A company called Allium Data has recently requested public records from several schools. We expect that more of you will also receive these requests. Allium Data is a private company that gathers and reports data on the insurance industry. The request asks for:

“1. A copy of the last property & casualty insurance renewal summary for all lines of insurance purchased by the school district (general liability, auto, workers comp, professional, directors and officers, etc.). This document summarizes the insurance terms, limits, deductibles, premium and exclusions.

2. A copy of the last employee benefits insurance renewal summary for health, dental and vision plans sponsored by the school district. This document shows plan options available to the district’s employees and the pricing for employee, employee plus spouse, employee plus family.”

These two requests are straightforward and there are no exemptions that allow the district to withhold the records described. If you receive this request from Allium Data, you should treat it as you would any other public records request. First, you should identify whether you have the record so that you can provide the requester with written acknowledgment of the request within five (5) business days. This acknowledgment should provide the requester with one of three answers: (1) yes, we have the record; (2) no, we do not have the record; or (3) we do not know whether we have the requested record.

Districts should complete the response to a records request within 15 business days of receiving the request unless there are circumstances that justify a delay. If you fail to complete the response to a records request within 15 business days, you should give the requester written notification of a reasonable estimated date of completion. Usually, a response to a records request is complete when you have provided all requested records and/or statements explaining what records were not provided or why information was redacted from the records provided.

If you receive the above requests, we recommend providing the requested records without unreasonable delay. If you have any questions about responding to this or another public records request, please contact your school’s general counsel or PACE Legal Services at pacelegal@osba.org or (503) 485-4900.