The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA applies to educational agencies and institutions that receive funding under programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. This notice is provided annually to parents and eligible students regarding their rights under FERPA.

Educational records (or school records) are records that are directly related to a student and maintained by the school or district. Certain records are excluded from this definition, including personal notes kept by a teacher, administrator, counselor, or school psychologist solely for that individual's use and not made available to others.

FERPA gives parents certain rights concerning their child’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when the student reaches age 18 or attends a postsecondary institution, at which time the student becomes an “eligible student.”

Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s education records. Requests must be submitted in writing to the school principal or designee. The school will make arrangements for access to the records within a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 45 days after receiving the request.

If explanation or interpretation of a record is needed, the principal or designee will arrange for appropriate staff members to assist. A reasonable fee may be charged for copies when permitted by law; however, no fee will be charged to search for or retrieve records. Parents must provide written authorization before a representative may inspect or review a student’s education records.

Parents or eligible students may request amendment of an education record they believe is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights. The request must be submitted in writing to the school principal or designee and must identify the portion of the record the parent or eligible student wishes to have changed and the reason for the request.

The district will review the request and provide written notice of its decision. If the district denies the request, the parent or eligible student will be informed of the right to request a hearing. If, after the hearing, the district decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student may place a statement in the record explaining their disagreement. This statement will remain with the record for as long as it is maintained.

The district generally must obtain written consent from a parent or eligible student before disclosing personally identifiable information from a student’s education records. FERPA permits disclosure without consent in certain circumstances, including:

• To school officials with legitimate educational interests. School officials may include teachers, administrators, board members, support and clerical staff, school attorneys, nurses, counselors, human resources staff, information-systems specialists, school security personnel, and contractors, consultants, volunteers, or other parties performing institutional services or functions for the district. A school official has a legitimate educational interest when access to an education record is necessary to fulfill a professional responsibility.

• To another school or school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled, when the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer.

• To appropriate parties in connection with financial aid; to organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the district; to accrediting organizations; to comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena; to appropriate officials in a health or safety emergency; and to state and local authorities within a juvenile justice system, as permitted by law.

• To the parent of an eligible student when the student is a dependent for federal income-tax purposes.

Directory Information

The district may disclose designated directory information without prior written consent unless a parent or eligible student has opted out. Clover School District designates the following as directory information: student name, address, telephone number, parents’ names, date and place of birth, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, photographs, dates of attendance, diplomas or certificates, honors and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended.

The district does not release directory information for commercial use. A parent or eligible student may refuse to permit the disclosure of any or all categories of directory information by opting out while completing Final Forms registration. The request must identify the information that should not be designated as directory information. The opt-out request will become part of the student’s education record, and appropriate district personnel will be notified.

A parent or eligible student may file a written complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) regarding an alleged violation of FERPA. A complaint must contain specific allegations of fact and generally must be submitted within 180 days of the alleged violation or of the date the parent or eligible student knew, or reasonably should have known, of the alleged violation.

Complaints may be submitted by email to FERPA.Complaints@ed.gov or mailed to:

Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520