Editor’s Note: Sunshine Request makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Other (indicate in message) Submitted: January 3, 2023 | Updated: November 30, 2023
(January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present day
Hello Cabarrus County, NC Schools (Records Officer),
I’d like to make a public records request for the following information under NC Public Records Law.
Ref: https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.html
Please provide all emails sent To and sent From Dr. Katherine (Kelly) Propst at Cabarrus County Schools, NC. During the specific time period of January 01, 2018 to present day (date the query is performed). This request is not subject specific -- I'd like "ALL Emails Sent and Received" during the specified time period.
I am not requesting to come in person to inspect, nor to obtain printed copies of, electronic records. In accordance with NC Public Records Law, I’m requesting explicitly that all responsive records be provided via an electronic medium / format (in which the records should already exist), such as an email, file share, google drive folder, mailed flash drive if necessary, etc.
** I do not have any additional or further clarifying info to provide other than what you see in the message above, and I do not wish to revise my request in any way. Please proceed with the request as written. I acknowledge that it may take some time to fulfill.
I also acknowledge that it’s possible if any student info is contained within emails, it likely might not be provided as a matter of public record – and if so that is fine. Sunshine Request does not publish those types of records.
If possible, please provide an approximate timeline for completion, and I will wait to follow up again around that time. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under NC Public Records Law.**
—----------
[ Editor's Note: This request has been sent solely from the email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from our Team. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of our request – We intend to continue to pursue our request.
Please note that we cannot commit to sign any forms or pay any potential fees / associated costs related to any request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let us know the itemized potential cost. ]
Thank you for your assistance!
Status: Follow up
Activity:
-
November 30, 2023 1:35 pm
3 days ago
from: Ketron, Grace <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]>,
“Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Nov 30, 2023, 1:35 PM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentGood afternoon,
Please see the below updated Dropbox link. Apologies for our delayed response, but it took us a few days to zip the documents. Please let us know when you’re able to download the files, so we can remove the documents saved in the other Dropbox location.
Thanks,
Grace
**Editor’s Note: Referenced file was too large to upload directly to our site. It can be viewed at the following Google Drive link: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1fTSVm61-j9WmVJTAxJT0rZE2DwZuSH_g
Status: Response Received from Government -
November 28, 2023 4:42 pm
5 days ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Ketron, Grace” <[email protected]>
cc: “Kelly, Pat” <PKEL[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Nov 28, 2023, 4:42 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi Grace,
Thank you for the update.
I’ll be on the lookout for additional “batches” in the coming weeks.
——–Regarding “Batch # 1” that you sent already — I did want to ask for some additional assistance:
I’ve spent a good portion of yesterday afternoon, and again today, trying to download the documents via the Dropbox link you sent.
Unfortunately, Dropbox does not allow our team to “bulk download” a folder with more than 10,000 files in it. Our lead developer has a script that is currently downloading the files individually, and that will eventually work (we hope)… But, what would be easier – either for this Batch or future Batches – is if you could please put all the files in a single zipped folder, and put that into Dropbox.
We think this would be much easier for you and your team, as well as for us!
Thank you for your help.
Status: Follow up -
November 21, 2023 2:00 pm
1 week ago
from: Ketron, Grace <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Kelly, Pat” <PKEL[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Nov 21, 2023, 2:00 PM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentThanks for your prompt response. There will likely be two batches total, but we will keep you in the loop if the number of batches changes.
Status: Clarification Requested -
November 21, 2023 12:04 pm
1 week ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Ketron, Grace” <[email protected]>
cc: “Kelly, Pat” <PKEL[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Nov 21, 2023, 12:04 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi Grace,
Thanks for sending this over!
We appreciate your help and hard work.
Our team is about to be out for the Thanksgiving break. We’ll be back to work next week, at which point, I will review the first batch of emails and get them uploaded to our website. If I have any questions, I’ll let you know.
No rush — but it would also be helpful if you’re able to provide an estimate for approximately how many “batches” of emails you anticipate sending — just so I can keep things organized for myself.
