HIBBING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT 701

BOARD POLICY 514
SERIES: 500 Students
SUBJECT: 514 Protection and Privacy of Pupil Records
ADOPTED:  
REVISED:  


514 PROTECTION AND PRIVACY OF PUPIL RECORDS

I. PURPOSE

The school district recognizes its responsibility in regard to the collection, maintenance, and dissemination of pupil records and the protection of the privacy rights of students as provided in federal law and state statutes.


II.  GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

The following procedures and policies regarding the protection and privacy of parents and students are adopted by the school district, pursuant to the requirements of 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, et seq., (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)) 34 C.F.R. Part 99 and consistent with the requirements of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Minn. Stat. Ch. 13, and Minn. Rules Parts 1205.0100-1205.2000.


III. DEFINITIONS

A. Directory Information
“Directory information” means information contained in an education record of a student which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed.  It includes, but is not limited to:  the student’s name, photograph, picture, major field of study, dates of attendance, grade level, enrollment status (i.e., full-time or part-time), participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, degrees, honors and awards received, and the most recent educational agency or institution attended.  Directory information does not include a student’s social security number or a student’s identification number (“ID”) if the ID may be used to access education records without use of one or more factors that authenticate the student’s identity such as a personal identification number, password, or other factor known or possessed only by the authorized user.  It also does not include personally identifiable data which references religion, race, color, social position, or nationality.

B. Education Records
Education records means those records which: (1) are directly related to a student; and (2) are maintained by the school district or by a party acting for the school district.

C. Eligible Student
“Eligible student” means a student who has attained eighteen (18) years of age or is attending an institution of post-secondary education.

D. Juvenile Justice System
“Juvenile justice system” includes criminal justice agencies and the judiciary when involved in juvenile justice activities.

E. Parent
“Parent” means a parent of a student and includes a natural parent, a guardian, or an individual acting as a parent of the student in the absence of a parent or guardian.  The school district may presume the parent has the authority to exercise the rights provided herein, unless it has been provided with evidence that there is a state law or court order governing such matters as marriage dissolution, separation or child custody, or a legally binding instrument which provides to the contrary.

F. Record
“Record” means any information or data recorded in any way including, but not limited to, handwriting, print, computer media, video or audio tape, film and microfilm.

G. Responsible Authority
“Responsible authority” means the school principal.

H. Other Terms and Phrases
All other terms and phrases shall be defined in accordance with applicable state and federal law or ordinary customary usage.

IV. GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

State law provides that all data collected, created, received, or maintained by a school district are public unless classified by state or federal law as not public or private or confidential.  State law classifies all data on individuals maintained by a school district which relates to a student as private data on individuals.  This data may not be disclosed to parties other than the parent or eligible student without consent, except pursuant to a valid court order, certain state statutes authorizing access, and the provisions of FERPA and the regulations promulgated thereunder.


V. STATEMENT OF RIGHTS

A. Rights of Parents and Eligible Students

Parents and eligible students have the following rights under this policy:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records;

2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records to ensure that they are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights;

3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that such consent is not required for disclosure pursuant to this policy, state or federal law, or the regulations promulgated thereunder;

4. The right to refuse release of names, addresses, and home telephone numbers of students in grades 11 and 12 to military recruiting officers and post-secondary educational institutions;

5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school district to comply with the federal law and the regulations promulgated thereunder;

B. Eligible Students

All rights and protections given parents under this policy transfer to the student when he or she reaches eighteen (18) years of age or enrolls in an institution of post-secondary education.  The student then becomes an “eligible student.” However, the parents of an eligible student who is also a “dependent student” are entitled to gain access to the education records of such student without first obtaining the consent of the student.  In addition, parents of an eligible student may be given access to education records in connection with a health or safety emergency if the disclosure meets the conditions of any provision set forth in 34 C.F.R. § 99.31(a).


VI. DISCLOSURE OF EDUCATION RECORDS

A. Consent Required for Disclosure

   1. The school district shall obtain a signed and dated written informed consent of the parent of a student or the eligible student before disclosing personally identifiable information from the education records of the student, except as provided herein.

   2. The written consent required by this subdivision must be signed and dated by the parent of the student or the eligible student giving the consent and shall include:

     a. a specification of the records to be disclosed;
     b. the purpose or purposes of the disclosure;
     c. the party or class of parties to whom the disclosure may be made;

   3. Eligible Student Consent

Whenever a student has attained eighteen (18) years of age or is attending an institution of post-secondary education, the rights accorded to and the consent required of the parent of the student shall thereafter only be accorded to and required of the eligible student, except as provided in Section V. of this policy.

