Notice of Important Rights

  • NOTICE OF IMPORTANT RIGHTS

    Concerning the Maintenance, Access to, and Amendment and Disclosure of Education Records by the Southern Lehigh School District (34 C.F.R. § 99.7)

     

    Printed below is the full text of the Education Records Policy of the Southern Lehigh School District.  This policy contains information of importance to students attending public schools and public school sponsored programs.  Several provisions of this policy warrant careful attention:

     

    Designation of certain records containing personally identifiable information as “directory information.”  In Section 1.1 of this policy, the District designates certain kinds of information as “directory information.”  The District will provide this information to any interested person, including armed forces recruiters who request it, without seeking consent from the parents of the student or the student.  If you do not want the District to disclose such information, you must so notify the District in writing on or before the first day of the school term. Your written notice must identify the specific types of directory information that you do not want the District to disclose without consent. If you fail to notify us in writing by the first day of the school term, we may release directory information upon request and without consent.

     

    Disclosure of records containing personally identifiable information to other schools and institutions.  Section 4.8(a) of this policy allows the District to disclose personally identifiable information concerning a student to an educational agency or institution at which the student seeks to enroll, intends to enroll, or is enrolled, or from which the student receives services, when that agency or institution requests such records, as long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer.

     

    Access to records by school officials with a “legitimate educational interest.”  Section 4.6 of this policy allows school officials with a legitimate educational interest to have access to personally identifiable information without parent or student consent.  In Section 1.8 of this policy, the District designates those persons who have a “legitimate educational interest” that would allow such access to education records.

     

    Amendment of education records.  Section 3 of this policy describes how a parent or a student who has attained the age of 18 can request that records be amended.  This Section also describes in detail the right of the parent or eligible student to request a hearing to challenge a decision by the District not to amend records that the parent or student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s right to privacy.

     

    Complaints to the United States Department of Education.  Complaints concerning alleged failure of the District to comply with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act may be addressed to the United States Department of Education as follows:

     

    Family Policy Compliance Office

    U.S. Department of Education

    400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.

    Washington, DC 20202-4605

     

    RESIDENTS OF THE SOUTHERN LEHIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH CHILDREN IN PUBLIC SCHOOL OR WHO ATTENDED PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT IN THE PAST SHOULD READ SOUTHERN LEHIGH SCHOOL BOARD POLICY 216 CAREFULLY FOR A FULL EXPLANATION OF THEIR PRIVACY RIGHTS AS PARENTS OR STUDENTS. POLICY 216 CAN BE FOUND ON THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WEBSITE AT:

     

    /files/filesystem/216%20education%20records.pdf.