Something happened at school, and you're not getting straight answers. Florida law gives you the right to see the records — and you don't need a lawyer to ask. This tool builds your official request letter in about 3 minutes. 100% free.
About you and your child
The school must verify you're the parent or guardian. Your child's date of birth matters legally — some protections only apply at certain ages.
The school
Your request goes to the district's Custodian of Public Records — the letter is addressed correctly for you.
What happened?
You don't have to tell the school your whole story — this targets the right records and dates.
What records do you want?
This checklist adapts to what happened. Check everything that could apply — asking costs nothing, and you can't get what you don't ask for.
Put leadership on notice (recommended)
Your letter is ready.
Copy it into an email to the district's records office. Keep the date you send it — the clock starts then.
What happens next
1
Send it and save the date. Email is best — it timestamps everything.
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Finding the CC addresses (30 seconds): search "[your county] county school board" — every district's website has a School Board page listing the Board Chair and the Superintendent's office, with emails or contact forms. Put both on the CC line of your email. Can't find them? The district's main phone line must tell you.
2
The district must acknowledge and respond in good faith within a reasonable time. For your child's own records under FERPA, federal law sets a hard ceiling of 45 days.
3
If they claim something is exempt, they must cite the specific law in writing and can't withhold a whole document when blacking out one line would do. "No" without a statute isn't a legal answer.
4
If they charge fees, your letter requires advance notice over $50 and an itemized written estimate first — surprise bills aren't allowed.
5
If they say "active investigation," know this: that excuse expires. Once an administrative investigation closes, those records open.
Is the district stonewalling you?
Weeks of silence, or endless "we're working on it" (the law calls this constructive denial)
"No records exist" — for an incident you know happened (if records do exist, that answer is itself a violation)
A fee estimate that feels designed to make you go away
You paid — and nothing came
Records arrive with everything important blacked out, no law cited
"Active investigation" — on a matter that closed months ago
That's not a dead end — it's evidence. Florida law makes an agency pay your attorney's fees when it unlawfully withholds records — but only if a formal statutory notice was sent first. For a flat fee of $495, civil rights attorney Christina Lawrence-Moser will review your denial and send the district that notice — the letter that starts the attorney-fee clock. Records cases also get expedited hearings under Florida law: they jump the line. If the district still won't comply, you'll already be positioned to win — at their expense, not yours.
Need records from beyond the school district?
Request packs for the Department of Children and Families (closed case files), the State Attorney's Office (closed criminal files — public record once closed, and almost nobody knows to ask), and other Florida agencies are coming. Each has its own rules, and its own letter.
This tool is free and always will be. If it helped you, consider supporting the Florida First Amendment Foundation, which has defended the public's right to records like these for decades.
This tool provides general legal information and self-help forms, not legal advice. Using it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Moser Law PLLC. Every situation is different; consult an attorney about your specific circumstances.
