Enrichment · Passion Projects

Know when the records are due,
and when to push.

Log each request the day you send it. The organizer works out the due date in business days, keeps every reply in order, and tells you when a request is overdue or a denial needs an appeal date.

Log a requestWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Passion projects kit, $39 for 34 items.

Records requests

The worked example is three made-up requests from a student journalist: bus contracts from a school district, inspection reports through federal FOIA and city emails that were denied. Requests stay in this browser.

Loading the request form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Passion Projects$5

What you finish with
A page per request with the agency and level, what you asked for, the date and method, tracking number and fee waiver; the deadline in business days with the due date; a dated log of acknowledgements, clarifications, extensions, fees, releases, denials, follow-ups and appeals; the status, appeal deadline and next step; flags for overdue requests and denials; counts of open and overdue requests.
Who it is for
Student journalists, history and civics students, community researchers, parents and anyone requesting government records.
Format
Browser organizer with any number of saved requests. Prints one request, all requests or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Passion projects kit ($39) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Log the request the day you send it, with exactly what you asked for.
  2. Enter the response deadline in business days: 20 for federal FOIA, or what your state or local law says.
  3. Add every reply, call and letter to the log as it happens.
  4. If it goes past the due date, follow up in writing and log that too.
  5. If you are denied, write down the appeal deadline and decide whether to appeal.

Log a request

How the clock works

Counting 20 business daysMonTueWedThuFri26 sent27 · 128 · 229 · 330 · 42 · 53 · 64 · 75 · 86 · 99 · 1010 · 1111 · 1212 · 1313 · 1416 · 1517 · 1618 · 1719 · 1820 · 1923 · day 2024252627Oct 26 to Nov 23, 2026. Weekends skipped; Nov 11 is a federal holiday,so the agency’s own count runs a day later.Counting 20 business daysMonTueWedThuFri26 sent27·128·229·330·42·53·64·75·86·99·1010·1111·1212·1313·1416·1517·1618·1719·1820·1923 d2024252627Oct 26 to Nov 23, 2026, weekends skipped.A holiday adds a day to the agency’s count.
Agencies count from the day they receive a request, and can pause the clock once to ask a question or settle fees. Treat the date as a guide for when to follow up, not a promise.

Federal and state

The federal Freedom of Information Act covers federal agencies: 20 business days to decide, with extensions for unusual circumstances, and at least 90 days to appeal a denial. State agencies, cities, counties and school districts fall under state public records laws, which set their own deadlines, fees and exemptions.

When it stalls

A short, polite follow-up that cites the date sent and the tracking number moves most stalled requests. For federal requests, each agency has a FOIA public liaison, and the Office of Government Information Services offers free mediation. Many states have an ombudsman or an attorney general’s office that handles disputes.

Sources

  1. Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, including 552(a)(6)(A): 20 working days to decide and at least 90 days to appeal.
  2. FOIA.gov, U.S. Department of Justice. How to Make a FOIA Request and agency contact list.
  3. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy. Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act (justice.gov/oip).
  4. Office of Government Information Services, National Archives. Mediation services (archives.gov/ogis).

The worked example is made up, and the tracking number in it is not real. Deadlines for state and local requests come from state law; this organizer counts business days and skips weekends but not holidays. Requests stay on this device until you print or export them. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.