CITIZEN ADVOCACY CENTER

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

 

LESSON PLAN AND ACTIVITIES

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 Grade Level:  9 -12

 

Subjects: 

 

Duration: 1 session

 

Description: Students will learn about the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and its practical uses in community activism.

 

Goals:

ISBE Standards:

1.      Social Science

·        14A:  Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government.

·        14B:  Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

·        14D:  Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups in the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

 

2. Language Arts

·        1B:  Apply reading strategies to improve understanding and fluency

·        1C:  Comprehend a broad range of reading materials

·        3A: Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure

·        3B:  Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences.

·        3C:  Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes

·        4A:  Listen effectively in formal and informal situation

·        4B:  Speak effectively using language appropriate to the situation and audience

·        5A:  Locate, organize, and use information from various sources to answer questions, solve problems and communicate ideas.

Objectives:

1.                  Understand the basics of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA);

2.                  Draft FOIA requests to a public body;  and

3.                  Understand what information cannot be released under FOIA.

 

Starter Questions for the class:

  1. Should citizens be able to find out everything their government officials are doing?  Should some things remain secret?  Why or why not?
  2. Hypo:  Would it be right to ask information about the mayor like what kinds of medicine he takes?  What if the medicine he was taking affected how he was able to perform as mayor?
  3. Hypo:   What about the mayor’s salary?  Do you think you should be able to find that out?  Why or why not?  Why would it be important for the public to know how much the mayor gets paid?

 

Background:

 

I.                    The Illinois Freedom of Information Act states, “all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts and policies of those who represent them as public officials and public employees.”  In other words, the citizen has a right to know what their government is doing on their behalf and how the government is going about representing their citizens.

 

II.                 What kinds of public information is available under FOIA?

A.    Public records.  Public records are used by any public body and include:

1.      orders

2.      rules

3.      policy statements and decisions

4.      reports/studies

5.      salaries of public employees

6.      voting records of public bodies like the village board

B.     The FOIA applies to all “public bodies.”  Public bodies include:

1.      Legislatures

2.      executive offices

3.      county government

4.      school districts

5.      agencies

6.      municipal boards

7.      committees.

 

III.               Who can obtain public information?  Any member of the public!

A.    individuals

B.     groups

C.    associations

D.    businesses

E.     organizations

 

IV.              Where is the information located?

A.  At the appropriate government body.  You have to figure out which one to ask.  For example, questions regarding the county budget go to the county, and not to the US Congress.  Questions regarding a school policy go to the school district, etc.

B.  All public bodies have lists of the kinds of records they keep.  Call your local municipality, county, or school district for a copy.

                 

V.                 How do I make a request? (see sample request letter)

A.    Call to make sure you are directing your request to the right place.

B.     Make the request in writing.  Be specific about exactly what you want and say why you are seeking the information (i.e., for the public interest)

C.    The public body can charge you a fee for copying the information, but it has to be reasonable.

 

VI.              You can’t find out all the information:  Exemptions to the availability of public information include:

A.    Student records – other people can’t ask for and receive your grade records.

B.     Information that is too private – like the identity of someone who files a complaint, medical histories, etc.

C.    Police records in ongoing investigations

D.    Exam questions and answers

E.     Other private internal information (catch-all)

 

 

Activity:  Making a FOIA Request

 

Read the following story to your students or have them read them out loud.  After each story is read, discuss what kind of information they would want to find out and where they think they would need to send their request.

 

 

The Toxic Waste Dump

 

Sarah and Patty are sisters.  They were walking home from school one sunny afternoon, excited to get home and take their dog for a walk around the neighborhood.  About 3 blocks from school, the girls saw a sad scene – a patch of land that was brown and dead and where the trees and flowers were also diseased.  They wondered if there were animals around if they might be sick too.  Sarah and Patty decided to tell their science teacher, Ms. Flora, the next day in class.  When they told their teacher, Ms. Flora said she knew exactly the piece of land that they had seen.  That area had been getting worse over the past few months.  Ms. Flora also said, “come to think of it, I heard about another teacher getting sick from something she drank or ate and she lives by that land.  I wonder if the land is contaminated”.  Part of the land is owned by the city of Oakville, and part of the land is owned by the school district as a future playground site.   

 

Have the students

1.      brainstorm what concerns them about this story;

2.      decide what further information do they need or want about the land, who owns the land, the plans for use of the land, and whether it is contaminated;

3.      determine what public officials would have the needed information about this land;

4.      pick one public official who might have information about the land in question.  Have students brainstorm ideas in small groups and then come back together to write a draft FOIA request with the rest of the class.

 

 

Activity:  Writing an Actual FOIA Request

 

·        Brainstorm with students about things that concern them.  What is NOT fair in their lives? 

·        Pick one issue from the list, and brainstorm the types of information that the students would need to respond to this concern.

·        Which public officials would have the correct information?

·        Draft a Freedom of Information Act request to one or several public officials for the required information. 

 

For example:  Does your school have vending machines or an “activity fee” or “athletic fee” of some sort?  Find out where those dollars go by drafting a FOIA Request.  You will want to make the request to the school district to ask for the vendor contract and/or the school budget to see how the money is spent.

 

 

 

 

 

©Copyright 2005 Citizen Advocacy Center.  All rights reserved.  No part of this lesson plan may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior, written permission of the Citizen Advocacy Center. The Citizen Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-pofit, non-partisan community based legal organization. For information about the Center, or to make a tax deductible contribution, visit www.citizenadvocacycenter.org, call 630.833.4080. The Center is located at 238 N. York Rd., Elmhurst IL 60126