In compliance with the requirements of the Every Students Succeeds Act, parents may request information about the professional qualifications of their student’s teacher(s) and/ or paraprofessional(s). The following information may be requested:

1. Whether the student’s teacher—

• has met State qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
• is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which State qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; and
• is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher.

2. Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

If you wish to request information concerning the qualifications of your student's teacher(s), please contact the principal at your child’s school.

NOTICE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS AND ELIGIBLE STUDENTS OF RIGHTS UNDER THE FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA) AND PROTECTION OF PUPIL RIGHTS AMENDMENT (PPRA)

FERPA affords parents and eligible students (over 18 years of age or attending a postsecondary institution) 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 after the school receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the principal [or appropriate official] a written request that identifies the records they wish to inspect. The principal or designee 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, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA. To request amendment of a student record, parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal a written request, specifying the part of the record they want changed and why it is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights. If the school decides not to amend the record, it will notify the parents or eligible students of the decision and inform them of their right to a hearing. Additional information regarding the hearing procedure will be provided with the notification of the right to a hearing.

(3) The right to provide written consent before the school discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that disclosure without prior written consent is authorized by FERPA and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. § 99.31. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is to school officials with legitimate educational interest. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. A school official is a person employed by the school district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including school nurses and school resource officers); a member of the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a specific task (such as attorney, auditor, medical consultant, therapist, or online educational services provider); a contractor, consultant, volunteer, or other party to whom the school district has outsourced services, such as electronic data storage; 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. The district allows school officials to access only student records in which they have a legitimate educational interest. School officials remain under the district’s control with regard to the use and maintenance of PII, which may be used only for the purpose for which disclosure was made, and cannot be released to other parties without authorization.

Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes of the student’s enrollment or transfer.

(4) FERPA requires the school district, with certain exceptions, to obtain written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the student’s education records. However, the district may disclose appropriate designated “directory information” without written consent, unless the parent or eligible student has advised the district to the contrary in accordance with district procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the school to include this type of information from the student’s education records in certain school publications, such as the annual yearbook, graduation or sports activity programs, honor roll or other recognition lists, or on websites or social media sites affiliated with the school or school district.

The School District has designated the following information as directory information:

(a) Student’s name, address &telephone number;

(b) Student’s date and place of birth;

(c) Student’s e-mail address;

(d) Student’s participation in official school activities and sports;

(e) Weight and height of members of an athletic team;

(f) Dates of attendance at schools within the district;

(g) Honors and awards received during the time enrolled in district schools;

(h) Photograph; and

(i) Grade level.

5) You are also notified that from time to time students may be photographed, videoed, or interviewed by the news media at school or at some school activity or event. The principal will take reasonable steps to control access to students by the media or other individuals not affiliated with the school or district. However, your submission of a written objection does not constitute a guarantee that your student will not be photographed, videoed, or interviewed, or that such information will not be posted on websites or social media sites not affiliated with the school or district, or in circumstances which are not within the knowledge or control of the principal.

(6) You have the right to file with the U. S. Department of Education a complaint concerning alleged failures by the school district to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
 

(7) The Georgia Student Data Privacy, Accessibility, and Transparency Act affords parents and eligible students the right to file a complaint with the school district regarding a possible violation of rights under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-667 or under other federal or state student data privacy and security laws. Such complaints may be filed with:

Glynn County School System
1313 Egmont Street
Brunswick, GA 31520

PPRA affords parents and eligible students (18 or older or emancipated minors) certain rights regarding the conduct of surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes, and certain physical exams.  These include the right to:

• Consent before students are required to submit to a survey that concerns one or more of the following protected areas (“protected information survey”) if the survey is funded in whole or in part by a program of the U.S. Department of Education (ED)—
   
  1. Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent;
  2. Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family;
  3. Sex behavior or attitudes;
  4. Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;
  5. Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships;
  6. Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors or ministers;
  7. Religious practices, affiliations or beliefs of the student or parents; or
  8. Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility.

• Receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of –
   
  1. Any other protected information survey, regardless of funding;
  2. Any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening required as a condition of attendance, administered by the school or its agent, and not necessary to protect the immediate health and safety of a student, except for hearing, vision, or scoliosis screenings, or any physical exam or screening permitted or required under State law; and
  3. Activities involving collection, disclosure, or use of personal information obtained from students for marketing or to sell or otherwise distribute the information to others.
      
• Inspect, upon request and before administration or use –
   
  1. Protected information surveys of students;
  2. Instruments used to collect personal information from students for any of the above marketing, sales or other distribution purposes; and
  3. Instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum.

Parents and eligible students must be notified at the beginning of the school year if the school district has identified the specific or approximate dates during the school year when any of the activities listed above are expected to be scheduled.  For surveys and activities scheduled after the school year starts, parents will be provided reasonable notification of the planned activities and surveys and be provided an opportunity to opt their child out of such activities and surveys. The Board of Education has developed and adopted policies, in conjunction with parents, regarding these rights as well as arrangements to protect student privacy in the administration of protected information surveys and the collection, disclosure or use of personal information for marketing, sales or other distribution purposes.  The district will directly notify parents of these policies at least annually at the start of each school year and after any substantive changes.  The district will also directly notify parents of students who are scheduled to participate in the specific activities or surveys noted below and will provide an opportunity for the parent to opt his or her child out of participation of the specific activity or survey.

The following activities requiring notice and consent or opt-out have been scheduled for the upcoming school year: 

• The Georgia Student Health Survey 2.0.  This survey, which the district will administer during the fall of the upcoming school year, asks students in grades 3-5 about their experiences in school and in grades 6-12 about their experience with and attitudes toward tobacco products, drugs and alcohol.  Parents who do not want their child to participate in the survey must sign an “opt-out” form that will be sent home prior to October 1, 2017.

Parents who believe their rights have been violated may file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-5920.

Related Links

• What Parents Need to Know