Okanogan 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 years 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 offi¬cial] 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.
Parents or eligible students may ask the School to amend a record that they
believe is inaccurate. They should write the School principal [or appropriate
school official], clearly identify the part of the record they want changed,
and specify why it is inaccurate. 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 con¬sent.
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 ad¬ministrator, 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 com¬pany
with whom the School has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney,
audi¬tor, 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 educa¬tion 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 the School 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, DC 20202-5901
Okanogan School District
Notice of Directory Information
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Okanogan School District, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, Okanogan School District may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the Okanogan School District to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain publications. Examples include:
• A playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production;
•
The annual yearbook;
•
Honor roll or other recognition lists;
•
Graduation programs; and
•
Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of
team members.
Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish year books. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent.
If you do not want Okanogan School District to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing. Okanogan School District has designated the following information as directory information:
• Student’s name
•
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
•
Weight and height of members of athletic teams
•
Photograph
•
Degrees, honors, and awards received
•
Date and place of birth
•
Major field of study
•
Dates of attendance
•
Grade level
•
The most recent educational agency or institution attended
Okanogan School District
Notice of Availability
Any application and any required policies, procedures, evaluations, plans, and reports relating to the district’s special education program are available for public review and comment through the district’s special education and superintendent offices. Please contact Greg Schwichtenberg, Director of Special Education, at 422-3580 for further information.
Public Participation
The district welcomes public participation and input regarding the planning
and operating of the district’s special education program. Please contact
Greg Schwichtenberg, Director of Special Education, at 422-3580 for further
information.
Notificación Modelo sobre Derechos conforme a FERPA
para las Escuelas Primarias y Secundarias
La Ley de Derechos Educativos de la Familia y la Confidencialidad (Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act), conocida por sus siglas en inglés
FERPA, confiere a los padres y los estudiantes mayores de 18 años (denominados “estudiantes
aptos”) ciertos derechos con respecto a los expedientes académicos
o registros educativos del estudiante. Estos derechos son:
(1) El derecho a inspeccionar y revisar el expediente del estudiante en un
plazo de 45 días contado de la fecha de petición de acceso.
El padre o estudiante apto debe presentar al director de Escuela [o el correspondiente
funcionario escolar] una petición por escrito que señale el documento
o los documentos que desea inspeccionar. El funcionario de escuela se encargará del
acceso y de notificar al padre o el estudiante apto respecto a la hora y el
lugar donde los documentos se pueden inspeccionar.
(2) El derecho a solicitar una modificación del registro que el padre
o el estudiante apto estime inexacto o equívoco.
Un padre o estudiante apto puede pedirle a la escuela que se modifique un registro
que él considere inexacto o equívoco. Debe dirigirse por escrito
director de la escuela [o al correspondiente funcionario], señalar con
claridad la parte del registro que desea que se modifique , y especificar por
qué es inexacto o equívoco. Si la scuela determina no modificar
el registro en el sentido de la petición presentada por el padre o el
estudiante apto, la escuela notificará al padre o el estudiante apto
sobre la decisión y le avisará sobre su derecho a una audiencia
en relación con la petición de modificación. Se proporcionará información
adicional al padre o el estudiante apto sobre el procedimiento de audiencia
al ser notificado sobre el derecho a audiencia.
(3) El derecho a dar consentimiento para la divulgación de información
susceptible de identificación personal contenida en los expedientes
académicos del estudiante, salvo en los casos señalados por FERPA
que autorizan la divulgación sin consentimiento.
Una excepción, que permite la divulgación sin consentimiento,
se trata de la divulgación a los funcionarios escolares con intereses
educativos legítimos. Un funcionario escolar es un empleado de la escuela
en calidad de administrador, supervisor, instructor, o personal de apoyo (incluyendo
el personal de salud o médico y el personal de la unidad de seguridad
o policial); una persona que integre el Consejo Escolar; una persona o compañía
con la cual la escuela contrate para desempeñar una función particular
(como un abogado, un auditor, un consultor médico, o un terapeuta);
o un padre o estudiante que se desempeñe en un comité oficial,
tal como un comité de disciplina o de procedimientos conciliatorios
de disputas laborales, o que asista a otro funcionario escolar en el ejercicio
de sus funciones.
Un funcionario tiene un interés legítimo si el funcionario necesita
revisar un registro educativo a fin de cumplir con su responsabilidad profesional.
A petición, la escuela divulgará sin consentimiento registros
educativos a los funcionarios de otro distrito escolar en donde el estudiante
piensa o pretende matricularse.
(4) El derecho a presentar un reclamo ante el Departamento de Educación
de EE.UU. respecto al presunto incumplimiento con los requisitos de FERPA por
parte de la Escuela. El nombre y la dirección de la Oficina que administra
FERPA son:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901