Have a great afternoon!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Government Processing Request -
November 21, 2023 11:20 am
1 week ago
from: Ketron, Grace <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Kelly, Pat” <PKE[email protected]>,“Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Nov 21, 2023, 11:20 AM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentGood morning,
Please see the following link to the first batch of emails. Please note that the documents will be accessible at the following DropBox link for thirty days, but will then be removed at that time due to costs incurred for storing such a large number of documents. Please let us know if you have trouble accessing the documents.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/z315y7ow0dipfkqqrjgbp/h?rlkey=1ziogv1jvbndc8epnazpomq9r&dl=0
Thanks,
Grace
Status: Response Received from Government -
November 13, 2023 11:07 am
2 weeks ago
from: Ketron, Grace <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Kelly, Pat” <PKEL[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Nov 13, 2023, 11:07 AM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentThanks for getting back to me so quickly. We are happy to provide a Dropbox link once the files are ready. Thanks!
Status: Government Processing Request -
November 13, 2023 11:01 am
2 weeks ago
from: Kelly, Pat <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Nov 13, 2023, 11:01 AM
subject: Automatic reply: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentI am out out of the office. . If you need immediate assistance, please contact my assistant Cynthia White at 704-496-6633 or [email protected].
Disclaimer
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Status: Government Processing Request -
November 13, 2023 11:00 am
2 weeks ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Ketron, Grace” <[email protected]>
cc: “Kelly, Pat” <PKEL[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Nov 13, 2023, 11:00 AM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi Grace,
Thank you for the update!
If it’s easiest, you could use a public Google Drive link or Dropbox to upload the files, or send them in labeled batches via email etc. Whatever you feel is the most organized / convenient manner to send.
I’ll follow up with you after the Thanksgiving break, if I don’t hear anything else before then.
** Please note. If you happen to email me and/or have questions — if you don’t hear back right away this is because we’re a small team, and some of us are intermittently out of the office at this time. Someone will get back to you within a few days.
Thanks for your help!
Status: Government Processing Request -
November 13, 2023 10:50 am
2 weeks ago
from: Ketron, Grace <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Kelly, Pat” <PKEL[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Nov 13, 2023, 10:50 AM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentGood morning,
As an update, we are in the final stages of preparing the first batch of emails. We hope to have those to you sometime this week or early next, but it will take days for us to upload everything for production, as this first batch of documents exceeds 40 GB.
Thanks,
Grace
Status: Government Processing Request -
October 24, 2023 2:48 pm
1 month ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Ketron, Grace” <[email protected]>
cc: “Kelly, Pat” <PKEL[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Oct 24, 2023, 2:48 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentThank you Grace,
I’ll reach out again in a couple of weeks, if I don’t hear anything else before then.
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Government Processing Request -
October 24, 2023 2:39 pm
1 month ago
from: Ketron, Grace <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <records@sunshinerequest.com>, “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]>
cc: “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Oct 24, 2023, 2:39 PM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentGood afternoon,
Thanks for reaching out. We hope to have approximately 50,000 emails to you soon.
Thanks,
Grace
Status: Government Processing Request -
October 24, 2023 12:29 pm
1 month ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]> cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Oct 24, 2023, 12:29 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi again Pat and JAH Team,
Thank you for your update back on September 21.
I’m just checking in again to see if you have an update on the anticipated date or a timeline for the completion of the request?
To reiterate:
I’m not personally in any rush to receive the records, I just need to follow up periodically to ensure things are moving along with no delay.If it is helpful to you to send the responsive records in “batches” as they are ready, I don’t mind that approach. Whatever you feel is the most organized / convenient manner to email me the files. If it makes no difference to you, however — then for simplicity you can just send me all responsive documents at whatever point you’re finished processing the request in its entirety. There’s no need to send in batches, unless it’s just easier for you to do so.
Thanks again for all your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
September 21, 2023 4:44 pm
2 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Sep 21, 2023, 4:44 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi Pat,
That’s excellent, thank you!
No further update needed at this time. I’ll reach out again in a few weeks, if I don’t hear anything before then.
Have a great evening!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Government Processing Request -
September 21, 2023 3:22 pm
2 months ago
from: Kelly, Pat <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Sep 21, 2023, 3:22 PM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentDear Sunshine,
We are continuing to make progress and are in the process of spot checking a large batch before we produce, which we hope is soon. Let me know if you need more detail than that.
