BCS Sees Surge in Public Records Requests, Suspects AI-Driven Data Mining

From the Blackford County Schools Board meeting on May 19, 2026

Blackford County Schools is experiencing an unusual surge in public records requests — up from a historical average of two to three per year to 12-15 this year, with two arriving in the first two days of the past week alone.

Most requests are coming from out-of-state companies seeking salary data, contract information, and employee directories, which the superintendent said he believes are being generated by AI for commercial purposes. Superintendent groups statewide are reporting the same trend, he said.

Under Indiana law, public entities must provide existing records but are not required to create new documents to fulfill requests. For example, a request for a combined list of all employees, titles, salaries, and emails would not need to be fulfilled if no such single document exists.

BCS is implementing a fee structure for processing requests as part of an updated public records policy now in first reading. The superintendent specifically recommended that local parents making legitimate requests not be charged. The district is also working with attorney Steve Murphy on templated response letters. The policy will return for a vote at the June meeting.

Source: YouTube transcript — BCS School Board Meeting, May 19, 2026

Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.