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Obtaining Procedures Manual Q: I am trying to get a copy of the Officer Safety Manual from the California Highway Patrol.  I do work investigating accidents.  The particular accident I am investigating is a Traffic accident.  The officers on scene state that they followed procedures set forth in the Officer Safety Manual.  I called the CHP to obtain a copy and was told that this manual is not available to the public as it covers

Suspension and Expulsion Records Q: Can I request the suspension and expulsion records for a school district  for, say the previous three years? I do not wish to obtain any personal information (“directory information”) on the student, but rather to compare suspension and expulsion records between students. A: The law regarding disclosure of student disciplinary records has engendered some controversy in past years, including with respect to whether the federal FERPA (Family Education Rights and

Are School Yearbooks Public Records? Q: I would like to know if Student Yearbooks held by a school district are considered public records.  I recently contacted a District about it and was informed they would not allow me to review the yearbooks. A: The California Public Records Act (“PRA”) provides that public records are presumptively open to the public, unless exempt from disclosure under the PRA.  Government Code section 6254(k) exempts from disclosure “[r]ecords the