| School Board of Alachua County |
| Bylaws & Policies |
2605 - RESEARCH
Proposals for research in the District must be approved through the office of the Director of Research, Planning and Evaluation, 620 East University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida 32601 and by the school principal.
The following are the criteria for approval:
| A. | Objectives must be clearly stated. | |
| B. | The research designed should be of sufficient scope and depth to produce valid and reliable results. | |
| C. | The potential benefits should be sufficient to justify the time and effort of students and staff members. Proposed research or other projects must be expected to contribute to the general welfare of students, teachers, or school administrators. | |
| D. | The privacy of all persons and the confidentiality of records must be maintained at all times. (For more information regarding confidentiality see Policy 8350, Confidentiality. For more information regarding student records confidentiality see Policy 8330, Student Records.) | |
| E. | If use of data derived from school reports, interviews, or questionnaires has potential for invasion of privacy of students, their families, or staff members, such data may not be used without advance written authorization given by the staff member, student, or his/her parent or guardian, as appropriate. (See Policy 2416, Student Privacy and Parental Access to Information for more information on surveys, analysis, and evaluations.) | |
| F. | In general, instructional activities must not be interrupted unless there is clear significance for the educational program of the schools. | |
| G. | Projects involving student researchers must have prior written approval by a faculty member of the institution in which that student is enrolled who has direct responsibility for the student's research. | |
| H. | Proposals submitted by researchers with university affiliation must show written approval for the research from the university's committee for the protection of human research subjects. | |
| I. | The Superintendent reserves the right to require parental consent before authorizing research involving students. |
Proposals which meet the initial screening standards will be forwarded to selected school principals for consideration. The principal will review each written proposal, discuss it with other staff members, and notify the Superintendent's designee of acceptance or rejection of the proposal.
Principals are responsible for assuring that both the privacy of all persons and the confidentiality of all personally identifiable student records are maintained. The principal is also responsible for assuring that written parental informed consent, when required, is obtained by the researcher prior to involving students as research subjects.
On completion of the project, the principal investigator will forward one (1) copy of the results of the study to the Superintendent or designee.
F.S. 1008.34, 1008.345
Adopted 7/17/07