Student Privacy and Parental Access to Information
The Board of Education respects the privacy rights of parents and their children. No student shall be required as a part of the school program or the District's curriculum, without prior written consent of the student, (if an adult or an emancipated minor) or, if an unemancipated minor, his/her parents, to submit to or participate in any survey, analysis, or evaluation that reveals information concerning:
- Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or his/her parents;
- Mental or psychological problems of the student or his/her family;
- Sex behavior or attitudes;
- Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating or demeaning behavior;
- Critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close family relationships;
- Legally-recognized privileged and analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers;
- Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or his/her parents; or
- Income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such a program).
The Superintendent shall ensure that procedures are established whereby parents may inspect any materials used in conjunction with any such survey, analysis, or evaluation. Further, parents have the right to inspect, upon request, a survey or evaluation created by a third party before the survey/evaluation is administered or distributed by the school to the student. The parent will have access to the survey/evaluation within a reasonable period of time after the request is received by the building principal.
To ensure the right of parents, the Board directs building and program administrators to:
- A. Notify parents in writing of any surveys, analyses, or evaluations, which may reveal any of the information, as identified in A-H above, in a timely manner, and which allows interested parties to request an opportunity to inspect the survey, analysis, or evaluation; and the administrator to arrange for inspection prior to initiating the activity with students.
- B. Allow the parent the option of excluding their student from the activity.
- C. Report collected data in a summarized fashion which does not permit one to make a connection between the data and individual students or small groups of students.
- D. Treat information as identified in A-H above as any other confidential information in accordance with Policy 8350.
Additionally, parents have the right to inspect, upon request, any instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum of the student. The parent will have access to the instructional material within a reasonable period of time after the request is received by the building principal. The term instructional material means instructional content that is provided to a student, regardless of its format, including printed and representational materials, audio-visual materials, and materials in electronic or digital formats (such as materials accessible through the Internet). The term does not include academic tests or assessments.
The Board will not allow the collection, disclosure, or use of personal information collected from students for the purpose of marketing or for selling that information (or otherwise providing that information to others for that purpose).
The Superintendent is directed to provide notice directly to parents of students enrolled in the District of the substantive content of this policy at least annually at the beginning of the school year, and within a reasonable period of time after any substantive change in this policy. In addition, the Superintendent is directed to notify parents of students in the District, at least annually at the beginning of the school year, of the specific or approximate dates during the school year when the administration of any survey by a third party that contains one or more of the items described in A through H above are scheduled or expected to be scheduled if, in fact, either or both activities are to be scheduled.
For purposes of this policy, the term "parent" includes a legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis (such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the welfare of the child).