Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Parkland College only accepts written FOIA requests that include complete contact information and a description of the request. Parkland College will respond to a FOIA request within five business days of receiving the request. Copy charges may apply.  

 

The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives the public the right to access government documents and records. The Illinois FOIA notes that it is "the public policy of the State of Illinois that 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 consistent with the terms of this Act. Such access is necessary to enable the people to fulfill their duties of discussing public issues fully and freely, making informed political judgments and monitoring government to ensure that it is being conducted in the public interest." The premise behind FOIA is that the public has a right to know what the government is doing.

Through the FOIA statute, a person can ask a public body for a copy of its records on a specific subject and the public body must provide those records, unless there is an exemption that protects those records from disclosure (for example, records containing information concerning trade secrets or personal privacy).

For more information contact us at foia@parkland.edu.