Release of Student Information/Student Rights
Note: This information can also be found in the
district calendar. If you have questions
about any of this information, please call the
Superintendent's Office at (518) 377-4666, Ext.
206.To
skip to a topic, choose a link:
- Release of
student info. to military, higher learning
institutions
- Release of student info. to
media
- Use of student
info. in district materials
- School
Directories
- Student Surveys
- Family
Educational Rights
- Parents'
Right to Know
Release of student
information to military and institutions of
higher learning
In accordance with the No Child Left Behind law,
the school district must release junior and
senior students' names, addresses and telephone
listings to military recruiters or institutions
of higher education, unless the students or
their parents/guardians request in writing that
such information not be released. To request a
student's directory information not be released,
send a written request to District Registrar
Joan Vertigan, Niskayuna High School, 1626
Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY 12309. A written
request must be made annually. Download an
opt-out form here in
Microsoft Word or
PDF
format. Questions? Contact Joan Vertigan by
telephone (382-2511, Ext. 4333 or by e-mail at
jvertigan@niskyschools.org)
Release of student information to media
Unless notified in
writing by a parent/guardian, school district
officials may also release to media the
following information about any student: the
student's name, address, telephone number, date
and place of birth, honors and awards,
participation in activities, dates of
attendance, future educational plans, name of
parents/guardians and a photo of the student.
Parents/guardians should notify the
the student's
school principal [addresses
are available on this site] and the district
communications specialist [see address at right]
annually in writing if this information should
not be released. Parent permission is required
for all media interviews facilitated by school
district personnel during the regular school
day.
Use of student information in district materials
Unless notified in
writing by a parent/guardian, the same
information as listed above may also be used in
district publications, including the district
newsletter and on the district Web site. If
parents/guardians prefer such information not be
released, they must notify annually in writing
the superintendent of schools and the district
communications specialist. [See addresses at
above right.]
School directories
Every year PTOs of
each school prepare student/parent directories
that are distributed to all parents in that
particular school. Parents have the right to opt
out of this directory, and should contact their
school principal for more information. Please
note that although the intent of the district is
to promote communication among parents and
students through the school directories, the
district cannot provide assurances that such
information may not be used for other purposes.
Student surveys
In accordance with
the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, the
district is required to notify parents annually
that the district may conduct student surveys
during the school year that touch on topics such
as: political affiliations or beliefs of the
student, religious practices or income. In such
cases, a letter will be sent home outlining
parent rights to opt a child out from such a
survey before it is conducted.
Family Educational
Rights
The Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
affords parents and students older than 18
certain rights with respect to the student's
education records. These rights are:
1. The right to
review the student's educational records within
45 days of the day the school receives request
for such access. Parents or eligible students
should send the appropriate school principal a
written request that identifies the record(s)
they wish to inspect. The principal will notify
the parent or eligible student of the time and
place when the records can be inspected.
2. The right to
request the amendment of the student educational
records that the parent/eligible student
believes are inaccurate. They should write the
school principal, and clearly identify the part
of the record they want changed, specifying why
it is inaccurate.
3. The right to
consent to disclosures of personally
identifiable information contained in the
student'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" can be a district
administrator or support staff member, a Board
of Education member or a school attorney. A
school official has a legitimate educational
interest if the official needs to review an
education record in order to fulfill his/her
professional responsibility.
4. The right to
file a complaint with the U.S. Department of
Education concerning alleged failures by the
district to comply with FERPA. To do this,
write: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-4605.
Parents' Right to Know
Parents can learn
about the state certification status and college
degrees/majors of their child's teacher. To
receive this information, ask for a request form
by calling the office of the assistant
superintendent for educational programs and
instruction at (518) 377-4666, Ext. 214.
Or,
download it here as a Microsoft Word document.
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