Law and Policy

Activity #1: How Law Translates into Policy

Setting policy is the primary function of each Board of Education. District policies set forth the standards and objectives of the district. Have you ever read your district’s policy manual? School administrators are expected to uphold board policy- the law of the district- so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with your district’s policy manual.

For more information, please log on to the Erie 1 BOCES website: http://e1b.org and locate Policy Services (see Quick Link to Policy Services in bottom right corner). Policy Services writes policy for approximately 400 school districts in New York State. This service is essential for districts to ensure that their policies are current and in full compliance with all state and federal laws.

Many of your district’s policies are what we call “required policies”- meaning they are mandated by state or federal law. There are also many policies that are “not required” but make good sense to have in place (i.e., procedures to follow when scheduling field trips).

One of the “required policies” relates to FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Review information about the FERPA legislation: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/reg/ferpa/index.html, http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html, www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/FERPA-Overview.htm, epic.org/privacy/education/ferpa.html or conduct your own research. FERPA is an example of a federal mandate. Districts are required to implement a policy on FERPA. Check out your district’s policy on FERPA. If you cannot locate your district’s policy manual, please check the Erie 1 BOCES’ policy manual on the website. On homepage, click tab for “About BOCES,” then “Board of Education,” then “Policy Manual” Once on Policy Manual, you can search for FERPA. References to FERPA are found in Section 4.5.3: Health Records; 3.2.2: Military Recruiter Access; 3.2: Student Records; 2.5.2: WNYRIC Internet Access and Ethical Use of Data; 3.2.1: Custodial/Non Custodial Parents; and 4.9 Administration of Physical Exams.

TASK:

1. The Law: Summarize the key provisions of FERPA (be sure to cite the law).

2. School Policy: Review your district policies related to FERPA and give a few examples of how the actual FERPA law was translated into your district policy. Be sure to refer to the name of policy or policies in your district manual, and then explain how these policies are applied in your district.

3. Practice: Now that you have read the Law and understand how the Law was translated into your School Policy, put on your administrator’s hat: how will you ensure compliance with FERPA in your building? What steps or strategies will you use to avoid FERPA violations by your staff? (Hopefully no one still thinks it’s OK to announce who failed the exam…)

Activity responses should be about 2 pages, single-spaced; 4 pages double spaced. Be sure to include citations for any governing authorities. For additional guidance on grading, see “View Rubric” below.