Q: Are public employee personnel records open to the public?
A: While the public is restricted from accessing certain types of personal information, other personnel records are presumptively open to the public. By statute, an employee’s social security number, private home address or telephone number; information relating to a pending investigation of a possible criminal offense or misconduct by the employee; information on an employee’s employment examination score; and information used by an authority for staff management and planning are not subject to public access. All other public employee personnel records are presumed open to public inspection, subject to the common law balancing test. See sec. 19.36(10), Stats.
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