Requesting Public Records
Board Policy KBA: Public Records
What is a Public Record?
According to the Ohio Public Records Act, a “record” is any item that:
- Contains information stored on a fixed medium (such as paper, computer, file, etc.);
- Is created, received, or sent under the jurisdiction of a public office;
- and Document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the office.
In order for an item to be a public record, it must be “kept” by the public office (CMSD). That does not mean that the item must be “required” to be maintained by the public office before it will be deemed a public record. Rather, the item must simply be the type of item typically and actually retained by the office in the ordinary course of its business in order to carry out its duties and functions. If not, then the item is not “kept” and the public records office does not have an obligation to provide access to the item. If the item does not exist, the public records office will not have the obligation to provide access to that item or create the item to respond to a request.
Requesting Public Records
How To Request A Public Record?
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is now utilizing NextRequest as a public records portal for submitting all future public records requests. Currently outstanding requests have been uploaded and will be answered through the portal.
For all new requests, please create an account and submit your request by clicking the link below. You will receive an email notification to assess the status of your request. When your request is fulfilled, you will receive another notification to view and download all records.
https://clevelandmetroschoolsoh.nextrequest.com/
As the requester, you can always see the status of your request by signing into the Cleveland Metropolitan School District portal.
If you haven't already signed in, you may need to activate or setup your account to get started. Once your account is activated, you can communicate directly with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District through NextRequest.
By Mail:
Mail your request to:
Office of Legal Services – Public Records Request
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
1111 Superior Ave E, Suite 1800
Cleveland, OH 44114
* For transcripts and/or copy of diploma, please see the Transcript Request webpage.