Pat
Status: Government Processing Request -
September 19, 2023 4:53 pm
2 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Sep 19, 2023, 4:53 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentGood Evening Pat and JAH Team,
Thank you for your message back on August 16th.
I’m just checking in again to see if you have any update on an anticipated date or timeline for the completion of the request?
To reiterate:
I’m not personally in any rush to receive the records, I just need to follow up periodically to ensure things are moving along with no delay.If it is helpful to you to send the responsive records in “batches” as they are ready, I don’t mind that approach. Whatever you feel is the most organized / convenient manner to email me the files. If it makes no difference to you, however — then for simplicity you can just send me all responsive documents at whatever point you’re finished processing the request in its entirety. There’s no need to send in batches, unless it’s just easier for you to do so.
Thanks again for all your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
August 16, 2023 5:06 pm
3 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Aug 16, 2023, 5:06 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi Pat,
Thanks for your reply!
I’m not personally in a rush to receive the records, I just need to check in periodically to make sure things are moving along with no delay.
If it is helpful to you to send the responsive records in “batches” as they are ready, I don’t mind that approach. Whatever you feel is the most organized / convenient manner to email me the files.
If it makes no difference to you, however — then for simplicity you can just send me all responsive documents at whatever point you’re finished processing the request in its entirety. There’s no need to send in batches, unless it’s just easier for you to do so.
Thank you!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Government Processing Request -
August 16, 2023 4:51 pm
3 months ago
from: Kelly, Pat <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Aug 16, 2023, 4:51 PM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentSunshine,
As of right now, about 50,000 emails have been reviewed and about 36,000 must still be reviewed. Of those reviewed:
– 44,104 emails are marked responsive (includes emails with redactions).
– 2,776 emails are marked non-responsive (personal, employee HIPPA info, etc.)
– 2,671 emails are identified as requiring further review (most likely because they will require extensive redaction before they can be produced)
We have continued to make progress even though team members have been out on vacation enjoying the Sunshine. One of our primary reviewers is also out this week. So if you would prefer to start getting some documents as opposed to waiting until we complete the review, we could probably begin producing at least those currently identified as responsive and likely subject to production and begin producing in the next week or two after I’m comfortable that sufficient spot checking has been done. If you prefer that approach, let us know and we will focus more on short term partial release and a little less on getting through everything first.
Pat
Status: Government Processing Request -
August 16, 2023 1:17 pm
3 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <PKELL[email protected]> cc: “Ketron, Grace” <[email protected]>,
“Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Aug 16, 2023, 1:17 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi Pat and JAH Team,
Thanks for your message on August 04.
I’m just checking back in to see if you have any update on an anticipated date for completion. There’s not a huge rush on my end, but I just like to check in once-in-a-while to get a sense of timing / status.
Thanks again for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
August 4, 2023 9:46 pm
3 months ago
from: Kelly, Pat <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Aug 4, 2023, 9:46 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi. We have made good progress. Believe we are down to about 47000 docs to review. I will check with my team next week to see if we are in position to give you a likely completion date.
Status: Government Processing Request -
August 4, 2023 6:30 pm
3 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]> cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Aug 4, 2023, 6:30 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi again JAH Team,
I hope you’re having a good month so far.
We understand this is a very large request, and that it may take some time to fulfill — and we appreciate your diligence processing the request.
Can you please let me know if there is an update as far as an anticipated completion date for the request? (even if that’s a rough estimate in days, weeks, etc).
I will follow up again around the time you specify, or, in 1 week if I don’t hear anything before then.
Thanks for your help.
Have a great weekend!~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
June 30, 2023 5:38 pm
5 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Jun 30, 2023, 5:38 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi JAH Team,
Thank you very much for the update!
I understand that this is a very large request, and that it may take some time to fulfill.
We really appreciate your diligence as well as the time you’ve spent processing the request.
We’ll follow up again around the end of July, if we don’t hear anything else before then.
Thanks for your help.
Have a great weekend!~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Government Processing Request -
June 30, 2023 4:59 pm
5 months ago
from: Kelly, Pat <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Jun 30, 2023, 4:59 PM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentSunshine Team,
Wanted to give you an update.
After a challenging period working through some glitches in the export of data to our firm, we were able to discern that there is approximately 28 GB of data potentially responsive to your request. This includes approximately 110,867 emails plus attachments for a total of 143,570 documents comprised of 579,835 pages.
