Annual Notifications

Access to Student Records

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), parents and students who are over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) have the right to inspect and review the student’s educational records. Such a request must be sent in writing to Superintendent Christine Crowley, 133 School Drive, Delanson NY 12053. Arrangements will be made to provide access to such records within 45 days after the request has been received.

Parents also have the right to request the amendment of the student’s education records believed to be inaccurate or misleading by writing to the superintendent identifying the record and specifying what they believe is inaccurate and why.

And they have the right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information in a student’s education record, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. It is the district’s policy to disclose personally identifiable information from student records, without consent, to school district officials with legitimate educational interests (i.e., to fulfill professional responsibilities) and, upon request, to another school district or institution in which a student seeks enrollment. School officials include administrators, supervisors, instructors and support staff employed by the district; Board of Education members; a person or company (e.g., attorney, auditor or therapist) with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task; or a parent or student serving on an official committee or assisting another school official in performing duties.

Parents who believe the district has not complied with FERPA requirements may file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC, 20202-4605.

Student Directory Information
Student directory information (defined as name, grade, school, town of residence, photograph, participation in activities and/or sports, and any honors or awards received) may be released for publicity purposes to the media or other organizations and/or used in school district publications or on the official district Web site.

Parents/guardians who object to the release of their child’s directory information should notify in writing both the superintendent of schools and their child’s building principal within 14 days of the start of each school year.

Asbestos Management Plan
In accordance with the EPA Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, the Duanesburg Central School District has in place an asbestos management plan to identify and manage asbestos building materials. The Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) for the district is kept on file at the district office at 133 School Drive, Delanson. These records are available for review during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or by making an appointment. For more information, contact the business administrator in the district business office at 895-2279. Information about required inspections and any scheduled asbestos projects occurring this school year is contained within the AMP and is available on the district Web site.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy
New York State Education Law requires the district to provide written notification to all persons in parental relation, faculty and staff regarding the potential use of pesticides periodically throughout the school year. The district is required to maintain a list of persons in parental relation, faculty and staff who wish to receive 48-hour prior written notification of certain pesticide applications.

The following pesticide applications are not subject to prior notification requirements: the use of disinfectant, certain substances used in areas that are off-limits to students, and if the school will be unoccupied for a continuous 72 hours following an application.

In the event of an emergency application necessary to protect against an imminent threat to human health, a good-faith effort will be made to supply written notification to those on the 48-hour prior notification list. To receive 48-hour prior notification of pesticide applications, please call the district office at 895-2279.

Staff Qualifications
Pursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act, parents may request information about the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers including whether the teacher has State certification for the classes being taught; the teacher’s bachelor’s degree major and any other certifications or degrees by field or discipline; and whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications. Requests for the above information may be directed in writing to Superintendent Christine Crowley, 133 School Drive, Delanson, NY 12053.

Student Privacy
Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), parents have the right to inspect and opt their child out of any student survey that reveals information about personal attitudes, behaviors or beliefs. Parents also have the right to receive notice of and opt their child out of any activities that involve the collection, disclosure or use of a student’s personal information for marketing purposes and out of any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening, except for hearing, vision and scoliosis screenings or as permitted or required by state law.

Body Mass Index
Because New York State is interested in data about children's health, schools are required to keep height and weight data and to calculate students' Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a way of checking for underweight or overweight youngsters based on their height and weight. Some schools will be surveyed by the NYSDOH each year and asked to share the number of pupils they have in each of six possible BMI categories based on students' age and sex. If our district is surveyed by the state, we will only share group data (for instance, the number of second grade boys whose BMI is below the fifth percentile), not individual data. However, if parents wish their child's data to be excluded from such group calculations, they may do so by contacting their school nurse.

Access of Military Recruiters to Student Recruiting Information
A request for directory information has been made under the provisions of the legislation entitled No Child Left Behind, Act of 2001 (20 USC 1232g and Part 99.37 of the Code of Federal Regulations). The information requested consists of name, address and telephone number of students of Duanesburg High School. This information is routinely used by members of the Armed Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps) as well as colleges, vocational schools, collegiate scholarship information services and graduation apparel companies.

Our high school is required to comply with this legislation. However, a feature of this legislation provides parents and students with the right to deny releasing the information as described above. If you do not want to have your child’s information released, as listed above, you must complete the form on page X of the middle/high school student handbook by Sept. 30. After this date, the school will be expected to release the information when requested.

Should you have any questions regarding this request, or if you are in need of further information, please feel free to contact our school. Thank you for your consideration of this request.