Van Alstyne ISD · Grayson County · April 24, 2026
Van Alstyne ISD has demanded a $75 fee for the electronic export of its school library catalog — a record the district can generate from its existing software in minutes. LION contends the charge violates Texas Government Code §552.272, which prohibits fees for electronic records when no programming or data manipulation is required. LION has filed a formal complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Open Records Division.
The Request
On April 17, 2026, LION submitted a Texas Public Information Act request to Van Alstyne ISD for complete electronic exports of the full library catalogs at every campus: Partin Elementary, Sanford Elementary, Van Alstyne Middle, Junior High, and High School. The request also covered any tied curricula or recommended reading lists.
The District’s Response
On April 20, 2026, Van Alstyne ISD responded with Invoice #JM-01: a flat $75 charge for “3 hours of labor.”
Van Alstyne ISD operates the Surpass Cloud OPAC library system, which has built-in tools that export a complete catalog in CSV or Excel format in a matter of minutes. The district is charging a public records fee for a function the software performs with a single click.
Why the Charge Violates Texas Law
1. Texas Government Code §552.272 prohibits a public body from charging for electronic records when no programming or data manipulation is required to produce the record. A CSV export from existing software does not constitute programming or data manipulation.
2. The $25/hour rate exceeds the Texas Attorney General’s standard rate for public information labor. Even if labor charges were permissible, the rate cited in Invoice #JM-01 is above the schedule the Attorney General has published for such requests.
3. Texas Government Code §552.267 permits waiver of fees when production of the record is in the public interest. School library transparency is squarely in the public interest. Parents should not face financial barriers to reviewing what materials are available to their children at school.
What LION Did
On April 23, 2026, LION sent a detailed follow-up to Van Alstyne ISD citing the specific statutes and documentation of the Surpass Cloud system’s export capability.
LION simultaneously filed a formal overcharge complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Open Records Division. The complaint asks the Attorney General to find that Invoice #JM-01 violates §552.272 and to require Van Alstyne ISD to produce the requested records without charge.
What This Means
When a public body charges residents to access records the law requires it to provide, oversight is the response. A $75 invoice for a one-click export is a deterrent. Apply that deterrent across every Texan asking about every district’s library catalog, and the public has been priced out of the public records law.
LION will report the outcome of the Attorney General’s review.
What You Can Do
1. Attend Van Alstyne ISD Board of Trustees meetings. Meeting schedule and agendas are posted on the Van Alstyne ISD website.
2. Email the Superintendent and Board of Trustees. Ask whether the district has a written policy for electronic records production under the Texas Public Information Act, and what training records staff have received on PIA compliance.
3. Request your own records. If you have an outstanding question for Van Alstyne ISD, file a Public Information Act request yourself. If the district responds with excessive charges or improper denial, contact LION.
Methodology
Source: LION Texas Public Information Act request submitted to Van Alstyne ISD April 17, 2026. Van Alstyne ISD response (Invoice #JM-01) received April 20, 2026. LION follow-up correspondence sent April 23, 2026. Texas Attorney General overcharge complaint filed April 23, 2026. Statutory citations: Texas Government Code §§552.267, 552.272. Surpass Cloud export functionality documented at the Surpass Software public knowledge base.
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