My team has been working diligently to cull out emails that contain student names and employee HIPPA (remember this includes the Covid years) and personal information, using key word searches including, without limitation, COVID-19, absent, illness, sick, SSN, social security, closed session, pregnancy, maternity, paternity, appointment, doctor, hospital. Confidential attorney-client privileged communications will also be excluded from production. This culling process, especially given the broad and unspecified nature of the request, is the most difficult and time-consuming part of the process, and is still ongoing.
We also ran a de-duplification and as of last count the number of potential emails is down from 110K to about 81K.
We are making good progress and will have another update soon.
Sincerely,
JAH Team
Status: Government Processing Request -
June 15, 2023 5:10 pm
5 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Jun 15, 2023, 5:10 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi JAH Team,
I’ve re-read our June 13 communications in the thread above, and on further inspection I feel a need to make one aspect of my request extra explicit:
You’ve said that,
“We appreciate your stated intent not to publish sensitive or confidential information. I am sure you can understand that notwithstanding your assurances, the Board (and we) are still obligated to carefully review the documents requested and to cull out documents and information which are privileged, confidential and not subject to the Public Records law, or otherwise not subject to disclosure, such as attorney-client communications, individual medical information, individual student information, certain personnel/ employee information, social security numbers, HIPAA information, medical records, etc.” I fully understand and agree with that statement, as it is a common practice in the review of emails which are responsive to a public records request,Our request asked for,
“… emails sent To and sent From Dr. Katherine (Kelly) Propst at Cabarrus County Schools, NC. During the specific time period of January 01, 2018 to present day (date the query is performed). This request is not subject specific — I’d like ‘ALL Emails Sent and Received’ during the specified time period… I also acknowledge that it’s possible if any student info is contained within emails, it likely might not be provided as a matter of public record – and if so that is fine. Sunshine Request does not publish those types of records.”I realize that this request, particularly since it’s related to a school system, casts a wide net potentially including lots of sensitive info that needs to be reviewed by your office. Therefore, for the benefit of the users on our website (as well as for future requestors), I’d like to further explain what I meant earlier when I said: “As a policy our Sunshine Request team does not publish those types of records on our website. I am not asking to receive any confidential or sensitive information about students.”
Every email we exchange with, and every responsive record we receive from, a disclosing agency — is posted publicly, on our website. We have no control over how / if anyone other than the 3 members of our Team may use the results of the records requests we make. Therefore, we have many policies in place about what types of requests we will and will not submit. And, we have a Code of Conduct on our website that asks users: “Please do not use Sunshine Request or any of the results of public records requests to harass government entities / employees, businesses, private citizens / individuals, or otherwise.”
We won’t just “not publish” sensitive student information that we receive… we also don’t even submit or process records requests for potentially personally identifying information like that about individuals in general. So, if it was not clear in the wording of our original request, I’d like to clarify now that we are NOT asking to receive information like that at all. In other words — the request we made SHOULD NOT include any sensitive information about students. We do not intend to review files for sensitive info, and we will be publishing publicly any and all responsive records that we receive from your office.
I’m sure you understood all that already, but I just want to ensure this is stated explicitly for users on our site.
If you have any questions about our policies, you can view them at the following URL:
https://www.sunshinerequest.com/how-to-make-a-request/#policiesThank you!
Status: Government Processing Request -
June 14, 2023 11:43 am
5 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Jun 14, 2023, 11:43 AM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi JAH Team,
Thanks for your message.
We appreciate your time and attention to the request.
We understand that to move things along you’d like to send the files in batches as soon as they’re ready. That’s totally fine! I’d just ask that if possible, you please give each file or file folder (or however it is you’re sending the results) a distinct, clear name. This will help us all stay organized as we receive the records.
I will check in with you again around the end of the month, if I do not hear anything else before then.
Thank you for your help!
~ Lauren (and the Sunshine Request Team)
Status: Government Processing Request -
June 13, 2023 6:06 pm
5 months ago
from: Kelly, Pat <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Jun 13, 2023, 6:06 PM
subject: RE: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentSunshine Team (and Lauren),
Thank you for your prompt response and for clarifying/re-clarifying your request. I can confirm that Mr. Furr was aware of and approved our reach out to your team.
