NOTIFICATION OF RIGHTS UNDER FERPA
FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
AND
NOTICE FOR DIRECTORY INFORMATION
Notification of 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 the DeKalb County School District receives a request for access.
Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal a written request
that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The 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 District to amend a record should
write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want
changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the District decides not to
amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the District 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 the District as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support
staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit
personnel); a person serving on the DeKalb County Board of Education; a person
or company with whom the District has outsourced services or functions it would
otherwise use its own employees to perform (such as an attorney, auditor, medical
consultant, educational consultant, volunteer, or therapist); a parent or student
serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee;
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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, the District 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 the District 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
Release of Directory Information
FERPA requires that the District, with certain exceptions, obtain the written
consent of a parent, guardian, or eligible student (i.e., a student over 18 years of age)
prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from a child’s education
records. However, the District may disclose appropriately designated “directory
information” without written consent, unless the parent, guardian, or eligible student has
advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary
purpose of directory information is to allow the District to include this type of
information from a child’s education records in certain school publications. Examples
include:
• A playbill, showing a student’s role in a drama production;
• The annual yearbook;
• Honor roll or other recognition lists;
• Information posted on the school’s or the District’s website;
• 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 the prior written consent of a parent, guardian, or eligible student.
Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class
rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, federal law requires the District to provide
military recruiters, upon request, with the following information—names, addresses and
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telephone listings—unless the parent, guardian, or eligible student has advised the
District that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior
written consent.
A parent, guardian, or eligible student who does not want directory information to
be disclosed from the student’s education records without prior written consent must
notify the District in writing annually within a reasonable time period after receiving this
notice. The District has designated the following information as directory information:
student’s name, address, and telephone listing; date and place of birth; dates of
attendance; grade level; major field of study; photograph; participation in officially
recognized activities and sports; weight and height of members of athletic teams; degrees,
honors, and awards received; and the most recent educational institution previously
attended. Such notification should be sent to the student’s principal.
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Legal References