HCPSS MPIA Request #2019-048

Requested Information
I request the contents of all direct messages, from 2017 and 2018, sent to and from the following five Twitter accounts which are the property of HCPSS as defined in BOE Policy 8080 Section IV.C.1: @mjmsuper; @BillJBarnes; @marcyleonard315; @PrincipalNovak; @PMSmrWhite
Date Received
Status
Complete
Response Notes

HCPSS Policy 8080 defines Professional Social Media Accounts as those accounts “created by an employee for HCPSS-sanctioned activities.” Several of the accounts mentioned above were created by employees for their own personal purposes, however, the content of direct messages on either professional or personal accounts could in fact be responsive under the MPIA when “created or received by a school system official in connection with the transaction of HCPSS business” as defined in HCPSS Policy 3050: Records Management, and were made or received “by a unit or instrumentality in connection with the transaction of public business” as defined under MPIA GP § 4-101(j). As such, we have asked each account manager to supply those records on the requested accounts which would be considered public records for review and release under the MPIA. The account manager for @mjmsuper indicates there are no existing direct messages on the account. The account manager for @BillJBarnes indicates there are no direct messages on the account that fall within the definition of a public record. Additional review needed to release direct messages under @PrincipalNovak.

Responsive Documents
The account manager for @marcyleonard315 indicates there are 11 direct messages on the account that fall within the definition of a public record – those are attached here. One portion of a responsive record has been redacted as the content does not relate to the transaction of HCPSS business per MPIA GP § 4-101(j).
The account manager for @PMSmrWhite indicates there are two direct messages on the account that fall within the definition of a public record – those are attached here. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which restricts access to student records, and MPIA GP § 4-313, which prevents disclosure of school district records pertaining to individual students, we have redacted personally identifiable information of involved students from these records.

*Some request language is summarized to include the requester's specific document requests and legally protected information (such as personally identifiable information of a student) or personal, defamatory and malicious content removed at the discretion of the school system.

**Responses containing legally protected information available only to the person of interest are omitted from the above report.

***Howard County Public Schools reserves the right to remove erroneous or outdated documents from this site.