Student Privacy Notice: 2007-08

This notice informs parents and eligible students (those 18 and older) of their rights concerning access to educational records, limitation on disclosure of information, the opportunity to seek to amend inaccurate or misleading information in educational records, and provisions for filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. These rights are spelled out in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and can be referenced in 99.7 of 34 CFP part 99.

The law and regulations require educational institutions such as the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to:

  • provide parents and eligible students the opportunity to inspect student educational records within 45 days of receipt of the request;

  • provide parents opportunities to ask for amendments or for a hearing to challenge the content of the student’s education record when they believe it contains information that is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s rights to privacy (grades are not subject to challenge); and

  • limit disclosure of information from the student’s record to those who have the consent of the parent or eligible student or to officials specifically permitted within the law, such as MCPS officials, including administrators, supervisors, teachers, school nurses, and other health care professionals who work with schools, school security personnel, school attorneys and auditors, and others acting on behalf of the school system who need access to fulfill his or her job responsibilities.

Parents and eligible students may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education if they believe their rights under this law have been violated and efforts to resolve the situation through MCPS appeal channels have not proven satisfactory. The complaints should be addressed to: Family Policy and Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-4605. The telephone number is 202-260-3887.

In addition, the law requires each school system to define “directory information,” to inform parents and eligible students what it is, and to explain how they can prevent this information from being given out. The following MCPS definition of directory information is based on the Federal Law:

“The student’s name, date of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, the most recent educational agency or institution attended by the student, photographs, and other similar information."

To restrict the release of directory information, a parent or eligible student must notify the school principal of the specific information to be withheld by September 14, 2007.

Upon request MCPS will disclose educational records, without consent, to another school or school in which a student seeks to enroll.

Information about privacy rights is included in MCPS Regulation JOA-RA, Student Records (PDF).

Related: Students Rights & Responsibilities

Updated July 6, 2007 | Maintained by Webmaster