Open Records Request
Noble Public Schools
Open Records Requests
Noble Public Schools is a tax-supported institution, and the public has the right to know how it operates. It is the policy of the Noble Board of Education “to recognize and facilitate the public’s right of access to and review of public records.” Except for records made confidential by state or federal law, district records are open for inspection and copying.
Check Here First
How to Submit
What to Include
Fees
When Records Are Available
What’s Confidential
What Happens Next
Contact
Looking for a student record? This isn’t the right page
Student education records are confidential and are not released through an open records request. Transcripts, cumulative files, immunization records, and records transfers are handled separately — see Student Records Requests. Job openings and applications are handled by Human Resources, also not through this process.
Check Here First — You May Not Need a Request
Most of the requests we receive are for financial information that is already published. Board agendas and their addenda carry the district’s financial business — encumbrances, warrants, treasurer’s reports, activity funds, contracts, and bids — and every one is online, free, going back to September 2015. Policy GBA anticipates exactly this: “the district may make requested records available online at the school district’s website to comply with the obligation of providing prompt, reasonable access to records.”
Board Agendas & Addenda
Every regular and special meeting since September 2015, with the agenda, addenda, and minutes for each. The addenda are where the financial detail lives. Start here.
Annual Audit
The district’s independent financial audit for FY25. Prior years are posted alongside the district’s other financial filings.
Estimate of Needs
The district’s 2025–26 budget filing (EON), showing projected revenue and appropriations by fund.
Looking for state-reported figures? The Oklahoma State Department of Education publishes Noble’s revenue and expenditure data through the OCAS district financial summary — independent of anything the district posts, and often the fastest way to answer a question about spending by category.
If you check these and still don’t find what you need, submit a request below and we will help you locate it. Pointing you to a document that already exists is faster for both of us than processing a formal request.
Who Handles Requests
Under Board Policy GBA, “the office of the superintendent shall be the district’s custodian of public records and shall be responsible for the preservation and care of those public records.” At least one person is available to release records during the district’s regular business hours.
Office of the Superintendent
Custodian of Public Recordsopenrecords@nobleps.com · (405) 872-3452
Noble Public Schools Administration Building · PO Box 499 · 111 S. 4th Street, Noble, OK 73068
How to Submit a Request
Choose whichever is easiest for you. Every route reaches the same office.
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Email
Send your request to openrecords@nobleps.com, including each of the elements listed in the next section. This is the fastest route and gives you a written record of when you asked.
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Mail
Noble Public Schools, Attn: Open Records, PO Box 499, Noble, OK 73068.
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In person
Come to the Administration Building at 111 S. 4th Street during the hours listed below. You are welcome to inspect records on site at no charge — you only pay if you want copies.
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By phone
Call (405) 872-3452 and we will help you put your request together. If email is a barrier for you, this works just as well.
What to Include in Your Request
Narrowing your request helps us get you the right records faster — and it is what state law requires. Under 51 O.S. § 24A.5, a request must describe the records with reasonable specificity. Board Policy GBA sets out the three parts:
A Time Frame
Element One“Specify a general time frame within which the requested records would have been created or transmitted.” For example: August 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.
Identifiable Records
Element Two“Seek identifiable records, rather than general information without any qualifiers or other specifications.” For example: board agenda packets — not everything about a topic.
Search Terms
Element Three“Include search terms that are sufficiently specific to assist the public body in identifying the requested records.” Separate multiple terms with semicolons.
Please also tell us your name, a phone number or email address where we can reach you, and whether you would like to inspect the records here or receive copies.
If your request isn’t specific enough, we’ll work with you before we ever deny it. Policy GBA provides that school personnel “may seek additional information from the requestor to fulfill the request and to identify the records sought.” A request may be denied for lack of specificity only after we have engaged with you — including offering general topics or a list of related records.
And if we do deny a request because a record is not a public record, we will tell you which law makes it confidential: “Any request denied on the basis that a record is not a public record shall include the statutory reference of the law which provides that the information is confidential.”
Fees
Inspecting records at the Administration Building is free, and anything already published online — including board agendas and addenda — costs nothing. Fees apply only when you want copies, or in the limited circumstances described below. The written fee schedule is posted at the central office and filed with the county clerk.
