Records are maintained for the invaluable assistance they provide the professional staff in dealing with students as individuals. It is the policy of the board to assure that the welfare of each individual student is the only criterion used in releasing information from student personal files.

All student records are to be treated as confidential and primarily for local school use unless otherwise stipulated. Where records include information on more than one student, the parents of any student shall have access to copies of that part of the record that pertains to their child. The school has procedures for the granting of a request by parents for access to their child’s school records within a reasonable period of time, but in no case more than 45 days after the request has been made.

In situations where the parents of a student are divorced or separated, each parent, custodial and/or non-custodial, has equal right to their student’s records unless a court order specifies otherwise. Private agreements between the student’s parents shall not be recognized by the district’s personnel.

Parents shall have an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of their child’s school records to ensure that the records are not inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of the privacy or other rights of students; to provide an opportunity for the correction or deletion of any such inaccurate, misleading or otherwise inappropriate data contained therein; and to insert into the records the parent’s written explanation of the content of the records.

Any eligible parent/guardian or student may inspect the personal records of the student during regular school office hours. The district reserves the right to interpret selected records to students and/or parents/guardians at the time of the inspection.

When a student attains 18 years of age, the permission or consent required of and the rights accorded to the parents of the student shall thereafter only be required of and accorded to the student. The parents of students, or the students If they are 18 years of age or older must be informed annually by the superintendent or his designated representative of the rights accorded them by this section. In addition, the public must be informed annually by the superintendent or his designated representative of the categories of information the institution has determined to be directory information.

TYPES OF RECORDS – Student record files shall include but shall not be limited to the following: administrative, supplementary and tentative record files. Information about students that is collected and stored by any school personnel shall be separated into one of the following three classifications:

Administrative Records: This classification includes official administrative records that constitute the minimum personal information necessary for operating the educational system. It shall include birth date, gender, race, names, telephone numbers, addresses and places of employment of parents, academic work completed, grades, attendance records, withdrawal and reentry records, honors and activities, date of graduation and follow-up records of a student.

Supplementary Records: This classification includes verified information that is important in operating the educational system but is of a more sensitive nature and of less historical importance. It includes: test data, such as scores on standardized achievement, aptitude and intelligence tests; observational data such as systematically gathered teacher or counselor evaluations and observations of social and personal assets; clinical findings and verified reports of serious or recurrent deviant behavior patterns; general data such as health data, family background information and educational and vocational plans.

Tentative Records: This classification includes useful information that has not been verified or is not clearly needed beyond the immediate present. It includes unevaluated reports of teachers or counselors that may be needed in ongoing counseling or disciplinary actions. All student records will be maintained and screened periodically.

DISPOSITION: Annual notice shall be given to parents and eligible students concerning the student’s records. In addition, the custodian of the educational records shall give annual public notice of the class of records the institution has designated as directory information. The appropriate forms for said notices shall be on file in the office of the custodian of the educational records.

Administrative records shall be permanent records and maintained by the school for an indefinite period of time. When the student graduates, supplementary records shall be returned to students, destroyed or shall be transferred to the administrative records if they have permanent usefulness. Tentative records shall be destroyed when the use for which they were collected is ended. However, tentative records may be placed in the supplementary classification if the continuing usefulness of the information is demonstrated and its validity verified.

Specifically, the following describes the intended disposition of certain records:

a. Permanent records – transcripts – Keep forever.

b. Health records – Retain for an applicable period of time after transfer or graduation; immunization records will be given to graduates. Keep copies of information for students who have unusual situations.

c. Insurance Waiver Letters – Keep for five years.

To eliminate unnecessary or outdated information, the official custodian shall review a student’s records when the student moves from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school and upon high school graduation. Following a reasonable amount of time after a student has graduated or ceases to attend school in the district, the records of the student that are determined to be appropriate for retention may be placed on a CD.

Disclosure of Student Information
The school is sometimes requested by reputable organizations to provide information on students such as name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, participation in officially recognized activities, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees, honors or awards received, and the most recent school attended. The school will release such information unless notified in writing by parents that some or all of this information is to be withheld. This notification must be received by the school within two weeks of a student’s enrollment. Upon receipt of a written request for such records, USD #438 will forward education records to other agencies or institutions in which the student seeks or intends to enroll.