Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Privacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board adopts revisions to student records and directory-information rules; members discuss parental notification and immigration status
Summary
The governing board adopted multiple revised policies and discussed how the district will notify families about directory information and opt-out rights; the superintendent said the district will mail notices in the first three weeks of school and add information to the student handbook.
The Phoenix Union High School District governing board adopted four revised policies on second reading addressing child abuse reporting, student records, student admissions and exemptions from school attendance, and discussed changes to student-directory rules driven by new state legislation.
During the combined adoption (items 7a'07d), board members voted to approve the revisions; Clerk Oliver moved the approval and Representative Marquez seconded. Members then moved to a separate discussion about the regulation implementing the student-records changes.
Board members asked how families will be notified about directory information and opt-out rights. Superintendent Andrade said state legislation requires notification and that the district intends to mail letters home within the first three weeks of the school year and include the information in the student handbook. "We will be mailing a letter home to the parents outlining what is in the directory currently, their right to opt out, and then, of course, the timeline of when they need to and how they need to notify the school if they so choose to opt out," the superintendent said.
The board sought specifics about what directory information will be shared. District staff described the directory as limited: name, field of study, officially recognized activities or sports, honors and awards and, for certain athletic reporting, height and weight. Staff said the district does not share addresses, telephone numbers, birth dates or email addresses in the normal course. The superintendent said the district does not collect immigration status information for students, with the limited exception of records for F-1 foreign-exchange students who pay tuition through an exchange program.
Board members emphasized the need to communicate rights to both parents and students and asked that district materials reiterate that school sites are safe spaces. The board directed staff to include the rights-notification information in the district's communications related to the new regulation.
