assess fees for copying, reproduction, and search services in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act and the College’s approved Open Records Act Fee Schedule.

Exempt Records

Records exempt from disclosure under the Oklahoma Open Records Act or other applicable laws shall not be made available for public inspection or copying. Such records include, but are not limited to:

• Certain personnel records
• Personal notes and materials created by public officials
• Litigation files and investigative reports
• Records required by federal law to remain confidential
• Certain student educational records (in accordance with applicable privacy laws)
• Certain research materials
• Teacher lesson plans, tests, and other teaching material
• Individual student records
• Personal communications about individual students
• Material gathered in anticipation or preparation for a trial or adversarial administrative proceeding
• Records protected under law, such as attorney-client and physician-patient
• Records of meetings that occurred during lawfully closed meetings as authorized under the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act
• Personnel records of individuals relating to internal personnel management considerations and including examination and selection material for employment, hiring, appointment, promotion, performance evaluations, discipline, resignation or retirement
• Personnel records that would constitute an invasion of personal privacy.���� This category includes employee evaluations, payroll deductions, and employment applications submitted by persons not hired
• Contents of sealed bids prior to date established for public opening
• Computer software and programs
• Donor records
• Records controlled by confidentiality agreements
• Proprietary records, such as patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and competitive athletic program information and data.

PROCEDURE – Open Records Act

Request for Records

Requests for records under the Oklahoma Open Records Act must be submitted to the College’s designated Open Records On-line Request Form and must clearly and specifically identify the records requested.

The College may request clarification if a request is unclear or overly broad.

Upon receipt of a request, the College will respond within a reasonable time. The initial response may include:

• Confirmation of receipt
• An estimate of applicable fees
• An estimated timeframe for fulfillment

The College may require a reasonable deposit prior to processing requests that involve significant time or expense.

Fees

Fees for records requests shall be assessed in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act and the fee schedule set forth below.

Search fees may be assessed only when:

• The request is made for a commercial purpose; or
• The request would cause excessive disruption to the College’s essential functions

Examples of commercial purpose include use or purpose furthering commercial, trade, or profit interest of the requestor in addition to direct or indirect use for sale, resale, lease, subscription, solicitation, or advertisement for sales or services.

Search fees shall not be charged when disclosure is determined to be in the public interest, including requests from:

• News media
• Scholars or authors
• Individuals seeking to evaluate the performance of public officials

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OPEN RECORDS ACT FEE SCHEDULE

91��Ƶ�� (“Western”) assesses fees for records requests as follows:

Copies

• Black & White (up to 8½” x 14”) – $0.25 per page
• Color Copies – $0.50 per page
• Certified Copies – $1.00 per page
• Digital Copies – $0.15 per page
• Flash Drive (provided by Western) – Actual cost plus $5.00

To protect Western’s information technology systems, external flash drives provided by requesters will not be accepted.

Search Fee*

• Clerk / Paralegal / Legal Assistant / Clerical / Administrative ��– $55.00 per hour
• Attorney / Professional – $85.00 per hour

A minimum search fee of $55.00 will be charged for any request that:

• Is made for a commercial purpose; or
• Is sufficiently large or complex that it would cause excessive disruption to Western’s essential functions

In such cases, the minimum search fee must be paid prior to initiating the search.

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Legal Review & Redaction Fee*

• Clerk / Paralegal / Legal Assistant – $55.00 per hour
• Attorney – $85.00 per hour

Prior to assessing any legal review or redaction fees, Western will provide the requester with an estimate of the time required and the total anticipated cost.

Additional Costs

• All charges are subject to applicable sales tax, unless the requester provides valid proof of tax-exempt status under federal or state law
• Requests requiring mailing will include postage and shipping costs

General Provisions

* Hourly fees will be billed in quarter-hour increments

Western reserves the right to require advance payment or deposits for requests involving significant costs, including search, review, or reproduction

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Adopted: April 21, 2026
Filed Jackson County Clerk’s Office:�� April 22, 2026