ESC Region 11 offers links to external websites and are provided solely as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by ESC Region 11 for any of the products, services, or opinions of the corporation, organization, or individual. ESC Region 11 bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site or subsequent links. Contact the external site webmaster for answers to questions regarding its content.

ESC Region 11 receives funding from three sources: the federal government, the state government, and local funds. With these funds, we can hire and maintain quality staff, operate a comfortable training facility that can accommodate the needs of district personnel throughout the region, and provide state-of-the-art training equipment and technology. Also, we work hard to utilize every dollar of funding to provide the best programs and services either free of charge or at reduced fees. We form cooperatives that allow for bulk purchasing of items or services and develop specialized services at reduced fees to meet the needs of our school districts. 

ESC Region 11 applies for state and federal grants throughout the year. The general public and other stakeholders have a right to review, comment, and provide input regarding these grants. For an updated list of grants being considered and to learn more about the input process, please contact the ESC Region 11 Executive Director at (817) 740-3630 or email Clyde W. Steeman, Jr.

Texas law gives you the right to access government records and government officials may not ask why you want them. All government information is presumed to be available to the public. Certain exceptions may apply to the disclosure of the information. Governmental bodies shall promptly release requested information that is not confidential by law or information for which an exception to disclosure has been sought.

Rights of Requestors
You have the right to:

• Prompt access to information that is not confidential or otherwise protected;
• Receive treatment equal to all other requestors, including accommodation in accordance with ADA requirements;
• Receive certain kinds of information without exceptions, like the voting record of public officials or information related to the receipt, expenditure or estimated need for public funds, and other items;
• Receive a statement of estimated charges, when charges exceed $40, in advance of work being started and the opportunity to renegotiate the request if charges are too high;
• Choose whether to inspect the requested information (most often at no charge), receive copies of the information, or both;
• A waiver or reduction of charges if the governmental body determines that access to the information primarily benefits the general public;
• Notice when the governmental body asks the Office of the Attorney General for a ruling on whether the information can be withheld under one of the accepted exceptions;
• Lodge a complaint about charges for public records with the General Services Commission and a complaint related to other possible violations with the county attorney, criminal district attorney, or Office of the Attorney General.

Responsibilities of Governmental Bodies
All governmental bodies responding to information requests have the responsibility to:

• Establish reasonable procedures for inspecting and copying public information and inform requestors of these procedures;
• Treat all requestors equally, including accommodation in accordance with ADA requirements;
• Be informed about open records laws and educate employees on the requirements of those laws;
• Inform requestors of the estimated charges greater than $40 and any changes in the estimates, and confirm that the requestor agrees in writing to pay the costs before finalizing the request;
• Inform the requestor if the information cannot be provided promptly and establish a date and time to provide it within a reasonable time;
• Ask for a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding any information to be withheld, and inform the requestor of this request for ruling;
• Segregate public information from information that might be withheld and provide that public information promptly;
• Inform third parties if their proprietary information is being requested from the governmental body;
• Respond in writing to all written communications from the General Services Commission or the Office of the Attorney General regarding complaints about violations of the Act.

Procedures to Obtain Information

1. Submit a written request (email, mail, fax, or in-person) according to a governmental body's reasonable procedures.
2. Include enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the governmental body to accurately identify and locate the items requested.
3. Cooperate with the governmental body's reasonable efforts to clarify the type or amount of information requested.  

Information to be released
You may review it promptly, and if it cannot be produced within 10 working days the public information officer will notify you in writing of the reasonable date and time when it will be available. Keep appointments to inspect records or pick up copies or risk losing the opportunity to see the information.

• You must respond to any written estimate of charges within 10 days of the date the governmental body sent it or the request may be deemed withdrawn.
• If estimated costs exceed $100.00 (or $50.00 if a governmental body has fewer than 16 full-time employees) the governmental body may require a bond, prepayment, or deposit.
• You may ask the governmental body to determine whether providing the information primarily benefits the general public, resulting in a waiver or reduction of charges.
• Make a timely payment for all mutually agreed charges. A governmental body can demand payment of overdue balances exceeding $100.00, or obtain a security deposit, before processing additional requests from you.
• Information may be withheld due to an exception.

By the 10th business day after you file your request, a governmental body must:

1. Request an Attorney General opinion and state which exceptions apply;
2. Notify the requestor of the referral to the Attorney General; and
3. Notify third parties if the request involves their proprietary information. 

