Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) each school system is required to adopt a written policy governing its procedures for releasing educational record of students who have been or are currently enrolled within any system that receives federal funds. The stated purpose of this law is to provide privacy safeguards to parents and students through the application of fair information disclosure practices as it applies to education records. Included within this law are regulation governing the access to, release, transfer or other communication of education records of students that contain personally identifiable information.
In accordance with this Act the Doddridge County Schools has adopted and maintains a written policy governing the maintenance, collection ad disclosure of student records. Included with this policy are certain rights and privileges accorded to parents and students over the age of eighteen (Aeligible students@). The following is a summary of those rights and privileges:
■ The right to inspect and review the student’s educational records with forty-five (45) days of the date of the School received a request of access. Parents of eligible students should submit to the School Principal (or designee) 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.
■ The right to request the amendment of the students’s education record(s) that the parent or eligible student believes is/are inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask the School to amend a record that they believe is in accurate or misleading. They should write the School principle (or designee), clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is believed to be inaccurate or misleading. 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 their request for amendment. Information about the hearing process will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
■ The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorized disclosure without consent. One exception, which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interest. 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 which the School has contracted to perform a special task (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 of the official needs to review an education record I order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. (The Doddridge County Schools will automatically release educational record to officials of another School district in which a student intends or seeks to enroll when request by that district).
■ The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the School to comply with the requirements of FERPA. Thee name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901