We appreciate your stated intent not to publish sensitive or confidential information. I am sure you can understand that notwithstanding your assurances, the Board (and we) are still obligated to carefully review the documents requested and to cull out documents and information which are privileged, confidential and not subject to the Public Records law, or otherwise not subject to disclosure, such as attorney-client communications, individual medical information, individual student information, certain personnel/ employee information, social security numbers, HIPAA information, medical records, etc.
Given the age of your request, our preference is to begin producing documents on a rolling basis, rather than holding them all pending completion of our review. Given what we anticipate will be an extraordinary number of documents, this is makes sense for us both. It is my understanding that there is currently a large batch of documents which is close to being ready to produce.
Sincerely,
JAH Team
Status: Government Processing Request -
June 13, 2023 5:11 pm
5 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: “Kelly, Pat” <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Jun 13, 2023, 5:11 PM
subject: Re: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentHi JAH team,
Thanks for getting in touch.
Although he is not CCed, I will assume that Phil is also aware you’ve reached out to our Team, and that your email now serves as a direct response to my most recent message to Phil:
to: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
cc: [email protected], rebe[email protected], [email protected]
date: Jun 7, 2023, 5:09 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayThe following public records request was submitted to Cabarrus County, NC Schools on January 04, 2023. For reference, you can see all communications to-date which were either sent to or received by our team, about the request, at this URL: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present day
————To address each of your questions, I will reply in bold:
We note in your initial request that you “do not wish to revise [your] request in any way.” A few follow up questions:
1) Is that still the case? Might you be open to reconsidering your initial request to help move this along more quickly? By agreeing to do a different approach, you are in no way precluded from requesting or receiving additional documents later.
2) Are you open to the use of agreed upon search terms to focus the request and to reduce the time required for review –on our end as well as yours?RE: #1 and #2.
Thank you for asking.
The request asks that you … “Please provide all emails sent To and sent From Dr. Katherine (Kelly) Propst at Cabarrus County Schools, NC. During the specific time period of January 01, 2018 to present day (date the query is performed). This request is not subject specific — I’d like ‘ALL Emails Sent and Received’ during the specified time period.”
I also acknowledge that if any student info is contained within those emails, it likely will not be provided as a matter of public record – and if so that is completely fine. As a policy our Sunshine Request team does not publish those types of records on our website. I am not asking to receive any confidential or sensitive information about students.
We understand that the request may be voluminous, and that narrowing its scope could be helpful to you to save time. However, we would not like to further clarify or narrow the scope of this request, which was submitted 5 months ago.
To reiterate:
** I’m simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I’m NOT asking for the opportunity to come in person to “inspect”, nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via an electronic medium / format (in which the copy of this record should already exist). I do not have any additional or further clarifying info I wish to provide to narrow this request. If it is unclear, or if you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under NC Public Records Law. Please note that by submitting this request, I did NOT agree to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to my request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost (explanations / calculations used to determine those charges), and DO NOT proceed until I can respond.**
Additionally, please note:
Sunshine Request is an anonymous, free community project built by our small 3-person team in Asheville. We allow users to anonymously submit requests to our Team to fulfill, and we don’t require any personal info to be submitted in order for our Team to process requests. This means we also cannot verify who submits a request to our website, or how / if any responsive records may be used (by anyone other than our team). We do not send the results of requests directly to individuals, and we publish the results of all completed requests on our website.
This also means that we do not communicate directly with any individuals [besides the records disclosing agency] about the requests on our site. Once a request has begun processing on our site, we do not edit or cancel its fulfillment, unless it is impossible to fulfil and is clearly justified under NC Records Law.
3) Do you have any objection to a rolling production, as we would like to begin producing documents as soon as they are cleared for legal privilege, statutory confidentiality, HIPAA, etc?
I’m open to receiving the files in batches, if that’s helpful to you, and if there’s an organized process to do so … but please note the following:
Phil asked me on February 15th … “We are processing your request and will deliver these documents in one file when completed unless you would like us to send in multiple batches as we complete.”
I told him at that time (and several times since via my follow up emails) that “For simplicity — You can just send all responsive documents at whatever point you’re finished processing the request in its entirety. There’s no need to send in batches, unless it’s just easier for you to do so.”