Copies
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| 8½″ × 11″ or 8½″ × 14″ | $0.25 per copy |
| 11″ × 17″ ledger | $0.50 per copy |
| Certified copy | $1.00 per page |
| Research | $75.00 per hour — charged only in the circumstances below |
When a search or research fee applies
A search fee is charged only for records sought solely for commercial purposes, or for searches that cause excessive disruption to the district’s essential functions.
E-Rate Records — a separate third-party fee applies
If your request involves E-rate records, it will be forwarded to Kellogg & Sovereign Consulting (K&S), the district’s E-rate consultant. K&S charges its own fee to process the search, and will bill that fee directly to you as the requester. That charge is in addition to any district copying or research fees listed above. We will tell you as soon as we know your request falls into this category, so you can decide how to proceed.
Payment
- Copy fees are paid in advance — before the copies are made. A deposit may be required for search fees.
- Estimates over $75.00 — the district may require advance payment of estimated fees when the estimated cost exceeds Seventy-five Dollars ($75.00), or if you have outstanding fees from previous requests.
- Fees are never used as an obstacle — they exist to recover the district’s reasonable direct costs, not to discourage anyone from asking.
When Records Are Available
Records may be inspected and copied at the Administration Building during these hours. The summer schedule below is posted under Policy GBA, which notes that the district does not maintain regular business hours of at least thirty hours a week during the summer months.
| Period | Days and hours |
|---|---|
| School year | Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
| Summer | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Holidays and non-duty days on the district calendar |
When the Administration Building is closed, access to records remains available. Email or mail your request and we will contact you to make arrangements. You do not need to wait for the office to reopen to send a request.
Records That Are Confidential
Some records are exempted by law from public inspection and copying. Policy GBA-R lists them; the main categories are below.
Student recordsIndividual student records and related communications
Individual student records are confidential and accessible only to authorized personnel. Personal communications concerning individual students are also confidential.
Parents, guardians, and adult students have their own rights of access to these records under FERPA — see Student Records Requests.
Personnel investigations and hiring materialInternal investigations, selection and discipline records
Records relating to internal personnel investigations, including examination and selection material for employment, hiring, appointment, promotion, demotion, discipline, or resignation.
Personal privacyEvaluations, payroll deductions, home addresses, Social Security numbers
Records where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy — employee evaluations, payroll deductions, employment applications submitted by people who were not hired, and transcripts from institutions of higher education kept in the personnel files of certified public employees. (The district may disclose the degree obtained and the curriculum on those transcripts.)
The home address and Social Security number of any employee or former employee are also confidential.
Executive session and security materialLawfully closed board meetings; facility and IT security information
Records of what transpired during board meetings lawfully closed to the public, such as executive sessions authorized under the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
Policy GBA-R also allows the district to keep confidential certain security material, including vulnerability assessments of district facilities, deterrence and response plans, and information technology details such as system configuration, security equipment placement, network identifiers, and business continuity or disaster response plans.
Teaching materialLesson plans, tests, and instructional materials
Teacher lesson plans, tests, and other teaching material are confidential under Policy GBA-R.
Your own personnel fileA right district employees have
Policy GBA-R provides that “an employee of the district shall have a right of access to the employee’s own personnel file.” You do not need an open records request for this — contact the Superintendent’s Office.
What Happens Next
- We confirm we received it — and let you know if anything is missing or needs narrowing.
- We determine whether the records are exempt — a determination that may require review by the superintendent and/or the district’s attorney.
- We send you a cost estimate if fees apply — including notice if your request involves E-rate records and a separate Kellogg & Sovereign fee.
- We provide the records — in a prompt and reasonable time. Some records may be posted on the district website to provide prompt access.
- If we deny any part of your request — we tell you in writing and cite the specific law that makes the record confidential.
Policy & Law
- Board Policy GBA — Open Records Act (PDF) — the district’s policy, including the custodian, fee schedule, summer hours, and specificity requirements.
- Board Policy GBA-R — Open Records Act Regulation (PDF) — the procedures and the full list of exempt and confidential records.
- Oklahoma Open Records Act, 51 O.S. § 24A.1 et seq. — the state law this page is built on.
- Student Records Requests — transcripts, cumulative files, and records transfers for current and former students.
Open Records — Office of the Superintendent
openrecords@nobleps.com · (405) 872-3452
PO Box 499 · 111 S. 4th Street, Noble, OK 73068
Not sure whether what you need is a public record, or how to describe it? Call or email us before you file — we would rather help you frame the request than send you a denial.