The School District shall comply with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Under its provisions, parents/guardians and noncustodial parent(s), whose rights are not limited by court order or formal agreement, of a student under eighteen (18), or a student who is eighteen (18) years of age or older or who is attending an institution of post-secondary education, have a right to inspect and review any and all official records maintained by the School District.

FERPA affords parents and students over 18 years of age 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 a request for access. This includes all official records, files and data that are incorporated into the student’s cumulative record.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's educational records except to the extent that FERPA allows.
4. 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.

At the beginning of each school year, the district will publish a notification that informs parents, guardians and students currently in attendance of their rights regarding Education Records under FERPA and New York State Law and the procedures for exercising those rights, along with any information pertaining to the release of information to military recruiters.

Challenge to Student Records

Parents/guardians of a student under the age of eighteen (18), or a student who is eighteen (18) years of age or older or who is attending an institution of post-secondary education, shall have an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of the school records, to ensure that the records are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy or other rights of students, and to provide an opportunity for the correction or deletion of any such inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate data contained therein.

Definitions

Education Record: means those records, in any format, directly related to the student and maintained by the district or by a party acting on behalf of the district, except:
(a) records in the sole possession of the individual who made it and not accessible or revealed to any other person except a substitute (e.g. memory joggers); 18
(b) records of the district's law enforcement unit;
(c) grades on peer-graded papers before they are collected and recorded by a teacher.

Eligible student: a student who has reached the age of 18 or is attending postsecondary school.
Legitimate educational interest: a school official has a legitimate educational interest if they need to review a student's record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities.

Personally identifiable information: information that would allow a reasonable person in the school or its community, who does not have personal knowledge of the relevant circumstances, to identify the student with reasonable certainty. Such data might include social security number, student identification number, parents' name and/or address, a biometric record, date of birth, place of birth, etc.

School official: a person who has a legitimate education interest in a student record who is employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a member of the Board of Education; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as attorney, auditor, medical consultant or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official performing his or her tasks.