Section 10-024.
Student Records
Maintenance of Information and Records:
A sizable file of records is accumulated for each student during his school years. These records are maintained for the invaluable assistance they provide the professional staff in dealing with students as individuals. It is the policy of the Board to assure that the welfare of each individual student is the only criterion used in releasing information from student files.
All student records are to be treated
as confidential and primarily for local school use or as otherwise stipulated.
Parents shall have the right to inspect and review any and all official records, files, and data directly related to their children, including all material that is incorporated into each student's cumulative record folder, or school system, and specifically including, but not necessarily limited to identifying data, academic work completed, level of achievement (grades, standardized achievement test scores), attendance data, scores or standardized intelligence, aptitude, and psychological tests, interest inventory results, health data, family background information, teacher or counselor ratings and observations, and verified reports of serious or recurrent behavior patterns.
Where such records or data include
information on more than one student, the parents of any student shall be
entitled to receive, or be informed of, that part of such record or data as
pertains to their child. Each
recipient shall establish appropriate procedures for the granting of a request
by parents for access to their child's school records within a reasonable period
of time, but in no case more than forty-five days after the request has been
made.
Parents shall have an opportunity for a
hearing to challenge the content of their child's school records, to insure that
the records are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the
privacy or other rights of students, and to provide an opportunity for the
correction or deletion of any such inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise
inappropriate data contained therein.
Any parent/guardian or student may
inspect the records of the student at reasonable times.
The district reserves the right to interpret selected records to students
and/or parents/guardians at the time of inspection.
For the purpose of this policy,
students who have reached the age of eighteen are the custodians of their school
records and maintain full rights of such records, except in the event that the
student provides written consent for their parent/guardian to maintain
custodianship of their school records.
The parents of students, or the
students, if they are eighteen years of age or older, must be informed by the
Superintendent or his designated representatives, if they are attending an
institution of post-secondary education, of the rights accorded them by this
section.
The Superintendent or his designated
representative shall develop a system of student records in conformity with
these policies. The Superintendent
is designated as the official custodian of all student records on file in the
central office.
All student record files shall be kept in a safe and secure place at all times. The official custodian or designated representative is responsible for maintaining and preserving the confidentiality of student records. The official custodian or designated representative is responsible for classifying records and maintaining them so that each record can clearly be identified by classification. The official custodian or designated representative is responsible for reviewing the files and deleting supplementary and tentative records when necessary or as otherwise provided for herein.
Each building Principal is designated
as the official custodian of student record files kept in his attendance center.
All official student special education records will be maintained in the special
education office.
District employees are cautioned about
the placing of anecdotal statements that might tend to be defamatory in student
record files. Anecdotal statements
should be written so as to reflect only the necessary facts of a given
incident or situation. Personal
judgments or biases are not to be included in said statements.
Only carefully worded professional
opinion rendered in the line of duty should be written by a physician,
psychiatrist, psychologist, guidance counselor, administrator or teacher.
All such opinions should be reasonably related to the educational process
and accurately reflect true facts.
Any hearing held in conjunction with a
request as provided for in this policy will conform to procedures used in
administrative hearings. Such
hearings will first be held before the appropriate custodian of the pupil's
records. Any appeals from said
hearing shall be made through the administrative chain of command to the Board
of Education whose decision shall be final and binding on all parties.
With the exception of a transcript, all
materials in a student's record shall be destroyed three (3) years after the
conclusion of attendance.
Dissemination of Information and
Records
The general public does not have the right to inspect students' record
files. However, permission may be
granted by the custodian of said records if a legitimate interest is shown by
any third party.
No records shall be made available to any state or local educational agency, any institution of higher education, any community college, any school agency offering a preschool program, or any other educational institution which has a policy of permitting the release of personally identifiable records or files (or personal information contained therein) of students without the written consent of their parents to any individual, agency, or organization, other than to the following:
1.
Other school officials,
including teachers within the educational institution or local educational
agency who have legitimate educational interests.
2.
Officials of other schools or
school systems in which the student intends to enroll, upon condition that the
student's parents be notified of the transfer, receive a copy of the record if
desired, and have an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of the
record.
3.
Authorized representatives of
the Comptroller General of the
4.
In connection with a student's
application for, or receipt of, financial aid.
Permission will be granted to a third party if the student or his parents/guardian request it. Any such request must be in writing to the official custodian of the student's record file.
No records shall be made available to
any state or local educational agency, any institution of higher education, any
community college, any school agency offering a preschool program, or any other
educational institution which has a policy or practice of furnishing, in any
form, any personally identifiable information contained in school records, to
any persons other than those listed herein, unless there is written consent from
the student's parents specifying records to be released, the reasons for such
release, and to whom, and with a copy of the records to be released to the
student's parents and the student if desired by the parents.
Such information is furnished in
compliance with judicial order, or pursuant to any lawfully issued subpoena,
upon condition that parents and the students are notified of all such orders or
subpoenas in advance of the compliance therewith by the educational institution
or agency.
Nothing contained in this section shall
preclude authorized representatives of the Comptroller General of the United
States, the secretary, an administrative head of an education agency or state
educational authorities from having access to student or other records which may
be necessary in connection with the audit and evaluation of federally supported
education programs, or in connection with the enforcement of the federal legal
requirements which relate to such programs.
Provided that, except when collection of personally identifiable data is
specifically authorized by federal law, any data collected by such officials
with respect to individual students shall not include information (including
social security numbers) which would permit the personal identification of such
students or their parents after the data so obtained has been collected.
With respect to the above, all persons,
agencies, or organizations desiring access to the records of a student shall be
required to sign a written form which shall be kept permanently with the file of
the student, but only for inspection by the parents or student, indicating
specifically the legitimate educational or other interest that each person,
agency, or organization has in seeking this information.
Such form shall be available to parents and to the school official
responsible for record maintenance as a means of auditing the operation of the
system.
With respect to this rule, personal
information shall only be transferred to a third party on the condition that
such party will not permit any other party to have access to such information
without the written consent of the parents of the student.
The Board and staff shall protect the
rights of privacy of students and their families in connection with any surveys
or data-gathering activities conducted, assisted, or authorized by the Board or
administration. Regulations
established under this rule shall include provisions controlling the use,
dissemination, and protection of such data.
The custodian of student record files
may, without the consent of either the student or his parents/guardians, release
student records to members of the district's professional staff who have a
proper educational interest in examining the information.
Student's parents/guardian may have
access to the administrative and supplementary records at all reasonable times
as previously stipulated in this policy. A
school official competent in interpreting student records shall be present to
explain the meaning and implications of the records that are examined.
A student may have access to this
administrative and supplementary records at all reasonable times.
A school official competent in interpreting student records shall be
present to explain the meaning and implications of the records that are
examined. The student shall have the
right to make written objections to any information contained in the records.
Any written objection shall be signed by the student and dated, and it
shall become part of his supplementary record.
Any data found in the student's record
file must be made available to any law enforcement officer or officer of any
court upon presentment of a subpoena or court order.
In an emergency situation when the student or his parents/guardians cannot be reached, the custodian of said student's records may, in his discretion, release information to law enforcement officials.
Data may be released without permission of the student or his parents/guardians to outside research agencies in such a form that no individual student is identifiable.
If the custodian of student records has
special information that would indicate granting or denying access in accordance
with these rules would be harmful to the student, he may exercise discretion in
granting or denying access in a manner other than provided for herein.
Approved
by Board 12-9-02