Non-NCLB Annual Notifications
8
Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA)
Districts must annually notify parents and students over 18 (“eligible
students”) of the following rights under FERPA (also known as the “Buckley
Amendment”):
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Parents/eligible students have the right
to inspect and review the student’s education records.
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Parents/eligible students have the right
to request that a school correct records which the parent/student believes
to be inaccurate or misleading.
-
Schools must have written permission from
the parent/eligible student in order to release any info from the
student’s education record, except when allowed without consent under
FERPA (including to other school district officials with a legitimate
educational interest).
The notification must include:
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The procedure to inspect records &
request amendment;
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Who constitutes a school official and what
constitutes a legitimate educational interest (one of the allowable
disclosure exceptions); and
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The right of parents to file a complaint
with the Family Policy Compliance Office
Notification method is left up to the
district.
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8
Release of Student
Directory Information
As part of FERPA, school district can release student information defined by
the district as directory information without prior written consent. If a
district releases directory information, it must notify parents annually of
the types of info designated as directory info and of their right to opt out
of this release policy. The notification must include how to opt out of the
public, nonconsensual disclosure of directory information and the method and
timeline within which to do so.
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8
Attendance Policy
Districts must provide a plain language summary of the attendance policy to
all parents or persons in parental relation to students at the beginning of
each school year and take steps deemed necessary to promote the understanding
of such policy by students and their parents.
District must also provide each teacher with
a copy of the policy and any amendments as soon as possible after adoption or
to new teachers upon employment. Copies of the policy must be available to the
community upon request.
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8
Code of Conduct
Districts must mail a “plain language” summary of the code to all parents
or guardians of students before the beginning of each school year and
distribute copies of a summary of the code of conduct to all students at an
assembly held at the beginning of the school year.
Districts must also provide all teachers with
a copy of the code of conduct and any amendments as soon as possible after
adoption (new teachers upon employment) and make a copy of the code of conduct
available to all persons upon request.
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8
Free & Reduced Price
Lunch Policy
Besides sending the info to all parents, district must annually provide public
notice to local newspaper, unemployment office, and large employers in
district of their newly adopted policy & prices (adopted annually).
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8
Annual Fire Inspection
School districts are required to publish a public notice of the filing of its
annual fire inspection report within 20 days of filing it with SED. It must be
published at least once in the designated official newspaper of the district
or a newspaper in general circulation for its postal area. If no such paper,
the district must post the notice in ten “conspicuous places in the postal
area.”
SED suggests the notice be given “in
substantially the following form”:
“Notice is hereby given that the annual
inspection for … (year) of the … school building (or of the … and …
school buildings) of (name of school district or nonpublic school) for fire
hazards which might endanger the lives of students, teachers, employees
therein, has been completed and the report thereof is available at the office
of (school district or nonpublic school) at … for inspection by all
interested persons.”
Proof of posting or publication of such
notice and the mailing of a copy of such notice to the fire chief (if the fire
department did not perform the inspection) shall be filed in the district
office.
Note: When your superintendent signs
the inspection report, he/she is certifying that, among other things, the
public notice of the report’s availability has been published.
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8
Asbestos Management Plan
EPA regulations pertaining to the 1986 Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act
require districts to provide annual notification to parent, teacher and
employee organizations about the availability of the school’s asbestos
management plan (AMP) and any asbestos abatement actions taken or planned
(including required inspections) in the school.
A copy of this notification (dated) must be placed in the AMP.
The AMP must include a description of the steps taken to notify the audiences
mentioned above.
According to SED “suggested notification methods may be” a newsletter
article or written notice mailed to parents and distributed to staff. EPA also
includes school handbook or local newspaper ad as acceptable methods.
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8
Integrated Pest Management
The school district must provide written notification to all staff and persons
in parental relation at the beginning of each school year AND summer school
session. Such written notification shall include at a minimum the following
information:
-
a statement that pesticide products may be
used periodically throughout the school year or summer school session;
-
a statement that schools are required to
maintain a list of staff and persons in parental relation who wish to
receive 48-hour prior written notification of pesticide applications at
relevant facilities, and instructions on how to register with the school
to be on such list for prior notification; and
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the name and phone number of a school
pesticide representative who may be contacted to obtain further
information.
If a child enrolls after the beginning of the
school year or summer school session, written notification shall be provided
to the person in parental relation within one week of such enrollment.
Written notification to the same audiences is
also required at the following times:
-
within 10 days of the end of the school
year
-
within two school days of the end of
winter recess and spring recess, and
-
within two days of the end of summer
school
listing the date, location and product used
for each application which required prior notification [if used] and each
emergency application made during the period of time since the previous
notice. It must also the same reminders [mentioned above] about the 48-hour
registry and the contact info, as well as how to obtain further information
about the products being applied.
Format/Method:
These notifications must be provided directly to the student or staff;
delivered to a receptacle designated for that student or staff; mailed to the
student's or staff's last known home address; or delivered by any other
reasonable methods authorized including, but not limited to, delivery by means
of a school newsletter.
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8
Non-Discrimination
Policy/Equal Opportunity Policy
Districts must publish at least annually, and prior to the beginning of
each school year, a notice advising parents, students, employees and general public of the district's non-discrimination policy.
The notice must be published in a “method that ensures it reaches all members of the public in the district’s jurisdiction”
(e.g., newspaper notice, newsletter). The district must also include the contact info for
the district's Title IX and Section 504 compliance officer in the notice and in
"every bulletin, catalogue or application form that is generally distributed."
Districts must also disseminate to students and employees on an annual basis the district's adopted grievance procedures for resolving complaints alleging discrimination based on sex/ handicap (distinct from employee grievance procedures).
No specific dissemination method is required, but it must be effective (e.g., student and staff handbooks; district calendar, newsletter; post on bulletin boards in main office, guidance & faculty rooms; insert in first payroll; teachers to explain & distribute during homeroom).
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