FERPA Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Annual Notification Family Rights and Privacy Act
The educational records of students in the Livonia Public Schools are safeguarded by policies of the federal legislation entitled Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974.
Parents, guardians, and/or eligible students aged eighteen years or older, may have access to that student’s educational records. Parents who are not married may have access to their child’s records, unless specifically prohibited by a court order on file in the child’s school.
Parents, guardians, and/or eligible students wishing to read the educational record should contact the principal’s office. Access to a Personal Cumulative File maintained by the Department of Student Services can be arranged by calling 734-744-2615.
While the law does allow for the disclosure of personally identifiable information from education records in certain circumstances, parents, students over the age of eighteen, and former students over the age of eighteen also have the right to consent to the
disclosure of such information.
Disclosure of Information
Information from the files may be disclosed without consent in accordance with applicable law. Examples of when information may be disclosed include:
1. Parents, guardians, and/or eligible students may request that information be released to specific parties or organizations.
2. Under circumstances specified in the district’s regulations to certain state and federal officials, courts, etc.
3. To protect the health and safety of the students.
4. Upon request, the district discloses education records to another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
Access to Records
Pursuant to federal law and regulation, the district may allow school officials to have access to education records without consent of a parent, guardian, or eligible student. A school official is any district board member, employee, or other individual acting on behalf of the district such as a(n): attorney, contractor, volunteer, consultant, therapist, committee member, vendor, or their employees, whom the district’s administration determines to have a legitimate educational interest in the records.
A legitimate educational interest is: any interest that furthers the best interests of the student or students involved or assists the district in providing educational services. As an ongoing procedure to protect the rights of students by maintaining educationally relevant information in the files, administrators initiate periodic review of file information. This review will take place prior to a transfer to a new school within or outside Livonia
Public Schools and at a high school graduation, and may include the destruction of data that is no longer educationally relevant.
Directory Information
In addition, federal regulations allow a school district to publish certain information without securing specific authorizations each time, if parents, guardians, and/or eligible students are informed in advance that directory information will be released.
Directory information includes:
1. Student name
2. Address
3. Date of birth
4. Major field of study
5. Participation in recognized activities and sports
6. Weight and height of athletic team members
7. Student image or likeness in picture, videotape, film, digital format, or other media, including the district or school websites.
8. Year of graduation
9. Awards received
10. Sex of pupil
If parents, guardians, and/or eligible students do not want such information made public, the principal should be informed, and the information will be withheld.
Additionally, the district is required to provide military recruiters, upon request, with names, addresses, and telephone listings of secondary students, unless parents advise the district they do not want their child’s information disclosed without their prior written consent.
Appeal Process
Parents, guardians, and/or eligible students who believe that an educational record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the student’s rights, may request in writing that the record be amended or destroyed. This request must be submitted to the Human Resources Director. If the request is refused, the parents, guardians, and/or eligible students have a right to a hearing.
Parents or eligible students also have the right to file a complaint with the U.S.
Department of Education concerning an alleged failure of the district to comply with the federal FERPA/1974.
The federal government maintains an office that will assist.
Contact information is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave. SW,
Washington, DC 20202-4605
Phone: 202-260-3887