*The Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law designed to protect the privacy of a students’ education records. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. Those rights include but not limited to the following;Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review all of the student’s education records maintained by the school. For records including information on more than one student, parents will be limited only to information pertaining to his/her child. Schools are not required to provide copies of materials in education records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to inspect the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.Student records or other identifiable information are maintained in a secure location to ensure confidentiality. Records that are no longer required need to be disposed in a manner that ensures confidentiality and security.Parents and eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records believed to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record commenting on the contested information in the record.Generally schools must have a written permission from the parent or eligible student before releasing any information from a student’s record. However, the law allows schools to disclose records, without consent, to the following parties:° School officials with legitimate educational interest;° Other schools to which a student is transferring;°Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;° Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;° Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;° Accrediting organizations;° To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;° Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and° State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.Schools may also disclose, without consent, “directory” type information such as a student’s name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. The actual means of notification (special letter, inclusion in a PTA bulletin, student handbook, or newspaper article) is left to the discretion of each school. Procedure for Accessing Student Records 1. If a parent or legal guardian believes the education records relating to the student contain information that’s inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s right to privacy, he or she may ask that the record be amended. Parents or legal guardian may express the appeal in writing to the director containing the following information:a. Information that’s claimed to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the students privacy rights; b.Records in which the parent/legal guardian believes the information is contained; c. Basis for the claim (I.e.: why he/she believes the information is inaccurate, etc.);d. The parents/guardian’s proposed change. 2. The Principal will review the request and make a determination within fifteen school days of receiving the letter. The Head of School will provide the parent/legal guardian with a written response to the request and explain the reason for his/her decision. If the action is warranted, the school may decide to remove, modify, or expunge the information in the record. Removing, modifying, or expunging an entry isn’t an admission that the entry was improper or that any person acted improperly by including the entry on the record. 3. If the request is denied or no ruling is made in allotted time, the parent or guardian has the right to appeal the decision to the Board of Directors within twenty school days from the adverse ruling or failure to rule.4. A hearing officer will be appointed by the Board of Directors. A hearing will be held within twenty school days after the parent/guardian files the request with the Board, and the parent will be given notice of date, place and time of the hearing with sufficient advance notice.5. A parent/guardian will be given the opportunity to present their appeal and may be assisted or represented by individuals of his or her choice or own expense. The hearing officer’s decision must be based solely on the evidence presented at the hearing.6. A written report containing a summary of the evidence and the reasons for the decision will be issued fourteen calendar days form the conclusion of the hearing. If necessary, the hearing officer will direct the principal to amend the records accordingly and inform the parent in writing. The hearing officer’s decision will be final. If the parent doesn’t agree with the decision, the parent has the right to place a statement in the record commenting, on the contested information or stating why he/she disagrees with the decision of the hearing officer, or both.If you have questions regarding the procedure for accessing student records, please contact the school office at 718-453-1001.