A.  Security of Student Records

All student information is considered confidential and will be maintained as such in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Such information shall be available to the parent or guardian or to the student himself who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years. Professionally competent personnel shall be available for interpreting any data with the student’s cumulative folder. Copies of such contents shall also be made available to parents/students at cost, within the limitations of copying facilities.

The school may, without the consent of the student or his/her parents, release student records contained within the cumulative folder or any supplementary classifications to school officials who have a proper educational purpose in examining such information.

No other person may have access to or make copies of a student’s records, except under the following circumstances:

1. The consent must be given by the student’s parent or guardian except when a student reaches the age of eighteen (18) or is married, at which time his consent and not that of his parents shall be obtained in order to release the information; and a student who meets the foregoing requirements shall consent to parental access to his records.
2. The consent shall be written and shall specify the records to be released and to whom they are to be released. Each request for consent shall be handled separately; blanket permission for the release of information shall not be acceptable.
3. Under compulsion of law: courts, law enforcement agencies, agencies subpoenaing such records.
4. When data for outside purposes is released in such form that no individual student is identifiable.
5. When the school operations manager determines the release of specific information as described by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is in the best interests of the student, provided such information has not been disallowed by the parents.

The parent or guardian, or an eighteen (18) year old or older student, shall have the right to challenge the accuracy and authenticity of data recorded within the student’s cumulative folder. Any such data that is determined by the school operations manager to be inaccurate shall be expunged from the record; and an appeal from the decision of the school operations manager shall be made to the governing board. The academy shall comply with a request within a reasonable period of time, but in no case more than thirty (30) days after it has been made.

In each instance in which a student’s record is transferred out of the organization, the school shall retain a complete copy of the student’s academic record, together with all other confidential information and reports. After three (3) years this material will be sent to Central Files with the school district.

All requests for access to student records and any subsequent disclosures will be recorded by the record custodian.
 
An annual written notice will be posted on the academy’s website to inform adult students or the parent or guardian of students of their rights as defined in Section 1002.22(2), F.S., and FERPA. The academy shall develop methods of notice for informing the parent or guardian of students, or adult students unable to comprehend a written notice in English.
 
The following listing of the types and locations of education records will be maintained by the academy.
The academy registrar working at 2043 Forest Street, Jacksonville, FL 32204 will maintain the following student records as prescribed by Rule 6A1.0955, FAC:
 
Category A- Permanent Information (This classification includes verified information of clear educational importance which shall be retained permanently.) It consists of:

1. Student's full legal name
2. Authenticated birth date, place of birth, race, ethnicity, and sex
3. Last known address of student
4. Names of student's parents or guardians
5. Name and location of last school attended
6. Number of days present and absent, date enrolled, date withdrawn
7. Courses taken and record of achievement, such as grades, units, or certification of competence
8. Date of graduation or program completion, and
9. Records of requests for access to and disclosure of personally identifiable information from the education records of the student as required by FERPA.

 
Category B- Temporary Information (This classification includes verified information of clear educational importance which may be destroyed five (5) years after the student or his/her class graduates.) It may include but is not limited to:

1. Health information
2. Family background data
3. Standardized test scores
4. Educational and career plans
5. Honors and activities
6. Work experience reports
7. Teacher comments
8. Reports of special services or exceptional student staffing committees, including all information required by Florida Statute 1001.42(13)
9. Correspondence from community agencies or private individuals
10. Driver education certificates
11. List of schools attended
12. Written agreements of corrections, deletions, or expunctions as a result of meetings or hearings to amend educational records, and
13. Records designated for retention by the Florida Department of State.

 
Student personally identifiable information may be disclosed during health and safety emergencies. Student personally identifiable information may be disclosed as directory information.

1. Directory information consists of certain categories of personally identifiable information. At the beginning of each school year, and upon transfer of a student into the academy, the school shall give public notice of the categories which have been designated as directory information. This information may only be made available to colleges, the military, and others as approved by the Superintendent, unless an opt-out choice is selected by the parents. Other groups or organizations requesting directory information may receive it for any student whose parent has signed a release that is on file at the schools.
2. Parents who do not want directory information given to colleges or the military must notify the academy principal within ten (10) working days after receiving the student records brochure by completing the opt out form.
3. Third party requests for lists of data specified as directory information shall be submitted to the registrar.
4. The Categories of Directory Information may include the following:
   • Student's name
   • Address
   • Telephone number, if listed
   • Electronic mail address
   • Date and place of birth
   • Photograph
   • Major field of study
   • Grade level
   • Age
   • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
   • Weight and height of members of athletic teams
   • Dates of attendance
   • Degrees and awards received
   • Schools attended
   • Most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student

B.  Up-To-Date Records

It is the parent/legal guardian’s responsibility to keep the school office informed and up to date regarding any changes of names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, etc. so that important student information may be received from or provided to the parent/legal guardian in a timely manner for the benefit and well-being of the student.

