ANNUAL NOTICE

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students who are 18 years of age or older (“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 after the day the District receives a request for access.

Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal (or to the superintendent) a written request that identifies the records they wish to inspect.  The principal or superintendent 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 District to amend a record should write the school principal or superintendent, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it should be changed.

If the District decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the District will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and  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 provide written consent before the District discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from 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 District as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel) ora person serving on the School Board.  A school official may also include a volunteer or contractor outside of the District who performs an institutional service or function for which the District would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the District with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, AEA employee, medical consultant, or therapist;  a parent or student volunteering to serve on an official committee, such as a disciplinaryy or grievance committee or student assistance team, or a parent, student, or other volunteer 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 education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes of the student’s enrollment or transfer.

4. 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 are:

                        Family Policy Compliance Office
                        U.S. Department of Education
                        400 Maryland Avenue, SW
                        Washington, D.C.  20202

NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER; NAMES, ADDRESSES, EMAIL ADDRESSES, AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS OF THE PARENTS OR GUARDIANS; DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH; ENROLLMENT STATUS; GRADE LEVEL AND FIELDS OF STUDY; PARTICIPATION IN OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED ACTIVITIES AND SPORTS; WEIGHT AND HEIGHT OF MEMBERS OF ATHLETIC TEAMS; DATES OF ATTENDANCE AND THE BUILDING ATTENDED IN THE DISTRICT; DEGREES, HONORS, AND AWARDS RECEIVED; THE MOST RECENT PREVIOUS SCHOOL OR INSTITUTION ATTENDED BY THE STUDENT; PHOTOGRAPHS AND LIKENESSES; AND OTHER SIMILAR INFORMATION.

Any student age  eighteen or older or parent may request that the District not release the student's name, address, and telephone number to military recruiters and/or post-secondary institutions.

The District may, prior to adjudication, without parental consent or court order, share any information with juvenile justice agencies contained in a student’s cumulative record thatis directly related to the juvenile justice system’s ability to effectively serve the student.  Information contained in a student’s cumulative record may be disclosed by the District to juvenile justice agencies after adjudication only with parental consent or a court order.  Information shared shall be used solely for determining the programs and services appropriate to the needs of the student or student’s family or coordinating the delivery of programs and services to the student or student’s family.  Information shared is not admissible in any court proceedings which take place prior to a disposition hearing, unless written consent is obtained from a student’s parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian.  The agreement with the juvenile justice agency only governs the District’s ability to share information and the purposes for which that information can be used.

Revision: April 1, 2013

URBANDALE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS