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Quincy schools outline student‑privacy procedures after national immigration concerns; principals told to refer third‑party requests to central office
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Aaron Perkins reviewed federal and state student privacy laws and described district procedures to handle outside requests for student access or records, emphasizing that schools do not collect immigration status and that principals should refer inquiries to the superintendent and legal counsel.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Aaron Perkins told the Quincy School Committee on Feb. 12 that Quincy Public Schools has longstanding procedures to protect student records and to limit third‑party access, and he reviewed the laws that govern those protections.
Perkins summarized three legal pillars the district follows: Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 76, §5, which guarantees the right to attend public school in the town of residence and prohibits discrimination on the basis of immigration status; the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA); and the Commonwealth’s student‑records regulations (referenced in the meeting as 603 CMR 4.23). He said the district trains staff annually on those laws and requires staff signoffs on training.
Perkins described specific procedures for principals when a non‑guardian or outside party seeks access to a student or student records: staff are to decline to confirm or deny a student’s enrollment, refer the requester immediately to the superintendent’s office and legal counsel, notify parents or guardians, and, if necessary, request and forward judicial warrants or subpoenas to the superintendent for legal review. He said that when a lawful judicial order or subpoena is presented, schools must make a reasonable effort to notify the parent or adult student before complying unless prior notice is prohibited by the order.
Perkins added that the district does not collect immigration or citizenship information; therefore the schools do not have that data to disclose. He also said parents may opt out of directory information (items such as name, grade level and honor roll listings) by notifying the school in writing within 30 days of the school year start.
Several committee members and the superintendent praised the guidance and asked about prevalence and steps for communicating with families. Perkins said third‑party attempts to access students are very rare and that, in practice, federal agents typically work through local law enforcement to avoid creating an on‑campus disruption. The district has provided principals with written procedures and attorney advisories and has shared guidance with family liaisons and counselors to support families with attendance or safety concerns.
Why it matters: With national attention on immigration enforcement, the committee said it wanted clarity on how schools will protect student safety and records. Perkins’s presentation documented existing legal protections and described operational procedures intended to keep students in school while ensuring any legal requests are handled through central administrators and legal counsel.
What’s next: The district will continue to circulate the one‑page guidance to principals, family liaisons and counselors and to handle any specific incidents through the superintendent’s office and the district’s legal team.