B. Prior Consent for Disclosure Not Required

The school district may disclose personally identifiable information from the education records of a student without the written consent of the parent of the student or the eligible student unless otherwise provided herein, if the disclosure is:

   1. To other school officials, including teachers, within the school district whom the school district determines have a legitimate educational interest in such records;

   2. To a contractor, consultant, volunteer, or other party to whom the school district has outsourced institutional services or functions provided that the outside party:
     a. performs an institutional service or function for which the school district would otherwise use employees;
     b. is under the direct control of the school district with respect to the use and maintenance of education records; and

   3. To officials of other schools, school districts, or post-secondary educational institutions in which the student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled, as long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer.  The records shall include information about disciplinary action taken as a result of any incident in which the student possessed or used a dangerous weapon, and with proper annual notice (see Section XV.), suspension and expulsion information pursuant to section  7165 of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and, if applicable, data regarding a student’s history of violent behavior.

   4. To authorized representatives of the Comptroller General of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education,  or the Commissioner of the State Department of Education or his or her representative, subject to the conditions relative to such disclosure provided under federal law;

   5. In connection with financial aid for which a student has applied or has received, if the information is necessary for such purposes as to:
     a. determine eligibility for the aid;
     b. determine the amount of the aid;
     c. determine conditions for the aid; or
     d. enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.

“Financial aid” for purposes of this provision means a payment of funds provided to an individual or a payment in kind of tangible or intangible property to the individual that is conditioned on the individual’s attendance at an educational agency or institution;

   6. To state and local officials or authorities to whom such information is specifically allowed to be reported or disclosed pursuant to state statute adopted;

   7. To organizations conducting studies for or on behalf of educational agencies or institutions for the purpose of developing, validating, or administering predictive tests, administering student aid programs, or improving instruction; provided that the studies are conducted in a manner which does not permit the personal identification of parents or students by individuals other than representatives of the organization, the information is destroyed when no longer needed for the purposes for which the study was conducted, and the school district enters into a written agreement with the organization that:  (a) specifies the purpose, scope, and duration of the study or studies and the information to be disclosed; (b) requires the organization to use personally identifiable information from education records only to meet the purpose or purposes of the study as stated in the written agreement; (c) requires the organization to conduct the study in a manner that does not permit personal identification of parents and students by anyone other than representatives of the organization with legitimate interests; and (d) requires the organization to destroy or return to the school district all personally identifiable information when information is no longer needed for the purposes for which the study was conducted and specifies the time period in which the information must be returned or destroyed.  For purposes of this provision, the term, “organizations,” includes, but is not limited to, federal, state, and local agencies and independent organizations.  In the event the Department of Education determines that a third party outside of the school district to whom information is disclosed violates this provision, the school district may not allow that third party access to personally identifiable information from education records for at least five (5) years;

   8. To accrediting organizations in order to carry out their accrediting functions;


   9. To parents of a student eighteen (18) years of age or older if the student is a dependent of the parents for income tax purposes;

   10. To appropriate parties, including parents of an eligible student, in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health, including the mental health, or safety of the student or other individuals.  

   11. To the juvenile justice system;

   12. Information the school district has designated as “directory information” pursuant to Section VII. of this policy;

   13. To military recruiting officers and post-secondary educational institutions pursuant to Section XI. of this policy;

   14. To the parent of a student who is not an eligible student or to the student himself or herself;

   15. To appropriate health authorities to the extent necessary to administer immunization programs and for bona fide epidemiologic investigations which the commissioner of health determines are necessary to prevent disease or disability to individuals in the public educational agency or institution in which the investigation is being conducted;


VII. RELEASE OF DIRECTORY INFORMATION

A. Classification

Directory information is public except as provided herein.


B. Former Students

Unless a former student validly opted out of the release of directory information while the student was in attendance and has not rescinded the opt out request at any time, the school district may disclose directory information from the education records generated by it regarding the former student without meeting the requirements of Paragraph C. of this section.  In addition, under an explicit exclusion from the definition of an “education record,” the school district may release records that only contain information about an individual obtained after he or she is no longer a student at the school district and that are not directly related to the individual’s attendance as a student (e.g., a student’s activities as an alumnus of the school district).


C. Present Students and Parents

The school district may disclose directory information from the education records of a student and information regarding parents without prior written consent of the parent of the student or eligible student, except as provided herein.  Prior to such disclosure the school district shall:

   1. Annually give public notice by any means that are reasonably likely to inform the parents and eligible students of:
     a. the types of personally identifiable information regarding students and/or parents that the school district has designated as directory information;
     b. the parent’s or eligible student’s right to refuse to let the school district designate any or all of those types of information about the student and/or the parent as directory information; and
     c. the period of time in which a parent or eligible student has to notify the school district in writing that he or she does not want any or all of those types of information about the student and/or the parent designated as directory information.

