Privacy Rights of Parents and Students

The Punxsutawney Area School District and its employees are required by Federal Law and State and Federal Rules and Regulations to protect the rights of students.

The foundation of these rights comes from Federal legislation entitled, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (also known as the Buckley Amendments). All students are protected by the State Regulations contained in Chapter 12 known as Students" Rights and Responsibilities. In addition, State Rules and Regulations protect regular and special education students" rights and privacy.

The basic premise of these laws, rules, and regulations is that information about students cannot be disclosed without written parental consent.

Disclosure of information means to permit access to the release, transfer, or other communication of education records, to the personally identifiable information contained in these records, to any party, by any means, including oral, written, or electronic means.

Educational Records consist of information directly related to a student, which are maintained by an educational agency.

Personally Identifiable Information includes the student"s name, name of the parent or other family members, a personal identifier, or a list of personal characteristics that would make the student"s identity easily traceable.

Educational Records and Personally Identifiable Information cannot be disclosed or released without written parent consent or if a student is over eighteen without student consent.

The consent must specify the records that may be disclosed, state the purpose of the disclosure and identify to whom the disclosure may be made. Furthermore, Punxsutawney Area School District must maintain a written record of disclosure for the parents to inspect in case information has been released.

There is certain information that can be released without consent, which is called Directory Information. Directory Information means information contained in an educational record of a student which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy.

PASD designates what information is labeled as Directory Information. It shall include the following: the student"s name, address, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received.

More details regarding the collection, maintenance and release of information is available in the PASD"s Student Record Policy. Building principals may be contacted for a review of this policy.