FERPA
The Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA affords parents and students over 18 years of age certain rights with respect to educational records. These rights are:
1. The right to inspect and review your child’s education records within 45 days of the day the School 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 your child’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 school to amend a record should write the principal, clearly identify the part of the record they wanted changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the school decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for the 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 your child’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 Pawling Central School District (PCSD) as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the Board of Education; a person or company with whom PCSD 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, PCSD 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 of transfer.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by PCSD to comply with the requirements of FERPA
In addition, FERPA requires that PCSD, with certain exceptions, obtains your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, PCSD may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised PCSD to the contrary in accordance with PCSD procedures. The primary purpose of the directory information is to allow PCSD to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school
publications, such as a playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production; the annual yearbook; honor roll or other recognition lists; graduation programs; sports activity sheets such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members; and district written and electronic publications.
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.
Pawling Central School District has designated the following information as directory information: student’s name; address; telephone listing; 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; and the most recent educational agency or institution attended.
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.
If you do not want the Pawling Central School District to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify PCSD in writing by September 30, 2023. Please address your notice to: Gary Green, District Privacy Officer
Pawling Central School District
515 Route 22
Pawling, New York 12564
Any questions regarding student records or the processes listed in this letter, can be directed to either your child’s building principal or Scott Rice (845-855-4626).