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Click here for printable version of the Student Parent Handbook
ANNUAL NOTIFICATION TO STUDENTS & PARENTS
OF THEIR RIGHTS UNDER FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of
age ("eligible students") 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 of the day that
Weston High School receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the
Weston High School Assistant Principal a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to
inspect. The Weston High School Assistant Principal 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. Parents or eligible students who wish to ask the Weston High School to amend a record
should write the Weston High School Assistant Principal, clearly identify the part of the record they
want changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the Weston High School decides not to amend
the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the Weston High School will notify the parent
or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for
amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or
eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
(3) The right to privacy of personally identifiable information in the student’s education records, except
to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception, which permits
disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A
school official is a person employed by Weston High School as an administrator, supervisor,
instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit
personnel); a person serving on the School Committee; a person or company with whom Weston High
School has outsourced services or functions it would otherwise use its own employees to perform
(such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); a parent or student serving on an
official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee; or a parent, student, or other
volunteer assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a
legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his
or her professional responsibility.
Upon request, Weston High School 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) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by
Weston High School to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office
that administers FERPA are:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520
DIRECTORY INFORMATION PUBLIC NOTICE
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that the Weston School
District, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable
information from your child’s education records. However, the Weston School District may disclose
appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the District
to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to
allow the Weston School District to include this type of information from your child’s education records in
certain school publications. Examples include:
• A playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production;
• The annual yearbook;
• Honor roll or other recognition lists;
• Graduation programs; and
• Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.
Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of
privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent.
Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish
yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request,
with three directory information categories—names, addresses and telephone listings—unless parents have
advised the LEA that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written
consent.1
If you do not want the Weston High School to disclose directory information from your child’s education
records without your prior written consent, you must notify the Weston High School in writing by October 1,
2010. The Weston High School has designated the following information as directory information:
• Student’s name
• Address
• Telephone listing
• Electronic mail address
• Photograph
• Date and place of birth
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• Grade level
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Degrees, honors, and awards received
• The most recent educational agency or institution attended
• Student ID number, user ID, or other unique personal identifier used to communicate in electronic
systems that cannot be used to access education records without a PIN, password, etc. (A student’s
SSN, in whole or in part, cannot be used for this purpose.)
1 These laws are: Section 9528 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 7908), as amended, and 10 U.S.C. §503(c), as amended.
Updated 9/7/12
click here for printable version of the Student Parent Handbook
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