Failure to request an Attorney General opinion and notify the requestor within 10 business days will result in a presumption that the information is open unless there is a compelling reason to withhold it. Requestors may send a letter to the Attorney General arguing for release and may review arguments made by the governmental body. The Attorney General must issue an opinion by the 65th working day from the day you made the request. Governmental bodies must release information determined by the Attorney General to be open or file suit within 30 calendar days, and they may not ask the Attorney General to reconsider an opinion.

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ESC Region 11 Contact for Public Information Requests
Hailee Fojtasek, Director of Communications
E-mail: hfojtasek@esc11.net
Phone: 817-740-7748
Fax: 817-740-7675

You may also submit your request by mail or in person at the Education Service Center Region 11, Communications Department: 1451 S. Cherry Lane, White Settlement, Texas 76108

Please note:
On rare occasions, email messages are not successfully received due to spam blockers, erroneous email addresses, network failure, etc. If you make your request via email, you should receive an email confirmation of receipt of your request within two business days. If you do not receive an email confirmation, please call us at 817-740-7748 so that we can make arrangements to successfully receive your request. 

Additional Information 
Attorney General of Texas - How to Request Public Information

For complaints regarding failure to release public information, please contact your local County or District Attorney at 940-349-2750. You may also contact the Office of the Attorney General, Open Records Hotline, at 512-478-6736 or toll-free at 877-673-6839.

For complaints regarding overcharges, please contact the Texas Building Procurement and Commission at 512-475-2497. If you need special accommodation pursuant to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact our ADA coordinator at 817-215-0182.

Chapter 552 "Non-Business Days"
In addition to state and federal holidays, ESC Region 11 has designated the following as “Non-Business Days” in accordance with Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code.

1. November 20, 2023
2. November 21, 2023
3. November 22, 2023
4. December 21, 2023
5. December 22, 2023
6. December 27, 2023
7. December 28, 2023 
8. December 29, 2023 

Regulation of the Executive Director of Education Service Center Region 11 Designating Texas Public Information Act "Non-Business Days" for 2023

Thanks for visiting the Education Service Center Region 11 Social Media page. We encourage comments about topics that we post. This site and all social media accounts are maintained and moderated by the ESC Region 11 Communications Department. Our social media accounts provide information and photos about the service center, workshops, and programs and feature the successes of our school districts and charter schools. Posts about school and charter activities, programs, and successes are provided by those organizations and reposted on our page. The ESC Region 11 social media content is updated frequently, and the page is used to relay important announcements.

Posted comments must comply with the following regulations:

• Comments shall be limited to the topic of a specific posting made by the site administrator. If you have an unrelated question or comment, please send those to communications@esc11.net.
• Comments are not allowed if they include profanity, threatening words, vulgar language, or inappropriate language or content.
• Comments are not allowed if they include specific allegations, a personal attack, or accusations about an employee, student, parent, employee, school district or charter school, community member, or the Education Service Center. Submit specific complaints regarding the ESC to Executive Director Dr. Clyde W. Steelman Jr., clydes@esc11.net, or by mail at 1451 S. Cherry Lane, White Settlement, TX 76108.
• Comments are not allowed if they include offensive language that targets specific groups of people, such as ethnic, religious, or racial groups.
• Comments are not allowed if they include spam or advertisements.
• Comments with links to other sites will be screened by the site administrator and allowed at the site administrator's discretion.
• Photographs posted will be screened by the site administrator and removed if deemed inappropriate.
• Reporters and other persons seeking responses to questions or requests are asked to send questions to the Public Information Officer at lburton@esc11.net.
• Comments promoting or attacking electoral campaigns or candidates are not allowed, nor are comments attacking elected officials.
• Participants are responsible for what they post. Comments must not breach any law, confidentiality, or copyright.
• Anyone posting comments contrary to this Terms of Use policy will have their comment removed. Posts/comments deemed inappropriate according to this Terms of Use Policy, the person posting them will be blocked from making any future posts on the page.
• Education Service Center Region 11 reserves the right to update these Terms of Use at any time without advance notice.

ESC Region 11 does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, or genetic information in its programs, activities, or hiring practices. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Inquiries regarding the Title IX Education Amendments of 1972 may be directed to Ravonne Allmon-Smith at (817) 740-3651. Additional information may be found on the National Center for Education Statistics website.

Per HB 462, resources and services provided by ESC Region 11 are solely aligned with and designed to support the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) adopted by the State Board of Education. ESC Region 11 does not promote or participate in the Common Core Initiative. Any reference to Common Core on our website is an oversight and/or associated with a third party website to which we may be linked. Please notify us if you find a reference to the Common Core so that we may take appropriate action.