4) Are you willing to engage in telephonic communications to facilitate these discussions? If so, please provide a name and phone number or we can provide one for you.
By Law I am not required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request was made by:
Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816The request was sent solely from the email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me or my Team. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.
Also, regarding a phone call… We post the entire request process, start to finish, about every request on our website — including the email I am writing to you now. For the sake of transparency, it is always best if we can keep those communications limited to email so that they can be shared. And, as you are a law firm contacting me about a request we’ve made, I’d prefer if those conversations can be tracked via email in case the Director of Sunshine Request ever needs to review them.
However, if there is some reason certain information cannot be written into an email, and if it is absolutely necessary to have a phone call to move the request along, then I’ll be happy to provide a number and we can schedule a call at that time. Although, I do not have any information I wish to provide to further narrow the request.
Thank you for your help.
Have a great evening!~ Lauren (and the Sunshine Request Team)
Status: Clarification Provided -
June 13, 2023 4:22 pm
5 months ago
from: Kelly, Pat <[email protected]>
to: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>
cc: “Ketron, Grace” <gketr[email protected]>, “Johnson, Beckie” <[email protected]>
date: Jun 13, 2023, 4:22 PM
subject: Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – presentDear Sunshine Request,
As Mr. Furr recently informed you, the Cabarrus County Board of Education is in the process of transitioning all legal matters to new counsel. That process is on-going and will take significant time and effort. Your request is but one of many matters we are assuming responsibility for. For your purposes, however, we are the new legal counsel for the Board with respect to the above request for public records.
We want to assure you that we are committed to processing your request as quickly and efficiently as we can. We have begun working closely with Mr. Furr and his team in this regard, and we hope to have a better forecast of what to expect in the very near future. In the meantime, please direct all comments, responses, and questions going forward to our attention at [email protected] (Pat); [email protected] (Grace) and [email protected] (Beckie).
We note in your initial request that you “do not wish to revise [your] request in any way.” A few follow up questions:
1) Is that still the case? Might you be open to reconsidering your initial request to help move this along more quickly? By agreeing to do a different approach, you are in no way precluded from requesting or receiving additional documents later.
2) Are you open to the use of agreed upon search terms to focus the request and to reduce the time required for review –on our end as well as yours?
3) Do you have any objection to a rolling production, as we would like to begin producing documents as soon as they are cleared for legal privilege, statutory confidentiality, HIPAA, etc?
4) Are you willing to engage in telephonic communications to facilitate these discussions? If so, please provide a name and phone number or we can provide one for you.
We sincerely appreciate your patience and we respect and honor your right to access public records in accordance with North Carolina law. We look forward to working with you in an effort to bring this to a prompt conclusion.
Sincerely,
JAH Team
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Status: Government Processing Request -
June 7, 2023 5:09 pm
5 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
cc: [email protected], rebe[email protected], [email protected]
date: Jun 7, 2023, 5:09 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayGood afternoon Phil (and all CCed),
I’m checking in again regarding the status of my public records request (and my subsequent follow up emails sent on Feb 15, Mar 24, Apr 18, May 08, and May 16).
The following public records request was first sent to your offices on January 04, 2023:
(January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayMost recently, I heard from Phil on May 22 that “… The Cabarrus County Board of Education recently transitioned to new legal counsel, who are presently getting up to speed on this and other requests. We expect to be back in touch within the next seven business days with a further update.”
I understand that the request may take time to fulfill, and that you are currently in a transition process. However, as it has been over 5 months since the request was submitted — I’m asking again if you can please provide an anticipated date or timeline for the completion of the request.
I’ve made all reasonable efforts to follow up since the request was first submitted. I will make one more attempt to follow up again in another week, if I do not hear back before then.
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
May 22, 2023 4:01 pm
6 months ago
from: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: May 22, 2023, 4:01 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayGood afternoon, Sunshine Request:
The Cabarrus County Board of Education recently transitioned to new legal counsel, who are presently getting up to speed on this and other requests. We expect to be back in touch within the next seven business days with a further update.
Kindest regards,
PhilPhilip J. Furr
Director of Communications and Public Information, Cabarrus County Schools
(O)704.260.5641 | (C)704.793.7613www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/
4401 Old Airport Road, Concord, NC 28025
Status: Government Processing Request -
May 16, 2023 2:59 pm
6 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
cc: [email protected], rebe[email protected], [email protected]
date: May 16, 2023, 2:59 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayHi Philip (and all CCed),
This is now my 4th and final attempt to follow up with you regarding the status of my January public records request (and my subsequent emails sent on February 15, March 24, April 18, and May 08). I have not received any response.
This public records request was first sent to your offices on January 04, 2023:
(January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayI agreed with Philip back on February 15th that “For simplicity — [He] can just send all responsive documents at whatever point [he] finished processing the request in its entirety. There’s no need to send in batches, unless it’s just easier for [him] to do so.”
I understand that the request may take time to fulfill. However, it has been over 4 months since the request was submitted… and 3 months since I’ve received a response — I’m asking again that you please provide an anticipated date or timeline for the completion of the request.
I have made all reasonable efforts to follow up on this request. If I do not hear back in 1 week, I will mark the request as having been “denied” by your organization.
Thank you!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
May 8, 2023 3:36 pm
6 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
cc: micha[email protected], [email protected]
date: May 8, 2023, 3:36 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayGood afternoon Philip (and all CCed),
This public records request was first sent to your offices on January 04, 2023:
(January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayI agreed with Philip back on February 15th that “For simplicity — [He] can just send all responsive documents at whatever point [he] finished processing the request in its entirety. There’s no need to send in batches, unless it’s just easier for [him] to do so.”
——-This is now my 3rd attempt to follow up regarding the status of my public records request (and my subsequent emails sent on February 15, March 24, and April 18). I have not received any response.
I do understand that the request may take time to fulfill. However, as it has been 4 months since it was submitted… and nearly 3 months since I’ve heard anything … I’m asking again that you please provide an anticipated date or timeline for the completion of the request.
I will make one final attempt to follow up in another week, if I do not hear anything else before then.
Thank you!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
April 18, 2023 4:32 pm
7 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
cc: [email protected]
date: Apr 18, 2023, 4:32 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayGood Afternoon Philip,
I’m following up again regarding the status of my public records request, as well as my subsequent emails sent on February 15, and March 24.
This request was first sent to your offices on January 04, 2023.
REF: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayI’ve agreed that “For simplicity — You can just send all responsive documents at whatever point you’re finished processing the request in its entirety. There’s no need to send in batches, unless it’s just easier for you to do so.”
I do understand that the request could take some time to fulfill. However, I just want to ask if you can please provide an anticipated timeline or an estimated date for its completion?
I’ll follow up again in another week, if I haven’t heard anything else before then.
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
March 24, 2023 2:43 pm
8 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
date: Mar 24, 2023, 2:43 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayHi Philip,
I hope you’ve been well and are having a good month so far.
Now that some time has passed — I just wanted to check in again regarding the status of my public records request:
I mentioned previously that, “For simplicity — You can just send all responsive documents at whatever point you’re finished processing the request in its entirety. There’s no need to send in batches, unless it’s just easier for you to do so.”
——–I understand that this request may take some time, I just want to ask if it’s possible you can provide an anticipated / estimated date for its completion?
I’ll follow up again early next month, if I haven’t heard anything else before then.
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
February 15, 2023 3:16 pm
9 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
date: Feb 15, 2023, 3:16 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayHi Philip,
Thank you for checking in.
For simplicity — You can just send all responsive documents at whatever point you’re finished processing the request in its entirety.
There’s no need to send in batches, unless it’s just easier for you to do so.
Thank you!
Status: Government Processing Request -
February 15, 2023 3:13 pm
9 months ago
from: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 15, 2023, 3:13 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayDear Sunshine Request:
We are processing your request and will deliver these documents in one file when completed unless you would like us to send in multiple batches as we complete.
Sincerely,
PhilPhilip J. Furr
Director of Communications and Public Information, Cabarrus County Schools
(O)704.260.5641 | (C)704.793.7613www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/
4401 Old Airport Road, Concord, NC 28025
Status: Government Processing Request -
February 15, 2023 3:08 pm
9 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Philip Furr <Philip[email protected]>, [email protected]
date: Feb 15, 2023, 3:08 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayGood afternoon Philip (and Rebecca CCed),
I hope you’ve been well, and are having a good month so far.
