FERPA Letter
to Families.
What Is FERPA?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Odyssey Charter School, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child's education records.
However, Odyssey Charter School may disclose appropriately designated "directory information" without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures.
Directory Information
The primary purposes of directory information is to allow Odyssey Charter School to include this type of information from your child's education records in certain school publications, and to communicate important information to you.
Examples of directory information include:
- A playbill, showing your student's role in a drama production
- The annual yearbook
- Honor roll or other recognition lists
- Graduation programs
- Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members
When Directory Information Can Be Released
Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent's prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks, and organizations that aide in our communication with you.
In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with the following information – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student's information disclosed without their prior written consent. (These laws are Section 9528 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. § 7908) and 10 U.S.C. § 503(c).)
Odyssey Charter School Directory Information
Odyssey Charter School has designated the following information as directory information:
Opt Out of Directory Information
If you do not want Odyssey Charter School to disclose directory information from your child's education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing within 15 business days of receipt of this letter. Please note that unless you specify otherwise, the above type of notification will exclude your child from the yearbook.
Action Required Deadline
Notification to opt out must be submitted in writing to the main office within 15 business days of receipt of this letter.
Your FERPA Rights
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students who are 18 years of age or older ("eligible students") certain rights with respect to the student's education records. These rights are:
1Inspect and Review Education Records
The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after the day the Odyssey Charter School receives a request for access.
Parents or eligible students should submit a written request to the main office that identifies the records they wish to inspect. The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
2Request Amendment of Records
The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA.
Parents or eligible students who wish to ask the school to amend a record should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the school decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3Control Disclosure of Information
The right to provide written consent before the school discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from 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 is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel) or a person serving on the school board. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the school who performs an institutional service or function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist; a parent or student volunteering to serve on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee; or a parent, student, or other volunteer assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
Upon request, the school discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes of the student's enrollment or transfer.
4File a Complaint
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
More Information on FERPA
Read the complete guidance and details on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act directly on the U.S. Department of Education website.