The Port Angeles School District has requested a nearly four-and-a-half-month extension to fulfill a public records request related to a recent board censure of a newly elected director. The request was submitted on June 22, seeking specific electronic communications cited in Resolution 2526-18, which the Board of Directors passed on June 19 to reprimand Director Nancy Hamilton.

The district’s Public Records Officer, an HR assistant, responded on June 29 with a standard five-day letter indicating an estimated 90-business-day delay. The justification provided included the time necessary to locate and assemble the requested documents, citing reduced staff levels as a primary factor.

The records sought in the June 22 request are narrow in scope, comprising digital materials explicitly referenced in the eight-page censure document. These items include a June 11 email and attached letter sent by the director to the board and district counsel concerning a May 26 executive session. Additionally, the request covers 17 emails exchanged between the director and Superintendent Michelle Olsen, spanning from December 9, 2025, to May 21, 2026, regarding district operations, along with the superintendent’s written responses to those messages. The request also encompasses written correspondence regarding anonymous constituent complaints mentioned on page four of the resolution.

Critics of the proposed timeline argue that the delay is inconsistent with the fact that the board majority had already reviewed and compiled these specific digital records to draft the censure resolution just days prior. The requester formally objected to the 90-business-day timeline on Monday, arguing that administrative inconvenience does not override statutory transparency mandates under the Washington State Public Records Act (RCW 42.56).

The objection referenced the Washington State Court of Appeals decision in *Zink v. City of Mesa*, which established that a lack of manpower or high request volumes do not constitute a valid defense against strict compliance with public records laws. The district’s reliance on "reduced staff" as a primary reason for the delay has been described as a legally unsupported argument in the context of state transparency statutes.

The requester has formally rejected the proposed extension, noting that the district risks facing financial penalties for bad-faith noncompliance. Under Washington State Supreme Court precedent, specifically the *Yousoufian* factors, courts are required to consider bad faith and intentional noncompliance as aggravating circumstances when calculating daily fines for public records violations. These factors can significantly increase statutory penalties if the matter proceeds to litigation.

In a June 29 filing, officials called for the district to comply with legal mandates and commence disclosure of accessible records without delay, with initial materials to include a June 11 communication.

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