Thank you again for confirming on 01/04/23 that my records request was received and would be processed:
(January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayI do understand at that time you indicated it was not possible to estimate an approximate date for completion, and I should check back with you in a week.
This is now my 3rd attempt to follow up on that email. Are you able to provide an anticipated date of completion?
In any case, I will plan on checking in with you one more time at the end of the month, if I don’t hear back before then.
Thank you!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
February 1, 2023 4:00 pm
10 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
date: Feb 1, 2023, 4:00 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayGood afternoon Philip,
I wanted to check in on this request to see if you could provide an anticipated time for completion of this request?
I will plan on following up again at the end of the month if I don’t hear back before then.
Thank you!
Status: Follow up -
January 18, 2023 2:55 pm
10 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
date: Jan 18, 2023, 2:55 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayGood afternoon Philip,
Thank you for confirming receipt of this request.
I wanted to check in and see if you could provide an anticipated time for completion of this request?
I will plan on following up again in early February if I don’t hear back before then.
Appreciate your assistance!
Status: Follow up -
January 4, 2023 3:32 pm
10 months ago
from: Philip Furr <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Jan 4, 2023, 3:32 PM
subject: Re: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayDear Sunshine Request:
This email is to acknowledge receipt of your public records request dated January 4, 2023. Due to the voluminous nature of this request and the additional time necessary for any legal redactions, I cannot, at this time, give you an estimate on the date of completion. Please check back next week, and I will have a better idea on an approximate timeframe.
Thank you,
PhilPhilip J. Furr
Director of Communications and Public Information, Cabarrus County Schools
(O)704.260.5641 | (C)704.793.7613www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/
4401 Old Airport Road, Concord, NC 28025
Status: Government Processing Request -
January 4, 2023 3:04 pm
10 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: [email protected]
cc: [email protected]
date: Jan 4, 2023, 3:04 PM
subject: Public Records Request: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present dayHello Cabarrus County, NC Schools (Records Officer),
I’d like to make a public records request for information that may be available in your office. I was unable to submit this request via the Public Information Request Form on your site due to the 800 characters or fewer limit.
If you’re not the appropriate party to contact about the request, please provide the correct name and email address of whom I should send it to.
Please confirm receipt to let me know the request will begin processing, and if possible, please provide a rough estimate of when the request may be completed. I will plan on following up again around the end of the month if I have not heard back before then.
Here are the details of the request:
Subject: (January 2023) Request for Cabarrus County, NC Schools: All emails sent to and from Dr. Propst 01/01/2018 – present day
Message: “Hello Cabarrus County, NC Schools (Records Officer),
I’d like to make a public records request for the following information under NC Public Records Law.
Ref: https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.htmlPlease provide all emails sent To and sent From Dr. Katherine (Kelly) Propst at Cabarrus County Schools, NC. During the specific time period of January 01, 2018 to present day (date the query is performed). This request is not subject specific — I’d like “ALL Emails Sent and Received” during the specified time period.
I am not requesting to come in person to inspect, nor to obtain printed copies of, electronic records. In accordance with NC Public Records Law, I’m requesting explicitly that all responsive records be provided via an electronic medium / format (in which the records should already exist), such as an email, file share, google drive folder, mailed flash drive if necessary, etc.
** I do not have any additional or further clarifying info to provide other than what you see in the message above, and I do not wish to revise my request in any way. Please proceed with the request as written. I acknowledge that it may take some time to fulfill.
I also acknowledge that it’s possible if any student info is contained within emails, it likely might not be provided as a matter of public record – and if so that is fine. Sunshine Request does not publish those types of records.
If possible, please provide an approximate timeline for completion, and I will wait to follow up again around that time. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under NC Public Records Law.**
————-[ Editor’s Note: This request has been sent solely from the email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from our Team. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of our request – We intend to continue to pursue our request.
Please note that we cannot commit to sign any forms or pay any potential fees / associated costs related to any request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let us know the itemized potential cost. ]
Thank you for your assistance!”
Thank you!
** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Status: Sent to Government -
January 3, 2023 5:53 pm
11 months ago
Submitted to Sunshine Request
Status: Pending