HSD Confidentiality Policy: JRA

CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY/STUDENT RECORDS POLICY

PREAMBLE

It is the policy of the Hopkinton School District to respect the privacy and confidentiality of all students attending the Hopkinton School District. All school district employees, employees of contracted service, and volunteers are bound by this policy. It is the policy of the Hopkinton School that student records (including electronic records/information) and personally identifiable information (information which makes the subject of a record known) should only be viewed or received by School District employees/employees of contracted services/volunteers who have a legitimate educational interest in viewing or receiving the information, as well as those officials involved in a supervisory capacity over the school in which the students are enrolled. Legitimate educational interest refers to school officials or employees who need to know information in a student’s educational record in order to perform the employee’s employment responsibilities and duties.

STUDENT RECORDS

It is the policy of the Hopkinton School District that the building Principal of each school, or his/her designee, shall be the custodian of all student records for that school. The Hopkinton School District will only release records in accordance with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, 20 U.S.C. 1232G, (FERPA), as well as other relevant federal and state mandates (Ed 1119 of the NH Rules for the Education of Children with Disabilities) as they relate to student records, personally identifiable information, and confidentiality.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

  1. school officials, including teachers within the school, along with others who have been determined by the school district to have a legitimate educational interest associated with the information in question;

  2. parents, students, and individuals who are given the appropriate prior written consent;

  3. officials of other schools at which the student seeks enrollment, upon the conditions that the student’s parents be notified prior to the transfer of the information and that there is adequate opportunity to challenge the content of the records so transferred;

  4. authorized representatives of the Comptroller General of the United States;

  5. individuals directly connected with student’s application or receipt of financial aid;

  6. state, local or federal officials or authorities to whom the information is specifically allowed to be reported to by the school, pursuant to state or federal law;

  7. circumstances where disclosure is required pursuant to validly issued subpoena.

PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

Employees/employees of a contracted service/volunteers of the Hopkinton School District who have access to personally identifiable information shall keep such information confidential and shall not share such information with others who do not have a legitimate educational interest in such information. The building Principal for each school, or his/her designee, shall make the final determination about whether an employee/employee of a contracted service /volunteer has a legitimate educational interest in personally identifiable information.

DIRECTORY INFORMATION

The Hopkinton School District shall prepare directory information regarding each student unless otherwise directed by an eligible (age of majority or emancipated) student and/or parent(s)/guardian(s).

Directory information shall include the following:

  1. the student’s name

  2. the student’s grade level designation

  3. the name of the school the student is currently attending

  4. the student’s extra-curricular activities

  5. achievement awards or honors

  6. height, weight of members of athletic teams

  7. street address or postal box number[1]

Directory information may be published in student yearbooks, on school district web sites, athletic publications, radio programs, television broadcasts, performing group programs, and graduation programs, and in the publication of achievement awards and honors for individual students. This information may also be disseminated to local newspapers in accordance with school sponsored activities and/or programs. Unless otherwise directed by the student or parents involved, such directory information shall be available as specified herein.

MILITARY ACCESS TO RECORDS

Military recruiters or institutions of higher learning shall have access to secondary school students’ names, addresses, and telephone listings unless a secondary student or the parent/guardian of the student requests that such information not be released without prior written parental/guardian consent. The high school shall notify parents/guardians of the option to make such a request and shall comply with any requests received.

MEDICAL RECORDS AND/OR INFORMATION

Medical records and/or information shall only be shared with school officials and employees who have a legitimate “need to know” such information. Such medical information shall be safeguarded while in the possession of school officials/employees. Once the circumstances giving rise to the “need to know” no longer exist, the school official or employee shall immediately destroy the information in a manner that will ensure the continued privacy and confidentiality of such information. The only exception to this rule shall be the student’s master health record and/or the student’s 504/special education file, which may contain information about prior medical conditions that may no longer be active but may be relevant to future treatment/programming decisions.

Medical information shall only be shared with non-school officials/employees who are authorized to review such information. Medical information shall not be disclosed to individuals who have not received prior written authorization, except as otherwise permitted by law. Nothing herein shall be construed to prevent School District officials from sharing information with emergency medical personnel as necessary to insure the health, safety, and well being of any student or employee of the School District. Further, medical information may be shared with non-School District employees who have responsibility for the protection of students in their custody. The Hopkinton School District will be Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant as applicable.

ACCESS BY OTHERS

The District will require a written consent before information other than directory information may be divulged to a third party.

[1] Subject to Superintendent approval, vendors of ordinary and customary goods or services (school photos, student exchange organizations, class rings, organized class trips, etc.) shall be provided with student address for the purposes of notifying students and/or parents of pertinent information regarding the availability or delivery of such goods or services.