   2. Allow a reasonable period of time after such notice has been given for a parent or eligible student to inform the school district in writing that any or all of the information so designated should not be disclosed without the parent’s or eligible student’s prior written consent, except as provided in Section VI. of this policy.

   3. A parent or eligible student may not opt out of the directory information disclosures to prevent the school district from disclosing or requiring the student to disclose the student’s name, identifier, or school district e-mail address in a class in which the student is enrolled.


D. Procedure for Obtaining Nondisclosure of Directory Information

The parent’s or eligible student’s written notice shall be directed to the responsible authority and shall include the following:
   1. Name of the student and/or parent, as appropriate;
   2. Home address;
   3. School presently attended by student;
   4. Parent’s legal relationship to student, if applicable; and
   5. Specific categories of directory information to be made not public without the parent’s or eligible student’s prior written consent, which shall only be applicable for that school year.


E. Duration

The designation of any information as directory information about a student or parents will remain in effect for the remainder of the school year unless the parent or eligible student provides the written notifications provided herein.


VIII. DISCLOSURE OF PRIVATE RECORDS

A. Private Records

For the purposes herein, education records are records which are classified as private data on individuals by state law and which are accessible only to the student who is the subject of the data and the student’s parent if the student is not an eligible student. The school district may not disclose private records or their contents except as summary data, or except as provided in Section VI. of this policy, without the prior written consent of the parent or the eligible student.  The school district will use reasonable methods to identify and authenticate the identity of parents, students, school officials, and any other party to whom personally identifiable information from education records is disclosed.

B. Private Records Not Accessible to Parent

In certain cases state law intends, and clearly provides, that certain information contained in the education records of the school district pertaining to a student be accessible to the student alone, and to the parent only under special circumstances, if at all.  The responsible authority may deny access to private data by a parent when a minor student who is the subject of that data requests that the responsible authority deny such access. The minor student’s request must be submitted in writing setting forth the reasons for denying access to the parent and must be signed by the minor.  Upon receipt of such request the responsible authority shall determine if honoring the request to deny the parent access would be in the best interest of the minor data subject.

IX. DISCLOSURE OF CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS

A. Confidential Records

Confidential records are those records and data contained therein which are made not public by state or federal law, and which are inaccessible to the student and the student’s parents or to an eligible student.


B. Reports Under the Maltreatment of Minors Reporting Act

Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 626.556, reports pertaining to a neglected and/or physically and/or sexually abused child shall be accessible only to the appropriate welfare and law enforcement agencies.  In respect to other parties, such data shall be confidential and will not be made available to the parent or the subject individual by the school district.  The subject individual, however, may obtain a copy of the report from either the local welfare agency, county sheriff, or the local police department subject to the provisions of Minn. Stat. § 626.556, Subd. 11.

C. Investigative Data

Data collected by the school district as part of an active investigation undertaken for the purpose of the commencement or defense of pending civil legal action, or which are retained in anticipation of a pending civil legal action are classified as protected nonpublic data in the case of data not on individuals, and confidential data in the case of data on individuals.

D. Chemical Abuse Records

To the extent the school district maintains records of the identity, diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of any student which are maintained in connection with the performance of any drug abuse prevention function conducted, regulated, or directly or indirectly assisted by any department or agency of the United States, such records are classified as confidential and shall be disclosed only for the purposes and under the circumstances expressly authorized by law.

X. DISCLOSURE OF SCHOOL RECORDS PRIOR TO EXCLUSION OR EXPULSION HEARING

At a reasonable time prior to any exclusion or expulsion hearing, the student and the student’s parent or guardian or representative shall be given access to all school district records pertaining to the student, including any tests or reports upon which the action proposed by the school district may be based, pursuant to the Minnesota Pupil Fair Dismissal Act, Minn. Stat. § 121A.40, et seq.

XI. DISCLOSURE OF DATA TO MILITARY RECRUITING OFFICERS AND POST-SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

A. The school district will release the names, addresses, and home telephone numbers of students in grades 11 and 12 to military recruiting officers and post-secondary educational institutions within sixty (60) days after the date of the request unless a parent or eligible student has refused in writing to release this data pursuant to Paragraph C. below.

B. Data released to military recruiting officers under this provision:
   1. may be used only for the purpose of providing information to students about military service, state and federal veterans’ education benefits, and other career and educational opportunities provided by the military; and

   2. cannot be further disseminated to any other person except personnel of the recruiting services of the armed forces.

C. A parent or eligible student has the right to refuse the release of the name, address, or home telephone number to military recruiting officers and post-secondary educational institutions.  To refuse the release of the above information to military recruiting officers and post-secondary educational institutions, a parent or eligible student must notify the responsible authority each year.  The written request must include the following information:
   1. Name of student and parent, as appropriate;
   2. Home address;
   3. Student’s grade level;
   4. School presently attended by student;
   5. Parent’s legal relationship to student, if applicable;
   6. Specific category or categories of information which are not to be released to military recruiting officers and post-secondary educational institutions; and
   7. Specific category or categories of information which are not to be released to the public, including military recruiting officers and post-secondary educational institutions.

