Date:
11/21/2024
Subject:
Debra Schiel-Larson/ Indianola Community School District - Final Order
Opinion:
The Iowa Public Information Board
In re the Matter of: Debra Schiel-Larson, Complainant
Indianola Community School District, Respondent | Case Number: 23FC:0053 Final Order
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On March 1, 2023, the Complainant, Debra Schiel-Larson, filed formal complaint 23FC:0053, alleging that the Indianola Community School District (District) violated Iowa Code chapters 21 and 22.
Background
The Request
The District had been evaluating possible changes to the District’s logo and overall branding throughout the 2022-2023 school year. The Board had received periodic updates on the status of the process, with most of the updates related to hiring a third-party entity to assist the District with the logo and branding evaluation process.
On April 5, 2023, the Complainant submitted a public records request to the District for the following records related to the branding committee:
A digital copy of all records related to the Indianola Community School District’s Branding Effort. This includes but is not limited to original work on this topic prior to formation of the associated committee, all correspondence and documents, the school district’s consultant and their efforts, Branding Committee meeting packets, agendas, meeting minutes and records, . . . [and] the information that Superintendent Ted Ihns referenced recently at the Indianola Community School District’s Board meeting on March 21, 2023 with branding designs currently under consideration. Superintendent Ihns agreed to forward this information to the School Board members.
The stated timeframe for the request was from January 2, 2023, to the present.
The Complainant alleges that in responding to the request, the District violated Chapter 22 in two ways. First, the Complainant alleges that the records released did not include any of the attachments referenced in the emails the District released to her. Second, the Complainant alleges that although she requested records from January 2, 2023, to the present, the District failed to provide any records dated after March 2, 2023.
Procedural Status
IPIB accepted the Complaint on August 17, 2024, to work with the parties to further investigate the scope of records withheld and determine whether additional records exist that should have been or could be disclosed.
On March 21, 2024, the IPIB approved the Informal Resolution Report.
On May 3, 2024, the District submitted records to IPIB staff.
On May 21, 2024, IPIB staff provided all documents provided by the District to Ms. Schiel-Larson.
On June 13, 2024, Ms. Schiel-Larson stated that she did not agree that she had received all records pursuant to her request.
On June 27, Ms. Shiel-Larson stated the following were missing. Specifically, she stated that the request was for the District’s Branding “Effort,” which she believed was not inclusive only of the Branding Committee; the earliest records were November 2022 and the Informal Resolution included the timeframe of January 2022 through September 2023; she requested all communications and not just the branding committee; and no minutes or materials from the committee meetings had been included in the documents.
On August 12, the School provided the following additional search:
- To/From: All Board Members district email addresses and Superintendent Ted Ihn’s district email address (NOT from:(copier-no-reply@indianola.k12.ia.us)) and (from:(*@indianola.k12.ia.us))
- Date Range: January 2, 2022, through September 7, 2023
- Search Terms: brand OR branding OR logo
On August 27, 2024, the District reported the search terms resulted in over 500 emails identified as potentially responsive to the request and was concerned the review would take more than 15 hours.
On September 10, IPIB staff spoke with the District regarding the emails identified.
On September 16, the District agreed to review the 500+ emails identified to determine if there are any additional records within the group that should have been provided. These will be provided to IPIB by October 11. In response, Ms. Schiel-Larson has stated she does not believe this review will resolve her complaint.
On September 19, the IPIB agreed the District would review the 500+ emails and provide the responsive records to Ms. Schiel-Larson.
The District provided records to Ms. Schiel-Larson and IPIB staff the morning of IPIB’s meeting October 17. After a verbal report and information from the parties, IPIB reiterated if Ms. Schiel-Larson believed any additional records were not received as part of the last release, she could make a new, focused records request to the District. But, following receipt of the records, this complaint 23FC:0053 would be concluded.
Based on the IPIB’s direction on September 19 and October 17, the release of records on October 17 of relevant records responsive to Ms. Schiel-Larson’s request[1] from the search terms identified, this complaint should be dismissed as resolved.
Respectfully submitted,
Erika Eckley
[1] There was some additional communications between the parties regarding documents after the release.