School Board Policy #515 – Protection and Privacy of Education Records, lists rules and procedures regarding the collection, security, storage and release of student information as required by State and Federal laws.

The school district must obtain and use information about each student to plan the best education program and ensure the rights of each student and parent/guardian to privacy. Therefore, access to information by third parties is controlled.

The Superintendent of Schools, who has overall responsibility for student records, delegates the day-to-day responsibility to administrators in charge of each elementary and secondary school and to certain District personnel. Anyone wishing access to or a copy of the student records policy or procedures should contact a building principal or Ann Kern, Assistant Director, Student Support Services, (763) 391-7124.

Public Data: Public Data is directory information which may be disclosed in the form of class lists or other lists. Directory information does not include any personally identifiable information. School Board Policy 515 designates the following student data as directory information:

• student’s name
• student’s address
• date of birth
• school of attendance
• grade(s) completed
• dates of attendance
• degrees and awards received
• participation in officially recognized activities/sports
• weight and height (if a member of a team)

A parent/guardian of a student or an eligible student may object to the designation of any or all of the above information as directory information and may notify the building principal or superintendent of schools in writing (Appendix B of School Board Policy 515) by September 30th of the current school year. By October 15th, the student’s record will be marked by the record custodian to indicate the items the District will designate as directory information about the student for which this written request has been received. The designation will remain in effect until it is modified by written direction by the parent/guardian or eligible student. Copies of Appendix B may be obtained from any school office. Requests for directory information are made to Chris Brooks, Coordinator, Information Systems, 11200 93rd Avenue North, Maple Grove, MN 55369.

Private Data: Private data is data on an individual student which is not accessible to the public but is accessible to the parent/guardian or eligible student. Additionally, private data is accessible to:

• School officials, including teachers, within the District whom the District determines have a legitimate education interest in such records.
• Officials of other schools or school districts in which the student seeks or intends to enroll. Records sent to a transfer school will include information about disciplinary action taken in the form of suspension and expulsion and any disposition order which adjudicates the student as delinquent for committing an illegal act on district property.
• State and Federal agencies authorized to audit records.
• Education research when not identifying individual students.

Confidential Data: Confidential data is data which State statute or Federal law has declared not public and not accessible to the student and/or his/her parent/guardian. This includes, but is not limited to:

• reports of child abuse and neglect;
• individual student data received from outside agencies which the agency has classified as confidential and is classified as confidential by State statute or Federal law; and
• chemical abuse data collected by a licensed alcohol and drug counselor.