D. Annually, the school district will provide public notice by any means that are reasonably likely to inform the parents and eligible students of their rights to refuse to release the names, addresses, and home phone numbers of students in grades 11 and 12 without prior consent.

E. A parent or eligible student’s refusal to release the above information to military recruiting officers and post-secondary educational institutions does not affect the school district’s release of directory information to the rest of the public, which includes military recruiting officers and post-secondary educational institutions.  In order to make any directory information about a student private, the procedures contained in Section VII. of this policy also must be followed.


XII. REQUEST TO AMEND RECORDS; PROCEDURES TO CHALLENGE DATA

A. Request to Amend Education Records

The parent of a student or an eligible student who believes that information contained in the education records of the student is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of the student may request that the school district amend those records.


XIII.  COMPLAINTS FOR NONCOMPLIANCE WITH FERPA

A. Where to File Complaints

Complaints regarding alleged violations of rights accorded parents and eligible students by FERPA, and the rules promulgated thereunder, shall be submitted in writing to the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202.

B. Content of Complaint

A complaint filed pursuant to this section must contain specific allegations of fact giving reasonable cause to believe that a violation of FERPA and the rules promulgated thereunder has occurred.

XIV. WAIVER

A parent or eligible student may waive any of his or her rights provided herein pursuant to FERPA.  A waiver shall not be valid unless in writing and signed by the parent or eligible student.  The school district may not require such a waiver.

XV.  ANNUAL NOTIFICATION OF RIGHTS

A. Contents of Notice

The school district shall give parents of students currently in attendance and eligible students currently in attendance annual notice by such means as are reasonably likely to inform the parents and eligible students of the following:
   1. That the parent or eligible student has a right to inspect and review the student’s education records and the procedure for inspecting and reviewing education records;
   2. That the parent or eligible student has a right to seek amendment of the student’s education records to ensure that those records are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights and the procedure for requesting amendment of records;
   3. That the parent or eligible student has a right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that federal and state law and the regulations promulgated thereunder authorize disclosure without consent;
   4. That the parent or eligible student has a right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education regarding an alleged failure by the school district to comply with the requirements of FERPA and the rules promulgated thereunder;
   5. The criteria for determining who constitutes a school official and what constitutes a legitimate educational interest for purposes of disclosing education records to other school officials whom the school district has determined to have legitimate educational interests; and
   6. That the school district forwards education records on request to a school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll or is already enrolled as long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer and that such records may include suspension and expulsion records pursuant to the federal No Child Left Behind Act and, if applicable, a student’s history of violent behavior.


XVI.    DESTRUCTION AND RETENTION OF RECORDS

Destruction and retention of records by the school district shall be controlled by state and federal law.


XVII.   COPIES OF POLICY

Copies of this policy may be obtained by parents and eligible students at the office of the superintendent.




Legal References:
Minn. Stat. Ch. 13 (Minnesota Government Data Practices Act)
Minn. Stat. Ch. 14 (Administrative Procedures Act)
Minn. Stat. § 120A.22 (Compulsory Instruction)
Minn. Stat. § 121A.40-121A.56 (The Pupil Fair Dismissal Act)
Minn. Stat. § 121A.75 (Sharing Disposition Order and Peace Officer Records)
Minn. Stat. § 144.341-144.347 (Consent of Minors for Health Services)
Minn. Stat. § 260B.171, Subds. 3 and 5 (Disposition Order and Peace Officer Records of Children)
Minn. Stat. § 363A.42 (Public Records; Accessibility)
Minn. Stat. § 626.556 (Reporting of Maltreatment of Minors)
Minn. Rules Parts 1205.0100-1205.2000 (Data Practices)
10 U.S.C. § 503(b) and (c) (Enlistments: Recruiting Campaigns; Compilation of Directory Information)
18 U.S.C. § 2331 (Definitions)
18 U.S.C. § 2332b (Acts of Terrorism Transcending National Boundaries)
20 U.S.C. § 1232g et seq. (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
20 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq. (No Child Left Behind)
20 U.S.C. § 7908 (Armed Forces Recruiting Information)
26 U.S.C. §§ 151 and 152 (Internal Revenue Code)
34 C.F.R. §§ 99.1-99.67 (Family Educational Rights and Privacy)
34 C.F.R. § 300.610-300.627 (Confidentiality of Information)
42 C.F.R. § 2.1 et seq. (Confidentiality of Drug Abuse Patient Records)