Student Records & FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students who are 18 years of age or older (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day the Lake and Peninsula School District receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal or head teacher a written request that identifies the records they wish to inspect. The school will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. Parents or eligible students who wish to ask the district to amend a record should write the school principal or head teacher, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the district decides not to amend the record as requested, it will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided with the notification of the right to a hearing.

3. The right to provide written consent before the district discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee or assisting another school official in performing their tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibility. Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled, if the disclosure is for purposes of the student’s enrollment or transfer.

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the district to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The office that administers FERPA is: Student Privacy Policy Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that the Lake and Peninsula School District, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, the Lake and Peninsula School District may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures.

The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the Lake and Peninsula School District to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school publications. Examples include:

• A playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production;
• The annual yearbook;
• Honor roll or other recognition lists;
• Graduation programs; and
• Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories (names, addresses and telephone listings) unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent.

The Lake and Peninsula School District has designated the following information as directory information:

• Student’s name
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Address
• Telephone listing
• Child’s photograph
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Degrees, honors, and awards received
• Date and place of birth
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• The most recent educational agency or institution attended

If you do not want the Lake and Peninsula School District to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing by the second Friday of September. Please contact the principal or head teacher at your child’s school to complete the “opt out” form.

Requests to inspect, review or amend records go to your child’s principal or head teacher. For district-level questions, contact the Registrar at registrar@lpsd.com or the district office at (907) 313-3841.

• Student / Parent HandbookPDFFull policies, 2025-26
• Privacy PolicyHow this website handles visitor information
• Board Policy Manual↗