蜜桃影视

Read all about it in the New York Post. The pugnacious tabloid appears to be the only outlet reporting that alleging that the city Department of Education violated state law by improperly extending due dates 鈥� for as long as 20 months 鈥� when responding to Post reporters鈥� public records requests.

: the DOE provided the documents sought by the Post and published new guidelines for how it responds to all state Freedom of Information Law requests. But there may be a small reveal about the origin of the revised guidelines, which the department called 鈥減art of our ongoing work鈥� when it announced them last September but may owe more to the tabloid鈥檚 influence than it has acknowledged. The DOE has been widely criticized for its lack of transparency.

The Post鈥檚 suit, filed in August 2016, faulted the DOE for delays and said its rules for handling FOIL requests violated the law, particularly in allowing city education officials to extend the deadline of a request every 20 business days. The state official charged with overseeing FOIL called this practice 鈥渢errible.鈥�

Last September, 蜜桃影视 found that more 200 requests submitted between 2014 and 2016 remained unanswered. The Post鈥檚 lawsuit involved 12 different requests for information, ranging from extended teacher absence data to bus driver misconduct records.

While the case was pending, the DOE drew up that were ratified in November. They specify that the department will provide a 鈥渞easonable date鈥� for responses that require additional time and give those who file poorly worded or cumbersome requests an opportunity to edit them.

The language in the settlement stipulation is careful about imputing credit to the Post for the DOE changes, saying the department collected input 鈥渇rom multiple sources, including discussions with the Post.鈥� It describes the amended guidelines as having 鈥渋ncorporated many of the suggestions that it received from the Post and from other sources.鈥�

鈥淲e listened to feedback about our FOIL process from various stakeholders, including members of the public,鈥� DOE spokesman Doug Cohen said. He said he disagreed with Post lawyer Jeremy Chase, who described the tabloid as having made a 鈥渟ignificant contribution鈥� to the new regulations.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 characterize it that way,鈥� Cohen said. The DOE had already begun to consider updates when the lawsuit was filed, he said.

But Chase and Post reporters involved with the case who spoke to 蜜桃影视 maintained that the DOE revisions closely tracked a 鈥渨ish list鈥� of fixes suggested by the paper during year-long negotiations, including improved communication when requests were filed and ending the 鈥渋nstitutionalization of extension letters.鈥�

鈥淲e did think it was somewhat odd when they announced the Chancellor鈥檚 Regulations revisions without even telling us,鈥� the lawyer noted.

鈥淭he fact remains that their Chancellor鈥檚 Regulation would have not have changed had the Post not filed this lawsuit and engaged in over a year of negotiations with the DOE.鈥�

Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government, concurred. 鈥淚 think the threat of the lawsuit was the precipitating factor. It was the impetus.鈥�

The settlement also allows the Post to seek legal fees, indicating the court is willing to rule on whether the newspaper should have needed to bring legal action at all.

The Post鈥檚 complaint said DOE officials were engaged in a 鈥減attern and practice鈥� of 鈥渦nilaterally granting themselves extensions of time鈥� that left reporters 鈥渋n limbo 鈥� their requests neither granted nor denied 鈥� with the only certainty being the receipt of another monthly Form Delay Letter from Respondents gifting themselves more time and abdicating their statutory duty.鈥�

The 12 requests singled out in the complaint each went unfilled for at least six months. As it happens, in a 2013 report published while he was public advocate, Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke of requests that 鈥渉ad not received an approval or denial determination after six months of waiting,鈥� concluding that 鈥渢hese non-responses represent de facto denials鈥� 鈥� a position that, if in force today, might trigger hundreds of lawsuits.

Whether DOE officials conceived of the new policies or had changes thrust upon them, many legal observers and advocates believe the agency has taken a step in the right direction. Some say delays won鈥檛 meaningfully improve, however, unless the department considerably increases staff in its records office.

Nor does it appear that existing requests have been expedited. The advocacy group StudentsFirstNY, which is critical of de Blasio鈥檚 stewardship of city schools, says it hasn鈥檛 received responses to seven separate requests dating back at least a year.

蜜桃影视鈥檚 request for teacher misconduct records, submitted in April 2016, has not been yet been filled despite a letter from DOE General Counsel Howard Friedman promising delivery by Jan. 31, 2018. The DOE subsequently extended the due date to April 30.

With every fix comes new workarounds. 蜜桃影视 submitted a request in late February for a list of open FOIL requests filed since the new rules went into effect. In its reply, the records office said it would fill the request on March 30.

In April, 蜜桃影视 received a letter that extended the date to June 21.

It鈥檚 possible that, facing less pliable deadlines, the DOE will be tempted to respond by selecting more distant dates, eroding some of the benefit of ending the delay letter process.

The Post complaint said that during those repeated delays 鈥渢he Petitioners and the public are left in the dark about the workings and failings of their government.鈥�

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