Harrisburg Global Academy (HGA) is committed to transparency and compliance with the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-10 et seq.

Members of the public may request access to public records maintained by Harrisburg Global Academy in accordance with South Carolina law.

SUBMITTING A FOIA REQUEST

Requests for public records should be submitted in writing and should describe the requested records with sufficient specificity to allow HGA to identify and locate the records.

Please include:

Requestor’s name

Organization, if applicable

Email address and/or telephone number

Mailing address, if requesting paper records

A clear description of the records requested

Relevant dates or date ranges, if known

Preferred format for receiving the records (electronic or paper)

FOIA/Public Records Request

Harrisburg Global Academy
11774 Harrisburg Road
Indian Land, SC

Email: JRivas@hgacharter.org

Please include “FOIA Request” in the subject line.

RESPONSE TIME

HGA will process requests in accordance with the timelines established by the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.

For written requests, HGA will generally provide its determination regarding the public availability of the requested records within 10 business days of receipt of the request. If the requested records are more than 24 months old, HGA generally has 20 business days to provide its determination. Saturdays, Sundays, and legal public holidays are excluded when calculating these response periods.

When a request is granted, responsive public records will be produced or made available within the time required by South Carolina law. Certain information may be withheld or redacted when disclosure is prohibited or exempted by state or federal law.

FEES:

HGA may charge reasonable fees for the search, retrieval, redaction, reproduction, and production of public records as permitted by S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-30.

Fees will not exceed the actual cost of searching for, retrieving, and redacting responsive records. Search, retrieval, and redaction charges will be based on the prorated hourly compensation of the lowest-paid employee who, in HGA’s reasonable determination, has the necessary skills and training to perform the work.

There is no per-page copy charge for records provided electronically when the records already exist in electronic format.

When applicable, HGA may require a deposit of up to 25% of the reasonably anticipated cost before beginning the search, retrieval, or reproduction of records. Any remaining balance must be paid as required by law before or at the time records are produced.

HGA FOIA Fee Schedule

Electronic records already maintained electronically: No per-page copying charge

Paper copies: $_0.25_per page

Search, retrieval, and redaction: Actual cost based upon the prorated hourly salary of the lowest-paid qualified employee reasonably able to perform the work

Conversion to electronic format: Actual staff cost when records do not already exist electronically and HGA agrees to convert them

Deposit: Up to 25% of the reasonably anticipated cost, when applicable

HGA may waive or reduce fees when it determines that doing so is in the public interest because providing the information primarily benefits the general public.

RECORDS EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE

Not every record maintained by HGA is subject to public disclosure. HGA will protect confidential or exempt information as required or permitted by applicable state and federal law.

This may include, as applicable, protected student information, certain personnel information, privileged legal communications, security-related information, and other records or portions of records exempt from disclosure under S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-40 or other applicable state or federal laws.

When appropriate, HGA may redact exempt or confidential information and provide the remaining portions of a public record.

QUESTIONS

Questions regarding public records requests may be directed to:

Harrisburg Global Academy
11774 Harrisburg Road
Indian Land, SC
Email: JRivas@hgacharter.org
Website: www.hgacharter.org

Harrisburg Global Academy processes all requests in accordance with the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act and other applicable state and federal confidentiality requirements