Public Record Requests
What is a public record request?
Nevada Revised Statute Chapter 239 outlines the Nevada Public Records Act, which requires that official state records be made available to the public upon request and in a timely fashion. Records requests must be for an identifiable record, and the agency is not required to create data or generate new documents to respond to a records request. Requests for information, such as answering a question, do not qualify as a records request. Confidential records, as declared by law, are exempted from this process.
An official state record may refer to a document or report that is prepared, used, or maintained by the Department in the course of performing their governmental function. This may include papers, maps, photographs, financial statements, statistical tabulations, recorded media, and other documentary materials. Materials that are not official records may include informal notes, drafts, ad hoc reports, and other documentation that does not serve as the record of an official action of a state agency.
The agency is required to maintain a schedule of retention and disposition of records. Please note that emails are considered transitory (temporary) records that are not required to be retained. Transitory records may be destroyed when the value of the record ends. However, if a public records request is received for a transitory record before that transitory record has been destroyed, that transitory record must be released.
How to Request Public Records
All requests to inspect and/or obtain copies of public records should be submitted to the Department’s Public Records Officer via the below records request form. The Department’s Public Records Officer will acknowledge receipt of the request within 5 business days of receiving the public record request, in accordance with Nevada law, at which time the agency will provide notice of the approximate window in which the records will be provided. The Department retains a record of all requests received. Fees for extraordinary use, including the request for files too large to be sent digitally and requiring the use of a physical compact disc and subsequent postage, may be charged if necessary.
Please complete and submit the attached form to file a records request with the Nevada Department of Education: