3600P - Student Records Procedure

Procedure 3600P

STUDENTS

Student Records

Definitions:  For the purpose of this policy, the Pasco School District has used the following definition of terms.

Student – Any person who attends or has attended a school in the Pasco School District.

Eligible student – A student or former student who has reached age 18 or is attending a postsecondary school.

Parent – Either natural parent of a student, a guardian, or an individual acting as a parent or guardian in the absence of the student’s parent or guardian.

Education records – Any record (in handwriting, print, tapes, film, or other medium) maintained by the Pasco School District or an agent of the district which is directly related to a student, except:

1. A personal record kept by a school staff member if it is kept in the personal possession of the individual who made the record, and information contained in the record has never been revealed or made available to any other person except the maker’s temporary substitute.

2. An employment record which is used only in relation to a student’s employment by the Pasco School District.

3. Alumni records which contain information about a student after he or she is no longer in attendance in the district, and the records do not relate to the person as a student.

Annual Notification

The Pasco School District, to meet requirements of Section 99.7 of FERPA regulations, will provide parent(s) or guardian(s) with annual notification of their FERPA rights by sending form 3600 home with students at the beginning of each school year.  If parent(s) or guardian(s) have a primary or home language other than English, the district will provide notification in the appropriate language.  

Procedure to Inspect Education Records  

Parent(s) or guardian(s) of students or eligible students may inspect and review the student’s education records upon request.  Parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible students should submit to the student’s school principal a written request which identifies as precisely as possible the record or records he or she wishes to inspect (Form 3600F, Request to Gain Access to Student Records).  The principal will make the needed arrangements for access as promptly as possible and notify the parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.  Access must be given in 45 days or less from the receipt of the request.  The parent(s) or guardian(s) shall be provided analysis and interpretation by qualified school personnel of all information in the cumulative folder and supplementary records.  When a record contains information about students other than the parent’s or guardian’s child or the eligible student, the parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student may not inspect and review the portion of the record which pertains to other students.

Refusal to Provide Copies

The Pasco School District will not provide a parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student a copy of the student’s education record unless failure to do so would effectively prevent the parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student the right to inspect and review the records.  If the record involves answers to a standardized test, the district will not provide a parent(s) or guardian(s) a copy of standardized test questions.

Fees for Copies of Records

The fee for copies will be 15 cents per page.  (NOTE:  A school district may not charge for search and retrieval of the records; however, it may charge for copying time and postage.)

Types, Locations, and Custodians of Education Records

The following is a list of types of records that the district maintains, their locations, and their custodians.

Type	Location	Custodian
Cumulative School Records	School Principal’s Office	School Principal
Transcripts	District Administration	Records Management Manager
Health Records	School Principal’s Office	School Principal
Speech Therapy and  Psychological Records	Office of Special Services	Director, Special Services
School Transportation  Records	School Bus Garage	Transportation Supervisor
Special Test Records	School Principal’s Office	School Principal
Occasional Records	Principal will collect and make available at student’s school	School Principal

 

Disclosure of Education Records

The Pasco School District will disclose information from a student’s education records only with the written consent of the parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student, except:

1. To school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records.

A school official is:
a. A person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member.
b. A person elected to the school board.
c. A person employed by or under contract to the district to perform a special task, such as an attorney, an auditor, medical consultants or therapists.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official is:
a. Performing a task that is specified in his or her position description or by a contract agreement.
b. Performing a task related to a student’s education.
c. Performing a task related to the discipline of a student.
d. Providing a service or benefit relating to the student or student’s family, such as health care, counseling, or job placement.

2. To officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll upon request of such official.

3. To certain officials of the U.S. Department of Education, the Comptroller General, and state and local education authorities, in connection with certain state or federally supported education programs.

4. In connection with a student’s request for or receipt of financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.

5. If required by a state law requiring disclosure that was adopted before November 19, 1974.

6. To organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the district.

7. To accrediting organizations to carry out their functions.

8. To parent(s) or guardian(s) of an eligible student who claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.

9. To comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena.

10.To appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency.

Record of Requests for Disclosure

The Pasco School District will maintain a record of all requests for and/or disclosure of information from a student’s education records, excluding requests of school officials and requests for directory information.  The record will indicate the name of the party making the request, any additional parties to whom it may be disclosed, and the legitimate interest the party had in requesting or obtaining the information.  The record may be reviewed by the parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student.

Directory Information

The Pasco School District designates the following items as Directory Information:  student name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, most recent previous school attended and photograph.  The District may disclose any of those items without prior written consent, unless notified in writing to the contrary by the first Monday in October of each school year.

Correction of Education Records

Parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible students have the right to ask to have records corrected that they believe are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of their privacy rights.  Following are the procedures for the correction of records:

1. Parent(s) or guardian(s) or the eligible student must ask Pasco School District to amend the record.  In so doing, they should identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why they believe it is inaccurate, misleading or in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights.

2. Pasco School District may comply with the request or it may decide not to comply.  If it decides not to comply, the district will notify the parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing to challenge the information believed to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s rights.

3. Upon request, Pasco School District will arrange for a hearing and notify the parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student, reasonably in advance, of the date, place, and time of the hearing.

4. The hearing will be conducted by a hearing officer who is a disinterested party; however, the hearing officer may be an official of the district.  The parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student will be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present evidence relevant to the issues raised in the original request to amend the student’s education records.  The parent(s) or guardian(s) or student may be assisted by one or more individuals, including an attorney.

5. Pasco School District will prepare a written decision based solely on th evidence presented at the hearing.  The decision will include a summary of the evidence presented and the reason for the decision.

6. If Pasco School District decides that the challenged information is not inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s right of privacy, it will notify the parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student that they have a right to place in the record a statement commenting on the challenged information and/or a statement setting forth reasons for disagreeing with the decision.

7. The statement will be maintained as part of the student’s education records as long as the contested portion is maintained.  If Pasco School District discloses the contested portion of the record, it will also disclose the statement.

8. If the Pasco School District decides that the information is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s right of privacy, it will amend the record and notify the parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student, in writing, that the record has been amended.

Maintenance of Student Records

The student’s building principal, counselor, or teacher shall be the custodian of the cumulative folder.  The building principal or the student’s counselor shall be the custodian of the supplemental records.  Principals shall:

1. Maintain only those records authorized by these procedures;

2. Safeguard student records from unauthorized use and disposition;

3. Maintain access records;

4. Honor access requests for parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible student;

5. Delete or correct records upon approval of the director of student services or upon order of the superintendent or the board of directors;

6. Follow the records review schedule and procedures established by the director of student services.

The director of student services shall provide overall supervision of student records management and control and shall enforce the student records policy and the administrative procedures.  The director of student services may assume the duties of custodian and shall:

1. Request student records from other schools;

2. Maintain security of student records;

3. Transfer, destroy and expunge records as permitted;

4. Supervise activities of their custodians;

5. Conduct informal hearings and grant or deny approval of corrections or deletions requested by parent(s) or guardian(s) or eligible students;

6. Establish records review schedules and procedures for their respective schools or departments in accordance with procedures governing records disposition (psychological test scores shall be reviewed annually to determine their relevance to the continuing educational needs of the student);

7. Certify by June 30 of each year the following:

     a. Only records pertinent to educational program placement are being maintained, unless otherwise authorized by law, and
     b. Required reviews have been accomplished.

Disposition of Student Records

The permanent student record shall serve as the record of the student’s school history and academic achievement.  Permanent records filed in the student’s cumulative folder are to be extracted and retained before disposition of the folder.

When a student transfers to another school in the district, all records, including the permanent student record, shall be transmitted to the other school.  When a student transfers to a school outside of the district, the senior custodian will purge the cumulative folder of all nonofficial, extraneous information.  A copy of all records will be sent to the requesting school, unless the student has an outstanding fee or fine.  In those instances, the enrolling school shall be provided with the student’s academic, special placement, and discipline records within two (2) school days, but the official transcript shall be withheld until the fee or fine is discharged.  The enrolling school district shall be notified that the transcript is being withheld due to an outstanding fee or fine.  The cumulative folder for an elementary or middle school student who leaves the school district shall be maintained for three (3) years after discontinuance of enrollment in the district.  Cumulative folders of high school students shall be retained for three (3) years after discontinuance of high school enrollment.  In all cases, the student’s permanent record card shall be retained in perpetuity by the district.

Contents of a student’s supplementary records shall be maintained for five (5) years.  At the time a student graduates from school or ceases to need special education services, the parent(s) or guardian(s) shall be informed that record information regarding the handicapping condition is no longer needed.  In informing the parent(s) or guardian(s) about his or her rights regarding such records, the district shall advise the parent(s) or guardian(s) that the information may be needed by the student or the parent(s) or guardian(s) to establish eligibility for certain adult benefits, e.g., social security.  At the request of the parent(s) or guardian(s), the record information relating to the handicapping condition shall be destroyed.

A parent(s) or guardian(s), at his or her expense may receive a copy of all records to be transmitted to another school district.

Educational Records to Non-Custodial Parents

A non-custodial parent has the same rights of access to school records as custodial parents, unless the divorce decree contains a specific court order to the contrary.  In the absence of a prohibiting court order, principals will provide copies of report cards, official school district calendar, and notices of regularly-scheduled conferences to non-custodial parents making such request at a charge of 15 cents per page.  Principals will inform the custodial parent of the receipt of a request from the non-custodial parent.

Defacing or Injuring School Property Liability of Pupil, Parent, or Guardian – Voluntary Work Program as Alternative – Rights Protected.

Any pupil who shall deface or otherwise injure school property shall be liable to suspension and punishment.  If school district property has been lost, willfully cut, defaced, or injured, the grades, diploma, and transcripts of the pupil responsible for the damage or loss may be withheld until the pupil’s parent(s) or guardian(s) has paid for the damages.  When the pupil and parent(s) or guardian(s) are unable to pay for the damages, the school will provide a program of voluntary work for the pupil in lieu of monetary payment.  Upon completion of the voluntary work, the grades, diploma, and transcripts of the pupil shall be released.  The student appeal process is delineated in Policy #3314.

 

 

 

Adoption Date:           August 23, 1994