may be considered a school official under this
paragraph —
(1) Performs an institutional service or function for
which the agency or institution would otherwise
use employees;
(2) Is under the direct control of the agency
or institution with respect to the use and
maintenance of education records; and
(3) Is subject to the requirements of §99.33
(a) governing the use and redisclosure of
personally identifiable information from
education records.
➣ (ii) An educational agency or institution
must use reasonable methods to ensure
that school officials obtain access to only
those education records in which they
have legitimate educational interests.
An educational agency or institution that
does not use physical or technological
access controls must ensure that its
administrative policy for controlling
access to education records is effective
and that it remains in compliance with
the legitimate educational interest
requirement.
When providing records to authorized third parties,
the District will make a reasonable attempt to notify the
parent/guardian(s) of the student or the eligible student of
the transfer of the records at the last known address of the
parent(s)/guardian(s) or eligible student. Per state law, the
District will not provide any notice of transfer of records of
a student to a school in which a student seeks or intends
to enroll.
The District maintains student records in a locked
storage room located at South Fayette High School.
This storage room contains special education student
records, gifted education student records, student health
records, 504 Student Service Plan records, etc. Current
original special education records with psychological
records are maintained in the Department of Pupil
Personnel. All district records of students (K-12) who
were evaluated by the school psychologist(s) and found
not to be non-exceptional are kept and are secured in the
school(s)’offices. All records are kept in a secure location
and access to files is limited.
PLEASE NOTE: SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL
BOARD POLICY 216 PROVIDES RESIDENT STUDENTS
AND THEIR PARENTS WITH NOTICE THAT THE DISTRICT
MAY DESTROY RECORDS UNDER THE FOLLOWING
CIRCUMSTANCES AND TIMELINES:
a. Records that include a student’s name, address,
grades, attendance records, classes attended,
grade level completed and year completed may be
destroyed once 100 years have passed since the
student’s 24th birthday.
b. Special Education records, Section 504 records,
Instructional Support Team (IST) records, and
health records may be destroyed once 10 years
have passed from the date a student has graduated
or reached graduation age (if exiting the district
before graduation) as long as there is no outstanding
request to inspect and review the records and the
records are no longer deemed useful to the school
district.
c. Notice of destruction of these records is provided
annually via this publication. Educational records
of a student are longer needed by the District to
provide educational services at the end of one year
following a student’s graduation from the District. A
parent/guardian may submit a written request for the
destruction of all education records at that time.
d. Destruction will proceed where parents or eligible
students have not requested copies by November
1st of the year the records may be destroyed as per
paragraphs A&B above. Parents or students over
eighteen have the right to request a copy of their
record before destruction.
Parents are reminded that copies of the records might
be needed for the acquisition of Social Security benefits or
for other purposes.
Amendment of Education Records:
A Parent/guardian or eligible student has the right
to request amendment of a student’s educational file
if it is believed that any information is inaccurate, or in
violation of a student’s rights. The educational agency
shall decide within a reasonable time whether to amend
the record. If the school district decides not to amend
the educational record it shall notify the parent/student of
the right to and arrange an informal hearing. The hearing
will be conducted by an official of the District without an
interest in the outcome, who will be either the Assistant
Superintendent or their designee. The parent may present
relevant evidence. The District will issue a written decision
based on the hearing.
Informal inquiries may be sent to: [email protected] or
[email protected]. The website address is: www.ed.gov/policy/
gen/guide/fpcd
Complaints regarding violation of rights accorded
parent(s)/guardian(s) and eligible students with respect
to student records are to be submitted to Director of Pupil
Personnel, South Fayette Township School District, at 3660
Old Oakdale Road, McDonald, PA, 15057-3544, in writing.
46
SOUTH FAYETTE
contains eighteen students.
The Reading Achievement classrooms in first grade
through fifth grade (elementary and intermediate buildings)
provide intensive small group instruction for the entire
language arts block. Students rotate in groups among a
reading specialist, classroom teacher, and a paraeducator
in first and second grade. Students in third, fourth and fifth
grades also rotate in small groups of six among a reading
specialist and a classroom teacher. Students are provided
intensive instruction in phonemic awareness, decoding
(word building and syllasearch), vocabulary development,
fluency, and comprehension strategies. Students are given
numerous opportunities to apply these reading strategies to
SCREENING AND EVALUATION
reading various types of text. Materials used in the Reading
The South Fayette Township School District employs
Achievement classrooms were developed by Harcourt
the following procedures for locating, identifying and
Journeys, and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit Reading
evaluating the needs of school age students who may
Specialists/Consultants. Students are routinely assessed
require special education programs and/or services. These on decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension to
procedures, as required by state regulation, are as follows: monitor their progress.
As prescribed by Section 1402 of the Pennsylvania
The intermediate building has an after school math
school code, the district routinely conducts health
program as well. This initiative was developed to provide
screenings for kindergarten (K) through 12th grade students instructional support to students in the 3rd, 4th, and
and new students without history of recent exams: Vision
5th grade math curriculum at the intermediate school.
(Gr. K-12); Hearing (Gr. K, 3, 7 and 11 and any student with a Students are selected by assessment scores and teachers
known history of hearing loss); Mandated Physical Exams
recommendations. This program is formatted to meet the
(Gr. K, 6, and 11); Dental Screenings (Gr. K, 1, 3, and 7);
individual needs of the students by providing small group
Scoliosis Screening (Gr. 6, 7) and Body Mass Index (BMI)
instruction twice a week. Lesson plans are the direct
screening (Gr. K-12). Also, school nurses provide vision
result of data taken from the PSSA and curriculum-based
and hearing screenings for students who are referred
assessments from both the third and fourth grade math
for an evaluation or re-evaluation regarding Chapter 14/
programs. Also, included in the lesson plan is instruction in
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) special education
the PSSA format. The students are assessed on a regular
services and Chapter 15/504 Student Services Plan
basis and parents as contacted as needed.
accommodations.
In the middle school, the Academic Intervention Model
Speech and language skills are screened in
(AIM) is utilized as the pre-referral intervention process
kindergarten and on a referral basis by speech clinicians.
for students who are in need of academic assistance.
Gross-motor and fine-motor skills, academic and social- The AIM process is a team based intervention model.
emotional skills are assessed by the teachers and support
There are collaborative intervention team meetings with
staff. Screening activities include: review of group-based
the parents to identify targeted interventions related to
data such as cumulative enrollment and health records,
specific academic skill areas that need to be addressed for
report cards and academic skills scores. Identified needs
the student. Research-based intervention strategies are
from these screening sources, as well as information
implemented for a period of time in the regular classroom
obtained from parents and outside agencies, is assessed,
setting to assist the student in an attempt to foster
noted within the student’s record and discussed with
academic success. An implementation plan is developed
parents.
and monitored by the student’s team of teachers and
South Fayette Township School District has
reviewed and revised if necessary. If it is determined by
intervention/prevention teams in place to support students
the team that the interventions are not working and the
as a pre-referral system. At the elementary school (K-2)
student is not meeting success, the student may be referred
and the intermediate school (3-4-5), a child study team has
for a multi-disciplinary team evaluation.
been established as part of the pre-referral intervention
The South Fayette Student Assistance Teams (SAP)
process. The team consists of principals, guidance
provides additional support used by the district to identify
counselor, regular education teachers, reading specialists, at-risk students. SAP teams are currently in place at the
school psychologist when needed and special education
middle and high school levels. SAP is a cooperative effort
staff when needed. Parents are also part of this process
with parents in utilizing the support staff, students, and
and are contacted and strongly encouraged to participate
community through contracted services with Chartiers
in all phases of the child study team process. The Child
MH/MR. It is a proactive prevention/intervention program
Study Team assists teachers and parents with supporting
that attempts to provide intervention before school
students who are experiencing academic, behavioral,
performance is seriously compromised. The SAP Core
medical, emotional and social skills difficulties.
Team of individuals are trained in the SAP Model and
Also at the elementary school, the Kindergarten
focus on screening/intervention for student who may be
Express classrooms in kindergarten and the Reading
experiencing drug and alcohol, depression, and/or family
Achievement classrooms in first and second grades
issues, referrals to appropriate agencies or treatment
provide students with research-evidenced based reading
facilities, aftercare for those returning from treatment, and
instruction. These classrooms provide intensive reading
crisis intervention as needed.
instruction for students that are considered below basic
If appropriate, a referral process is initiated at each
or basic. Our reading specialists and paraeducators have
building level through the Child Study Teams, AIM Grade
received intensive instruction on the reading process
Level Teams, Student Assistance Teams (SAP), counseling
and have been trained to provide explicit and systematic
departments, principals or the Department of Pupil
instruction. Research-evidence based instruction include
Personnel Services. Assessment data is used by the team
phonemic awareness activities, word building, syllasearch, to meet the student’s specific needs by recommending
developing vocabulary through Isabel Beck’s model of
modifications or adaptations to the regular education
robust vocabulary instruction, Questioning the Author
program, creating interventions to address the problem
strategy, Text Talk strategy, chunking text, “What are you
and monitoring the student’s response to intervention, or to
thinking?” strategy, scrolling, character mapping, and color document the need for further evaluation.
coding text.
If it is determined that a student is in need of further
Kindergarten students are screened using the Early
evaluation, the student is referred for a multidisciplinary
Screening Profile from American Guidance Service during
team (MDT) evaluation, which requires parent permission
our kindergarten registration. Students identified as lacking and includes parent input. Next, a “Prior Written Notice
readiness skills are placed in the Kindergarten Express
for Initial Evaluation and Request for Consent Form” is
classroom for half a day and the regular kindergarten
issued to the parent to sign giving the school district
classroom the other half. Students receive intensive
permission to conduct the evaluation. The school district
instruction with a reading specialist and paraeducator.
has 60 calendar days to complete the evaluation. After the
Instruction includes activities focusing on phonemic
evaluation is completed, an evaluation report is prepared
awareness, letter recognition and sounds, decoding (word
which includes specific recommendations for the types of
building), sight word recognition, reading decodable text,
intervention necessary to meet the needs of the student
and comprehension.
and to determine the child’s eligibility for special education
All first grade through fifth grade students (elementary
services based upon a disability.
and intermediate schools) are assessed using the
When the evaluation report is completed parents are
assessments from the Reading Achievement Center at the
invited if necessary to a multidisciplinary team meeting
beginning of each school year. Students are assessed on
to review findings and plan for the student’s needs. After
sight word recognition, decoding pseudo words, fluency,
the MDT evaluation is completed, the parents are given
and comprehension. Students scoring below basic are
a NOREP, which they sign to indicate their agreement or
placed in the Reading Achievement classroom at the
disagreement with the recommendation.
beginning of the school year. Students scoring basic are
Parents of students who suspect that their child has a
either placed in the Reading Achievement classroom or
disability and is in need of special education may request
monitored in the regular reading classroom. Placement
an Intervention Team meeting or multidisciplinary team
of these students is determined by the degree of reading
evaluation of their child through a written request to the
deficiency. Basic students not placed in the Reading
building principal or Director of Pupil Personnel.
Achievement classroom are monitored closely with reading
You may find information regarding the appropriate
strategies implemented in the regular reading classroom.
developmental milestone descriptors for infants and
If these students do not progress, they will be placed in
toddlers at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website:
the Reading Achievement classroom for intensive reading
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/ActEarly/default.
instruction. Each Reading Achievement classroom
htm For additional information regarding the signs of
All Complaints will be investigated and responded to in
writing within a reasonable period of time. If complaints
cannot be satisfactorily resolved by the District, complaints
can be filed with the following
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-4605
Questions regarding the above information or requests
for a copy of the records policy may be referred to:
Director of Pupil Personnel, South Fayette Township School
District, 3660 Old Oakdale Road, McDonald, PA 15057-3544.