Student records will be reviewed annually and information that is no longer useful will be eliminated in the manner prescribed by Section 1001.52(3), F.S.

C.  Research and Evaluation - Student Privacy and Parental Access to Information 

Pursuant to 20 U.S. Code § 1232h, the academy school board recognizes the use of surveys, questionnaires, or other data gathering instruments as a means of improving the quality of educational services that the academy provides. The use of surveys can also provide a means of feedback from various elements of the community. The board, therefore, encourages the conducting of research studies which have relevance to education whether initiated by academy personnel or by other organizations or individuals.

Definition of Educational Research
Educational research will be regarded as those data gathering efforts that have relevance to the board's mission and academy goals. They will be characterized by an educational rationale, a design for testing that rationale, and a plan for reporting the findings and conclusions.

Studies governed by this policy exclude:

1. informal survey activities involving parents, teachers, and/or students approved by the school operations manager for making school-level decisions or conducted as part of a class assignment;
2. routine inquiries by academy staff or the board for information necessary to carry on the academy's program; and
3. the collecting and reporting of information from existing public records to satisfy legitimate requests from local, state, and federal governmental agencies.

Provisions Governing Educational Research
Requests to conduct studies shall be submitted to the school operations manager in sufficient detail to permit their evaluation in terms of the following factors:

1. the background of the organization or individual proposing the research;
2. the purpose of the study and the use to be made of the findings;
3. the benefit to the students involved, the academy, and education in general;
4. the time required of students and of staff personnel who will be involved in the project;
5. the additional cost to the academy, if any; and
6. a copy of the survey, questionnaire, or other data gathering instruments that shall be submitted along with the proposal for review and approval.

After the school operations manager completes a review of a given research proposal, the school operations manager will either approve or disapprove the proposed research and then notify all interested parties of the decision. Any appeals may be submitted to the academy school board for final decision. Approval of any research project will be contingent upon the following criteria:

1. The study will be conducted as outlined in the proposal and will be subject to any special instructions designated by the school operations manager.
2. When individual tests or questionnaires which would be interpreted as being sensitive in nature or as an invasion of privacy are to be administered to students as part of an approved study, the following provisions apply:
   • Parental permission will be obtained for any upcoming surveys that reveal information concerning one (1) or more of the following items:
     • political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the student's parent
     • mental and psychological problems of the study or the student's family
     • sexual behavior or attitudes
     • illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior
     • critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close family relationships
     • legally recognized privileges or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers
     • religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or student's parent
     • income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or before receiving financial assistance under such program).
   • Participation is voluntary. No student shall be required to participate in such a survey if the student or student's parent, if the student is less than eighteen (18) years of age, objects to participation.
   • A student or the student's parent, if less than eighteen (18) years of age, has the right to inspect any such survey instrument before the survey is administered or distributed to students or is used in a research or experimentation program in which the student is engaged if a request is made at least  seventy-two (72) hours prior to scheduled administration. Parents also have the right to be advised of arrangements that will be made to protect student privacy.
   • Student survey instruments and teacher direction for administering the survey will be available within a reasonable period of time prior to the survey administration.
   • Parents will be notified of this policy annually at the beginning of the school year and within a reasonable period of time if any substantive change is made to this policy. The annual notice shall include the specific or approximate dates during the school year when any such survey will be administered. If approval for the administration of a survey or participation in research or an experimentation program is given after the start of a school year, notification shall be provided at least two (2) weeks prior to such administration or participation.
3. Information is collected anonymously and no personally identifiable information is obtained from or reported on any individual student, person, group, or organization.
4. Academy students or staff members who participate in a research study during school time may not receive remuneration for their participation.
5. If the Academy is to be identified in any manner in the final report of an approved study, prior permission must be secured.
6. The cooperating organization or individual will furnish a copy of the final results to the academy.
7. An exception to the parent permission requirement above is the Florida Youth Survey. This survey may be administered to all middle and high school students in compliance with Title IV of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and in collaboration with the Governor's Office for Drug Control and the Departments of Children and Families, Health, Education, and Juvenile Justice. If parents/guardians do not want their child to participate in this survey, they will be given the opportunity to opt out. Forms to opt out of the survey will be available from the front office.

D. Student Legal Name

All students shall be addressed by their legal name as it appears on their birth certificate. Any use of a nickname or a deviation from the legal name must be requested in writing by the parent or legal guardian using the Parent Consent form.

Adopted: May 5, 2020
Amended: December 2, 2020
Amended: September 5, 2023
6A-10955