IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – When faced with sensitive and potentially embarrassing inquiries, government agencies in Iowa often use the same legal rationale to keep the public in the dark. It’s an exemption to the Iowa open records law that shields “personal information in confidential personnel records.”

Though the precise meaning is unclear, agencies often cite it to reject requests that involve their management, discipline, handling of complaints and many other subjects about publicly-funded employees. As part of Sunshine Week, The Associated Press is highlighting how the exemption limits the public’s ability to access records.

In recent years, agencies have cited it in refusing to release a broad range of information, from employees’ letters of resignation to internal and external complaints, findings in misconduct investigations, even statistical information.