In order to provide appropriate educational services and programming, the School Board must collect, retain, and use information about individual students. Simultaneously, the Board recognizes the need to safeguard students' privacy and restrict access to students' personally identifiable information.

The Board is responsible for the records of all students who attend or have attended schools in this District. Only records mandated by the state or federal government and necessary and relevant to the function of the School District or specifically permitted by this Board shall be compiled by District employees.

Each school shall maintain a permanent cumulative record for each student enrolled in the school which shall contain the data as prescribed by state law.

Access to student records shall be governed by state and federal laws and procedures.

Student records shall be available only to students and their parents, adult students, designated school officials and personnel, to such other persons as the parent or adult student authorizes in writing, a court of competent jurisdiction or to other individuals or organizations as permitted by law. The term "parents" includes legal guardians or other persons standing in loco parentis (such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the welfare of the child).

Schools may, without consent of parents, guardians, or adult students, provide access to school officials to perform an administrative, supervisory, or instructional task, or to perform a service or benefit for the student or the student's family, and psychologists within the School District providing they have a legitimate educational interest. Support employees may be designated by the principal for the purpose of doing clerical work and maintaining student records. However, such persons shall receive in-service training concerning the confidentiality of student records and work under the supervision and control of an administrative staff member.

Whenever a student has attained eighteen (18) years of age, the permission and consent required of and rights accorded to the parents of the student as to student records, shall thereafter be required of and accorded to the adult student only, unless the adult student is a dependent adult student of such parents or guardians as defined in federal law. The School District may, in this instance, disclose personally identifiable information from the education records to parents or guardians without the prior consent of the dependent adult student.

Disclosure of personally identifiable student information may be made by school officials in the event of a health or safety emergency. Such emergency situations shall be declared in writing to the Superintendent by a recognized legal official with authority to declare such emergency. The declaration of a health or safety emergency shall include the need for specific personally identifiable student information, and the parties to whom the information is disclosed who are responsible for utilizing the information to deal with the emergency.

The District shall make available, upon request, certain information known as "directory information" without prior permission of the parents or the adult student. The Board designates as student "directory information": a student's name; address; telephone number, if it is a listed number; date and place of birth; participation in officially-recognized activities and sports; height and weight, if a member of an athletic team; dates of attendance; and date of graduation or program completion.

An annual written notice shall be given to inform parents, guardians, and adult students of their right of access, waiver of access, challenge and hearing, privacy, categories of personally identifiable student information designated as directory information data, and the location and availability of the District's policy on education records of students. Alternate methods of notice shall be made for parents, guardians, or adult students unable to comprehend a written notice in English. Parents or adult students may, by providing a written statement to the principal within two (2) weeks of the first day of the school year or entry into the school system request that all specific portions of directory information for that specific student not be released.

Directory information shall not be provided to any organization for profit-making purposes.

In accordance with state law, the District shall release the names and addresses of students in grades ten through twelve (10-12) to a recruiting officer for any branch of the United States Armed Forces or an institution of higher education who requests such information. Such data shall not be released if the eligible student or student's parents submit a written request not to release such information. The recruiting officer is to sign a form indicating that "any information received by the recruiting officer shall be used solely for the purpose of informing students about military service and shall not be released to any person other than individuals within the recruiting services of the Armed Forces". The Superintendent is authorized to charge mailing fees for providing this information to a recruiting officer. A secondary school student or parent of the student may request that the student's name, address, and telephone listing not be released without parental consent.

Whenever parental consent is required for the inspection and/or release of a student's health or educational records or for the release of "directory information", either parent may provide such consent unless agreed to otherwise in writing by both parents or specifically stated by court order. If the student is under the guardianship of an institution, the Superintendent shall appoint a person who has no conflicting interest to provide such written consent.

The District may disclose "directory information" on former students without student or parental consent.

F.S. 1002.22, 1001.41, 1001.52, 1003.25
F.A.C. 6A-1.0955, 6A-1.9555
20 U.S.C. Section 1232 f through 1232i (FERPA)
20 U.S.C. 7908
26 U.S.C. 152
20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq., Individuals with Disabilities Act
Privacy Rights of Parents and Students - P.L. 90-247
Title 26 U.S.C. Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954