3231P Procedure - Student Records
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Cumulative Folder
The cumulative folder may contain all information about a student that is collected and maintained on a routine basis, such as identifying information (name, birth date, sex, year in school, address, telephone number, parent's/guardian’s name, ethnic classification, emergency information including parent's/guardian’s place of employment, family doctor, babysitter, siblings); attendance records, including date of entry and withdrawal; grades and other student progress reports; results of tests of school achievement, aptitude, interests, hearing and vision; health and immunization status reports; records of school accomplishments and participation in school activities; verified reports of misconduct, including a record of disciplinary action taken; and such other information as will enable staff to counsel with students and plan appropriate activities. Identifying information may be limited if the student is a participant in the state Address Confidentiality Program.
- Supplementary Records
Accessibility of Student Records
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Parents/Guardians
Parents/guardians of dependent children have the right to inspect the cumulative folder and/or supplementary records of their children.
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Upon the request of the parent or a staff member, a qualified staff member will provide the parent/guardian with analysis and interpretation of all information in the cumulative folder and supplementary records. The review will occur within five school business days after the district receives a request unless a written explanation for the failure to do so is supplied by the custodian of records. In no case will the review occur later than 45 days after the parent/guardian makes the request.
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Inspection and review will be conducted during normal working hours, unless the custodian (teacher, counselor, nurse, psychologist, principal) consents to other arrangements. Custodians will provide assistance in the interpretation and analysis of student records as needed. Although records must remain within district control, they may be copied or reproduced by or for the parent/guardian or eligible student at their own expense.
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The Student
Parents/guardians and adult students will be notified annually of their right to inspect and review the records of their children and their other rights under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act through the following notice: Franklin Pierce Schools Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities and Annual Notices, and district website.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents/guardians and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student's education records. They are:
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The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the district receives a request for access. Parents/guardians or eligible students should submit a written request to the district records custodian that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The records custodian will arrange for access and notify the parent/guardian or eligible student of the time and place where they may inspect the records.
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The right to request amendments to the student's education records that the parent/guardian or eligible student believes to be inaccurate or misleading. Parents/guardians or eligible students may ask the district to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the district decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent/guardian or eligible student, the district will notify the parent/guardian or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent/guardian or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
- The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. Exceptions permitting disclosure without consent are deemed by the district as necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals and disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, hearing officer, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent/guardian or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the district discloses educational records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
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The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the district to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202.
- Staff
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Other Districts
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Other Persons and Organizations
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The district may release directory information publicly without consent upon the condition that the parent/guardian or adult student be notified annually of the school's intention to release such information and be provided the opportunity to indicate that such information is not to be released without prior consent. The district will not release directory information for commercial reasons. The district has designated the following as directory information: a student's name; address, telephone number, and email address; image or likeness in pictures, videotape, film, or other medium; date of birth; a student’s program of study; dates of attendance; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; weight and height of members of athletic teams; diplomas and awards received; and the most recent previous school attended. The actual residential addresses of participants in the state Address Confidentiality Program will not be available for release as directory information. Social Security numbers, student identification numbers (with authentication factors such as a secret password or personal identification number), or other personally identifiable information is not considered directory information.
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Information may be released to authorized representatives of the comptroller general of the United States, the commissioner of education, and/or an administrative head of an education agency or state education authorities in connection with the audit and evaluation of federally supported education programs or in connection with the enforcement of the federal legal requirements for such programs.
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Information may be released to state and local officials to whom such information is specifically required to be reported or disclosed pursuant to Washington state statute (examples: reporting child abuse or referrals to juvenile court for truancy).
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Information may be released to organizations conducting studies for educational agencies for the purpose of developing, validating or administering predictive tests or improving instruction, if such studies are conducted in such a manner as will not permit the personal identification of students and their parents/guardians by persons other than the representatives of such organizations and if such information will be destroyed when no longer needed for the purpose for which it has been gathered.
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Information may be released in compliance with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena including ex parte court orders under the USA Patriot Act, upon condition that a reasonable effort was made to notify the parent/guardian or adult student in advance of such compliance unless such notice is not allowed by the order or subpoena. In compliance with the federal Uninterrupted Scholar’s Act of 2013, when a parent is a party to a court proceeding involving child abuse or neglect (as defined in Section 3 of the Child Abuse and Prevention and Treatment Act, 42 U.S.C. 5101) or dependency matters, and the order is issued in the context of that proceeding, the district is not required to provide additional notice (i.e., in addition to the court’s notice) to the parent prior to release of the information.
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Information may be released to appropriate persons and agencies in connection with an emergency to protect the health or safety of the student or other persons. The district will take into account the totality of the circumstance and determine if there is an articulable and significant threat to the health or safety of the student or other individuals. When information from a student's record, other than directory information, is released to any person or organization other than staff, a record of such release will be maintained as part of the specific record involved. Telephone requests for information about students will not be honored unless the identity of the caller is known and the caller is authorized to receive the information under provisions of these procedures. A record will be made of any such release of information and placed in the student's cumulative folder. This record of access will include date of access, name of the party granted access and the legitimate educational interest of the party granted access.
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In compliance with the federal Uninterrupted Scholar’s Act of 2013, information regarding students in foster care may be released without prior written consent of the parent or eligible student to agency caseworkers or other representatives of state or local child welfare agencies or tribal organizations who are legally responsible for the care and protection of the student, for purposes related to the student’s case plan.
- A high school adult student and/or parent/guardian may grant authority to the district permitting prospective employers to review the student's transcript.
Amendment of Records and Hearings
Maintenance of Student Records
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Maintain only those records authorized by these procedures;
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Safeguard student records from unauthorized use and disposition;
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Maintain access records;
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Honor access requests for parent/guardian or adult student;
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Delete or correct records upon approval of the senior custodian or upon order of the superintendent or designee or the board; and
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Follow the records review schedule and procedures established by the senior custodian.
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Request student records from other schools;
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Maintain security of student records;
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Transfer, destroy, and expunge records as permitted;
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Supervise activities of their custodians;
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Conduct informal hearings and grant or deny approval of corrections or deletions requested by parents/guardians or adult students;
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Establish records review schedules and procedures for their respective schools or departments in accordance with procedures governing records disposition. (Psychological test scores will be reviewed annually to determine their relevance to the continuing educational needs of the student.).
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Upon transfer of the student to the next level (elementary to middle school, middle school to high school) or upon graduation or transfer outside the district, remove for retention, preservation, or destruction in accordance with applicable disposition procedures any records no longer pertinent to educational program placement; and
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Certify to the district records custodian by June 30 of each year the following:
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Only records pertinent to educational program placement are being maintained, unless otherwise authorized by law; and
- Required reviews have been accomplished.
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Large Scale Destruction of Student Records
www.sos.wa.gov/archives/recordsretentionschedules.aspx.