Maricopa Community Colleges

Public Stewardship

Public Records

The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is a public organization that serves as a political subdivision of the State of Arizona. As an educational institution, MCCCD must follow statutory requirements similar to other government agencies. Requests to review or copy records generated from MCCCD's daily operations are increasingly received from members of the community and from media organizations.

PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST

Requestors have a right to a record:

  1. that is already maintained, and
  2. in the format in which it is kept.

Arizona's Public Record Law does not require MCCCD to:

  1. obtain a new record, OR
  2. create new report formats, OR
  3. convert a record to a different medium or format

All information is considered public record, with three broad exceptions:

  1. Confidentiality - Disclosure is not required where prohibited by statute, court rule or court order (e.g., social security numbers, court orders, etc.)
  2. Personal privacy - Some records or information need not be disclosed due to an individual's privacy rights (e.g., home address, telphone numbers, racial background, age).
  3. "Best interest" - Disclosure may not be required if release of the record is not in the best interest of the state (e.g., release would inhibit public safety efforts or place the MCCCD at a competitive disadvantage).

Non-Commercial Purposes

The only charge for records for non-commercial purposes is the cost of reproduction. The MCCCD does not charge for the cost of searching for the record nor the retrieval from off-site storage.

Reproduction costs include:

  1. cost of paper and other media,
  2. cost of the machinery to do the reproduction, and
  3. cost of employee to do the reproduction.

The Standard Document Copying Charge is $0.25 per sheet for 8.5 x 11, black and white copies.

Commercial Purposes

A standard Public Records Request Form is available. This form should be completed by requestor before the record is released, unless the requestor has already provided all the information in writing.

The following items provide additional information about public records requests and retention: