outh Fayette
SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
60 South Fayette
SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIRED ANNUAL NOTICES 2017-2018
HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS :
All public school teachers with primary responsibility for direct instruction in one or more core content areas are required to demonstrate that they satisfy the definition of a “ Highly Qualified Teacher .” This requirement includes :
• Elementary level ( grades K-2 ) teachers who teach all subjects to a particular grade ;
• Intermediate level ( grades 3-4-5 ) teachers who teach all subjects to a particular grade ;
• Middle- and secondary-level ( grades 7-12 ) core content area teachers ;
• Special education teachers who provide direct instruction in one or more core content areas ; English as a second language ( ESL ) teachers who provide direct instruction in one or more core content areas ; and
• Alternative education teachers who provide direct instruction in one or more core content areas .
PENNSYLVANIA ’ S DEFINITION OF HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHER :
To satisfy the definition of Highly Qualified Teacher , teachers must : 1 . Hold at least a bachelor ’ s degree ; 2 . Hold a valid Pennsylvania teaching certificate ( i . e ., Instructional I , Instructional II or Intern certificate but not an emergency permit ); and
3 . Demonstrate subject matter competency for the core content area they teach .
In Pennsylvania , the core content areas include English , Reading / Language Arts , Mathematics , Sciences , Foreign Languages , Music and Art , and Social Studies ( history , economics , geography , and civics and government ).
In the 2015-2016 school year , 100 percent of the teachers at South Fayette Township School District met or exceeded the highly qualified criteria . Also , in the 2015-2016 school year , 100 % of Title 1 and Special Education paraeducators have met the highly qualified criteria .
PARENTS ’ RIGHT TO KNOW :
Parents / guardians may request information regarding the professional qualifications of their child ’ s classroom teacher ( s ). Specifically , individuals have the right to ask for the following information :
• Whether the student ’ s teacher has met state qualifying and licensing criteria for the grade level or subject he / she is teaching ;
• Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status ;
• The teacher ’ s college major , the baccalaureate degree , and / or any advanced degrees earned by the teacher ;
• Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and , if so , their qualifications .
To obtain this information , please submit your request in writing to the Assistant Superintendent who oversees teacher / paraeducator certifications / qualifications . Each request should include the child ’ s name , his / her teachers ’ names and the school he / she attends . Please be certain to include your name , address and a telephone number at which you can be contacted during the day . South Fayette Township School District Attn : Assistant Superintendent 3680 Old Oakdale Road McDonald , PA 15057-3544 412-221-4542 , Ex . 409
SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT ’ S ANNUAL CHILD FIND NOTICE AND STUDENT RECORDS NOTICE
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ( FERPA ) is a federal law that affords parents the right to have access to their children ’ s education records , the right to seek to have the records amended , and the right to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the education records . When a student turns 18 years old , or enters a postsecondary institution at any age , the rights under FERPA transfer from the parents to the student (“ eligible student ”). The FERPA statute is found at 20 U . S . C . § 1232g and the FERPA regulations are found at 34 CFR Part 99 .
It is the intent of this Annual Notice and policy to inform both the parent ( s )/ guardian ( s ) and eligible children ( i . e . students 18 and older ) of their rights relevant to their privacy rights in the collection , maintenance , release and destruction of these records as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ( FERPA ), 20 U . S . C . ‘ 1232g . 34 C . F . R . part 99 .
Annual notice of this policy is given on the District ’ s website , in the School Calendar , in building parent / student handbooks and hard copies are available in the main lobby of the administration building .
The different categories of information maintained by the school district are as follows ; educational and health records , personally identifiable information and directory information . Information known as directory information can be released without consent . Parents may opt out of this by requesting in writing to the school principal that some or all directory information not be released . In addition , photographs and / or videos may be used in newspaper articles highlighting various school activities or television coverage of school events . If you do not wish your child to be photographed or videotaped for these purposes , you must inform the district in writing .
EDUCATION RECORDS include records directly related to a student that are maintained by the South Fayette Township School District . The Educational Records of the District may include all of the following ( this list is not intended to be exhaustive ): grades , standardized test results , student evaluation reports , samples of student work , records transferred from sending schools , discipline records , medical records and any other records created and maintained by the school district directly related to the student . Educational records do not include communications with legal counsel that are attorney client privileged . Educational Records do not include records maintained solely by the creator for their personal use , not shared with others . Personal observation of students is not considered to be an educational record . The contents of a student ’ s educational file shall be determined by the District unless a specific parental request is made or a complaint is made , consistent with this Notice .
The District shall permit the parent / guardian ( s ) of a student or an eligible special education student , who is or has been in attendance in the District , to inspect and review the education records of the student upon written request . The District will comply with a written request to review records within a reasonable period of time ( never to exceed 45 calendar days from the date of written request ) after the request has been made . When there are special cases and where necessary , a parental request to review records will be granted and arranged as soon as possible . Visits to review a student ’ s records shall be arranged and facilitated by the building principal or designee , or any party selected by the District , for the purposes of security and assistance in explaining or interpreting the data . The right to inspect and review education records includes : 1 . The right to a response from the District to reasonable requests , made in writing , for explanation and interpretations of the record ; and
2 . The right to obtain copies of records from the District where failure of the District to provide the copies would effectively prevent a parent or eligible student from exercising the right to inspect and review the educational records ( e . g . where the parent lives too far to come review the records personally ). A reasonable fee of . 25 will be charged per page for duplicate copies of documents already provided to parents / guardians .
In accordance with FERPA , the District will not produce or compile documentation that does not already exist .
It is presumed by the District that both natural parent / guardian ( s ) of a student has authority to inspect and review the education records of the student at the school in the child ’ s attendance area ( main office ) by appointment unless there is evidence that there is a legally binding instrument , or a State law or court order governing such matters as divorce , separation or custody , which provides to the contrary . A District designee will sit with the parent when the parent reviews the records in a private conference area of the main office .
Under federal law , parental consent is not required for the release of Directory information , which is information contained in an education record of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed .
The District designates the following as 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 . a ) Directory information includes , but is not limited to , the student ’ s name ; address ; telephone listing ; electronic mail address ; photograph ; date and place of birth ; major field of study ; grade level ; enrollment status ( e . g ., undergraduate or graduate , full-time or part-time ); dates of attendance ; participation in officially recognized activities and sports ; weight and height of members of athletic teams ; degrees , honors and awards received ; and the most recent educational agency or institution attended . b ) Directory information does not include a student ’ s : 1 ) Social security number ; or 2 ) Student identification ( ID ) number , except as provided in paragraph ( c ) of this section . ( c ) Directory information includes a student ID number , user ID , or other unique personal identifier used by the student for purposes of accessing or communicating in electronic systems , but only if the identifier cannot be used to gain access to education records except when used in conjunction with one or more factors that authenticate the user ’ s identity , such as a personal identification number ( PIN ), password , or other factor known or possessed only by the authorized user .
A written record of this information , or microfilm copy of the same , including grade level completed and year completed , may be maintained at least 100 years after a student attains age 21 . A parent / guardian or eligible student may notify the District in writing of their refusal to allow the
District to release directory information without prior consent . Such written refusal for consent must be sent to the Director of Pupil Personnel , South Fayette Township School District , 3660 Old Oakdale Road , McDonald , PA 15057-3544 .
The District is required to release student directory information ( access to names , addresses , and phone numbers of high school juniors and seniors ) to military recruiters and college admissions officers . High schools are required to release information to colleges or other higher learning institutions upon request . Any parent / guardian or student who has reached age eighteen may notify the District in writing of their refusal for this information to be released . Letters seeking the withholding of information to military recruiters should be sent to : Director of Pupil Personnel , South Fayette Township School District , 3660 Old Oakdale Road , McDonald , PA 15057-3544 .
Per federal guidance , student medical records , maintained by the nurses ’ office , are considered educational records and will be shared with staff who the district determines have a legitimate educational interest in the information and a need to know medical information to protect the safety and health of the student . Once provided to the District , specific parental consent will not be sought to share information on a need to know basis . Parental requests to maintain the confidentiality of specific medical information must be made in writing to the nurse ’ s office . Requests for complete confidentiality of medical information will be granted at the discretion of the nurse . These requests will be granted unless dangerous to the student .
If the agency reported a crime committed by a student with a disability the district will ensure that copies of the special education records and disciplinary records of the student will be transmitted properly and only to the extent possible that the transmission is permitted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act .
The District shall obtain the written consent of the parent ( s )/ guardian ( s ) of a student age eighteen before disclosing personally identifiable information , other than directory information , from the education records of a student to a third party . Consent is not required where the disclosure is to the parent / guardian ( s ) of a student who is not an eligible student or the student himself or herself . Personally Identifiable Information : The term includes , but is not limited to --- ( a ) The student ’ s name ; ( b ) The name of the student ’ s parent or other family members ; ( c ) The address of the student or student ’ s family ; ( d ) A personal identifier , such as the student ’ s social security number , student number , or biometric record ; ( e ) Other indirect identifiers , such as the student ’ s date of birth , place of birth , and mother ’ s maiden name ;
( f ) Other information that , alone or in combination , is linked or linkable to a specific student that would allow a reasonable person in the school community , who does not have personal knowledge of the relevant circumstances , to identify the student with reasonable certainty ; or
( g ) Information requested by a person who the educational agency or institution reasonably believes knows the identity of the student to whom the education record relates . Uses of Personally Identifiable Information : The district may disclose personally identifiable from the education records of a student without written consent of the parent / guardian ( s ) or the student or the eligible student in several situations . See 34 C . F . R . Part 99 . Some important examples of when no consent to release information include ( list not exhaustive ):
1 . To other school officials , including teachers , guidance counselors , nurses , and I . U . personnel within the District who have been determined by the District to have legitimate educational interests or are providing instruction or services to students . The District has determined that all school employees involved in the direct supervision of a student ( academic or non-academic ) ( including support staff ) have a legitimate education interest in academic and health related student information if the information is necessary to ensure appropriate fulfillment of their professional duties and to ensure the health and safety of the student .
2 . To officials of another school or school system or postsecondary schools in which the student seeks or intends to enroll , subject to the requirements set forth in 99.34 . Parents may request a copy of the record sent .
3 . To appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency , subject to the conditions set and 99.36 , if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals .
4 . To authorized representatives of the U . S . Comptroller General , the U . S . Attorney General , the U . S . Secretary of Education , or State and local educational authorities , such as the State educational agency in the parent or eligible student ’ s State ( SEA ). Disclosures under this provision may be made , subject to the requirement of 99.35 , in connection with an audit or evaluation of Federal or State supported education programs , or for the enforcement of or compliance with Federal legal requirements that relate to those programs . These entities may make further disclosures of PII to outside agencies that are designated by them as their authorized representatives to conduct any audit , evaluation or enforcement or compliance activity on their behalf .
5 . Information designated by the District as Directory Information .