PHASE 6: Correspondence Thread Cleanup Guide¶

This guide provides comprehensive instructions for manually standardizing correspondence thread pages in the TTUHSC Case Hub.

Overview¶

Goal: Make correspondence thread pages consistently formatted, easily scannable, and policy-compliant so visitors can quickly understand each thread's purpose and significance.

Scope: ~70+ thread pages in docs/correspondence/

Time estimate: 5-10 minutes per thread (varies by complexity)

Standardized Thread Page Structure¶

Each thread page should follow this structure:

---
title: "Thread XX: [Short descriptive title]"
description: "[One sentence summary for SEO/social sharing]"
date: YYYY-MM-DD  # Date of first message in thread
thread_id: thread_XXX
participants:
  - TTUHSC Registrar
  - Kevin Bass
tags:
  - ferpa
  - correspondence
---

# Thread XX: [Short descriptive title]

## Thread Summary

[1-2 paragraph plain-language summary answering:]
- What is this thread about?
- Who are the participants?
- What was the outcome or current status?
- Why does this matter to the case?

## Quick Facts

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Dates** | YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD |
| **Messages** | X emails |
| **Participants** | [List TTUHSC/TTU offices only] |
| **Status** | Active / Resolved / Pending |
| **Related DOCs** | [Link to DOC pages if applicable] |

## Timeline

- **YYYY-MM-DD** — [First message description]
- **YYYY-MM-DD** — [Response description]
- **YYYY-MM-DD** — [etc.]

## Attachments

[List attachments with policy compliance notes]

| Attachment | Type | Policy Status |
|------------|------|---------------|
| filename.pdf | PDF | Included |
| [withheld] | PDF | Withheld (external agency) |

## Related Documents

- [DOC-YYYYMMDD-NNN](../docs/doc-YYYYMMDD-NNN.md) — Related exhibit
- [Thread XX](thread_XXX.md) — Related thread

## Full Thread Content

[Original thread content below, preserving redactions]

---

[Message content...]

Step-by-Step Cleanup Process¶

Step 1: Inventory Assessment¶

List all threads in docs/correspondence/
Categorize by type:
FERPA requests/responses
TPIA requests/responses
Due process notices
AG referrals
Delivery failures (low priority)
Other

Step 2: Priority Order¶

Clean up threads in this order:

High priority — Threads referenced from homepage or key exhibits
Medium priority — Active correspondence threads (not delivery failures)
Low priority — Delivery status notifications and system messages

Step 3: For Each Thread¶

Read the full thread to understand context
Add/update frontmatter with proper metadata
Write thread summary (1-2 paragraphs)
Create Quick Facts table with key metadata
Add timeline of major messages
Review attachments for policy compliance:
Check against SURFACING_POLICY.yml
Mark external agency attachments as "Withheld"
Ensure TTUHSC/TTU attachments are properly linked
Cross-reference with related DOC pages and threads
Verify redactions are consistent with site policy

Step 4: Policy Compliance Check¶

For each thread, verify:

[ ] No denied domain references (utsystem.edu, tsus.edu)
[ ] External agency communications marked appropriately
[ ] Redactions consistent with docs/policy.md
[ ] Participant names follow privacy policy

Run domain leak check after cleanup:

python scripts/check_domain_leaks.py

Writing Guidelines¶

Thread Summaries¶

Good summary example:

This thread documents Kevin Bass's FERPA request to the TTUHSC Registrar for access to his education records. The thread spans November-December 2025 and includes correspondence about inspection scheduling, no-copying restrictions, and the discovery of approximately 2000 responsive records.

Bad summary example:

Emails about FERPA stuff.

Neutral Tone¶

Use "the record shows" not "TTUHSC refused"
Use "the correspondence indicates" not "they ignored"
Attribute claims: "According to DOC-…" or "The email states…"
Avoid loaded language per CLAUDE.md guidelines

Dates and References¶

Use absolute dates: "2025-12-19" not "last week"
Link to DOC pages when available
Use consistent DOC ID format: DOC-YYYYMMDD-NNN

Attachment Handling¶

TTUHSC/TTU Attachments (Safe to Include)¶

| Attachment | Type | Policy Status |
|------------|------|---------------|
| [DOC-20251219-001.pdf](../assets/pdfs/...) | PDF | Included |

External Agency Attachments (Withhold)¶

| Attachment | Type | Policy Status |
|------------|------|---------------|
| [withheld] | PDF | Withheld per surfacing policy |

Add note:

Note: Some attachments from external agencies are withheld from the public site per the surfacing policy. Contact the author for research access.

Quality Checklist¶

For each thread, verify:

[ ] Frontmatter complete (title, description, date, thread_id, participants, tags)
[ ] Thread summary present and informative
[ ] Quick Facts table accurate
[ ] Timeline of key messages included
[ ] Attachments listed with policy status
[ ] Related documents cross-referenced
[ ] Redactions consistent
[ ] No policy violations (domain leaks)
[ ] Links work

Batch Processing Tips¶

Find threads missing summaries¶

grep -L "Thread Summary" docs/correspondence/thread_*.md

Find threads without frontmatter¶

grep -L "^---" docs/correspondence/thread_*.md

List all thread files¶

ls docs/correspondence/thread_*.md | wc -l

After Cleanup¶

Run full build: mkdocs build --strict
Run domain leak check: python scripts/check_domain_leaks.py site
Run homepage freshness check: python scripts/check_homepage_freshness.py site
Regenerate manifest: python scripts/build_manifest.py
Update changelog with cleanup summary

Example Transformation¶

Before (minimal)¶

# Thread 36

From: Kevin Bass
To: TTUHSC

[Raw email content...]

After (standardized)¶

---
title: "Thread 36: FERPA Records Inspection — Scheduling and Volume Discovery"
description: "FERPA correspondence regarding education records inspection, including discovery of ~2000 responsive records."
date: 2025-11-17
thread_id: thread_036
participants:
  - TTUHSC Registrar
  - Kevin Bass
tags:
  - ferpa
  - inspection
  - records-access
---

# Thread 36: FERPA Records Inspection — Scheduling and Volume Discovery

## Thread Summary

This thread documents the FERPA records inspection process between Kevin Bass and the TTUHSC Registrar's Office from November to December 2025. Key developments include...

[etc.]

Support¶

Questions about this process: - Review CLAUDE.md for language guidelines - Check SURFACING_POLICY.yml for domain rules - See existing DOC pages for formatting examples

Last updated: 2025-12-22