DE SOTO SCHOOL DISTRICT
NOTIFICATION OF RIGHTS UNDER FERPA
FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
The Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 year of age
(“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s
education records. These rights are:
1. The right to inspect and review
the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the School
receives a request for access.
Parents
or eligible students should submit to the School principal (or
appropriate school official) a written request that identifies the
record(s) they wish to inspect. The School official will make
arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the
time and place where the records may be inspected.
2. The right to request the
amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible
student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation
of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.
Parents
or eligible students who wish to ask the School to amend a record should
write the building principal or the district’s Director of Guidance,
clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify
why it should be changed. If the School decides not to amend the record
as requested by the parent or eligible student, the School will notify
the parent 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 or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. 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.
One
exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to
school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school
official is a person employed by the School 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 School has
contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using its own
employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, medical
consultant, or therapist); or a parent 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 School discloses education records without consent to
officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends
to enroll.
4. The right to file a complaint
with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by De
Soto School 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, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5920