Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is committed to openness and transparency, including full compliance with the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), General Provisions Article, Section 4-101 through 4-601, Annotated Code of Maryland.
The Superintendent of Schools is official custodian of CCPS records. The director of communications is the superintendent’s designee at CCPS and responds to most MPIA requests.
How to submit a request
Any person may request to inspect or obtain copies public records of the school system unless the requested records fall into one of the exceptions provided in the MPIA. Requests must be submitted in writing and specify what documents are being sought. While fulfilling a request, school system staff may have questions or need clarification. Requests should include the name, address, telephone and email information for the requester.
Written requests under MPIA should be sent to:
Shelley Mackey
Charles County Public Schools
Communications Department
P.O. Box 2770
LaPlata, MD 20646
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Office:301-934-7220
Fax: 301-932-6651
Requests can be emailed or faxed. Any requests sent via email or fax on a weekend or holiday are not received until the next business day.
Response to written requests
In most cases, requests for information will be provided within 30 days, unless an exemption applies or the requester agrees to an extension beyond 30 days. If the custodian approves a written request for inspection, she shall produce the record for inspection within the reasonable period that is needed to retrieve the public record, but not to exceed 30 calendar days after the receipt of the application. If the custodian denies the written request, she will give the applicant a written statement usually within 10 days stating the reasons and legal authority for the denial.
Review of a denial
If CCPS denies a written request, the applicant may, within 30 calendar days after the receipt of the notice of the denial, request in writing a review by the superintendent. If the review by the superintendent results in a total or partial denial of the written request, the applicant may file an appropriate action in the circuit court under Section 4-362 of the Act.
Fees
The MPIA allows government agencies to recover costs incurred to search, prepare and reproduce records for inspection after the first two hours, which are exempt. The law allows CCPS to charge the hourly rate of the employee or employees who are doing the work to fulfill the request. It also allows CCPS to charge the cost copying documents. CCPS will charge 15 cents per page unless the documents can be transmitted electronically.
If more than two hours of employee time is needed to fulfill a request, the requester will be notified of the estimated cost and must give approval to CCPS to proceed. Payment must be made in advance of work or CCPS will stop working on the request after two hours. If fulfilling the request takes less time than estimated, the difference will be refunded. The same applies to requests requiring a significant amount of copying. The requester will be notified of the estimated cost; payment for duplication must be made in advance. All other payments for copying are due in full within 10 days of receipt of the information.
CCPS does not charge for copies if the total fee would be $1 or less.
The fee for copies is $.15 per page.
Learn more about the Maryland Public Information Act
For more information about the Maryland Public Information Act, visit http://www.oag.state.md.us/Opengov/pia.htm
Learn more about CCPS before you file
CCPS proactively discloses public information, depending on the type of public information and the school system’s budgetary restraints. CCPS posts a tremendous amount of information about its schools, students and procedures on its website at www.ccboe.com. Many of the MPIA requests CCPS receives request information already available to the public. Here are links to information frequently requested through MPIA requests:
Board of Education
CCPS uses BoardDocs, a paperless, online Board meeting website that makes meeting and policy information more transparent and accessible to the public. The Board of Education of Charles County started using BoardDocs in March 2005, and all meeting agendas, minutes, reports and action items can be accessed through this site. There is a link to BoardDocs under Quick Links on the CCPS home page at www.ccboe.com.
Board meetings are televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon Fios Channel 12 and streamed live on our website at www.ccboe.com. Board meeting broadcasts for the past year are easily viewable at Televised Board Meetings. Board meetings have been filmed since 2006, and copies of previous meeting can be obtained by emailing a request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. There is fee of $5 to cover materials and shipping.
Minutes from previous years can be inspected by appointment and during business hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call the Board’s executive assistant at 301-934-7224 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make an appointment.
You can also take a look at the Board’s historical minutes from 1892-1932, which are available online at https://www.ccboe.com/index.php/about-us
Test scores
CCPS test scores for the county and each school are available online: https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/Graphs/#/AtaGlance/Index/3/17/6/08/XXXX
Student/staff achievement
CCPS posts regular information about the Board of Education, its students, staff and programs. Visit In The News for the latest information about CCPS. Archives from the previous year are also available.
General facts
Enrollment, tests scores, employees, demographics and more CCPS facts can all be found on our CCPS Facts webpage.
Budget information
A copy of the approved operating budget is posted on the Budget page. Previous budgets and financial audits are also archived on the webpage.
