Use of Video Cameras On School Vehicles/Property
The Saydel Community School District Board of Directors has authorized the use of video cameras on school district buses and sites. The video cameras will be used to monitor student behavior to maintain order on the school buses to promote and maintain a safe environment. Students and parents/guardians are hereby notified that the content of the real and electronic files may be used in a student disciplinary proceeding. The contents of the files are confidential student records and will be retained if necessary with other student records.
Section 504 – Notice of Rights
Section 504 is a federal statute that prohibits discrimination based upon a disability. Section 504 covers eligible students for accommodations that enable them to work or learn. The great majority of academic accommodations should take place in the general education classroom. A school team knowledgeable of the student determines, with evaluation data, if the student meets eligibility criteria.
Saydel Community School District does not discriminate in its educational programs and activities on the basis of a student’s disability. If it has been determined that your child has a qualifying disability for which accommodations may need to be made to meet his/her individual needs as adequately as the needs of other students, as a parent, you have the right to the following:
• Participation of your child in school district program and activities, including extracurricular programs and activities, to the maximum extent appropriate, free of discrimination based upon the student’s disability and at the same level as students without disabilities;
• Receipt of free educational services to the extent they are provided students without disabilities;
• Receipt of information about your child and your child’s educational programs and activities in your native language;
• Notice of identification of your child as having a qualifying disability for which accommodations may need to be made and notice prior to evaluation and placement of your child and right to periodically request a re-evaluation of your child;
• Inspect and review your child’s educational records, including a right to copy those records for a reasonable fee; you also have a right to ask the school district to amend your child’s educational records if you feel the information in the records is misleading or inaccurate; should the school district refuse to amend the records, you have a right to a hearing and to place an explanatory letter in your child’s file explaining why you feel the records are misleading or inaccurate; and
• Hearing before an impartial hearing officer if you disagree with your child’s evaluation or placement; you have a right to counsel at the hearing and have the decision of the impartial hearing officer reviewed.
It is the policy of the Saydel Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identify and socioeconomic status (for programs), in its educational programs and its employment practices.
There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to the policy, please contact Equity Coordinator Alex Stubbers, Director of Student Services, 5740 NE 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50313; stubbersalex@saydel.net; 515-264-0866.
Student Records
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. They are:
1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the district receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
2. The right to contest placement of a controversial record in the student’s education records. Parents or eligible students may ask Saydel Community School District to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate, misleading or a violation of the student’s right to privacy. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the district decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent of eligible student, the district will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a meeting with a district employee who is not directly interested in the outcome. Additional information regarding the meeting procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when they are notified of their right to the meeting.
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. An exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, faculty member, staff member, member of the Board of Directors, or others acting on their behalf who the superintendent has determined to have a legitimate educational interest in obtaining access to information in a student’s education records. This may include outsourced law enforcement and security units contracted with the school district. A legitimate educational interest exists when the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the district will disclose education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. The right to inform the district that the parent or eligible student does not want the district’s designated directory information, as defined below, to be released to the public. To object to the designation and release of certain student records as directory information, the parent or eligible student must notify the principal in writing, prior to August 1 of each school year (or two weeks from the date of enrollment in the district if such enrollment occurs after August 1), of the information not wished to be released. This objection to the release of directory information must be renewed annually.
Examples of school or media publications include; but are not limited to:
• A playbill showing our 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
• Newspaper articles or television news stories
• Photos, podcasts, videos or information posted on the district website
• Athletic or activities team photos or class photos
• Website articles
Directory information means information contained in an education record of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. The Saydel Community School District has designated the following student information as directory information:
• Student’s name
• Curriculum (major field of study)
• Section/Team
• Year in school
• Participation in recognized organizations, activities and sports
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Degrees, awards and honors received
• The most recent educational institution attended by the student
• Photographs, audio recordings and video recordings of the student
• Date of attendance at the school district (general periods of time during which an individual attended or was enrolled in an educational agency or institution)
• Student work
Any information not designated by the district as directory information will be considered an educational record under FERPA and may not be released to the public without parental or eligible student consent. Two federal laws require local school districts receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents have advised the school district that they do not want their student’s information disclosed to the military recruiters without their prior written consent. (1) If you do not want the district to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the district in writing by August 1.
5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the district to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:Family Policy and Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-4605
6. The district may share information contained in a student’s record with officials of the juvenile justice system if such information will assist in their ability to serve the student. These laws are: Section 9528 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7908), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110), the education bill, and 10 U.S.C. 503, as amended by section 544, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (P.L. 107-107), the legislation that provides funding for the Nation’s armed forces.
Your student's information will be used as defined above unless you choose to opt-out.
If you have no objections to use of your student's information as defined above, no further action is necessary and you do not need to fill out the form.
If you object to use of your student's information as defined above and you do not want your student's directory information included in class lists, yearbooks, school programs, brochures, athletic programs, newspaper articles, and other publications such as are noted above, please request and fill out the opt-out form. The form should then be returned to your child's school no later than August 1.
Student Media Interviews
During the course of the school year, students may be interviewed from time to time by newspaper, television, radio or other reporters in regard to projects, activities and other school events. This is considered a part of the district’s directory information consent policy (Student Records), along with photos, video, audio recording and other media.
If you object to your student being interviewed in this manner, you should deny Photo Use Permission in your student’s profile in PowerSchool and electronically sign the photo status update.
Parents’ Role During Emergencies
The best action parents can take in an emergency is to stay close to their phone and email and to monitor local radio and TV reports for regular updates and instructions.
- Do not report to your child’s school during emergency situations. Law enforcement officials will not allow entry to the school site during a lockdown or shelter-in-place.
- Avoid calling the school or the district offices during the emergency.
Notification and Communication: The school district is committed to providing parents and guardians with the latest and most accurate information available. In most cases the district will post information on the district website. In some forms of emergency, the district may also send automated phone and email messages and use news media outlets to distribute information.
Parents should monitor official emergency information updates using the district’s website, automated call/text system, and local media. In today’s world, students will be texting and calling parents immediately. Be aware that information you receive from your child may not always be accurate as they may only have a portion of the information; ensure the information you are using is official and comes directly from Saydel Community Schools.
Emergency notification system: The automated calling/email/text system used by the school district can store a primary home phone and email address, as well as up to four additional phone numbers per parent and one additional email address per parent.
School emergency response protocols: A school crisis can take a number of forms including an environmental event, such as a chemical spill or gas leak; a weather emergency, such as a tornado warning; or an intruder in or near the school. The nature of a school crisis dictates whether school officials will put in place a lockdown, shelter-in-place, evacuation, or any combination of two of these protocols, as a means to ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff. To ensure timely communication, please make sure your contact information at the school is up to date.