STUDENT ACCIDENTS AND INSURANCE
Students who have been injured at school must report the injury to the teacher and/or school nurse at the time the injury occurs. The school is responsible for investigating the injury and filing an accident report. However, if the student fails to report the injury, the school cannot complete a thorough investigation and file an accurate accident report.
The school is not responsible for providing medical insurance for students in the event os an accidental injury at school. Parents/guardians are responsible for making sure that their child has appropriate medical insurance in cases of accidental injuries. Please contact the principal or guidance counselor to inquire more about insurance options in the event that you do not have insurance for your child. These options may include, but are not limited to parents purchasing insurance through the school, CHIP, medial assisatnce, etc. Parents may also contact the local medical assistance office for help purchasing for their child.
Student Records
Student records are essential to the successful delivery of formal education at the elementary school. Student records are maintained, used, and destroyed in a manner consistent with privacy rights guaranteed by state and federal law.
Notice of Rights under FERPA for:
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) grants parents certain rights with respect to their children's educational records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of eighteen (18) or attends a school beyond the high school level ("eligible student"). Their right under FERPA are:
Parents of eligible students should submit to the school principal or other appropriate school official a written request that identifies the records they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible students of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
Parent or eligible students may ask the Ridgway School District to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal or other appropriate school administrator, clearly identify the part of the record they want changes, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
If the District decides not to amend the record as requested by the parents(s) or eligible student, the District will notify the parent(s) or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding their request for the amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent(s) or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
One exception, which 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 which whom the District has contracted to perform a specific task (such as attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her task.
A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
Upon request, the District discloses educational records, without consent, to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
The district may also disclose, without consent, "directory" information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance, etc. In the event a parent or eligible student does not ant directory information disclosed, the parent or eligible student must inform the district in writing through the appropriate school administrator within forty-five (45) days of the publication of this notice.
Family Policy compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202 - 4605
The Ridgway Area School District maintains records in two categories:
CATEGORY A - This file contains the minimum personal data necessary for the operation of the school system. Identification of student (name, social security number, student identification number, etc.), names and addresses of parents or guardian, last known home address and telephone number, birth date, classes attended and academic levels completed or services received, year or program or service completion, and when applicable, grades or marks received, grade level completed, and whether a diploma was received. The file will also include achievement, test scores, attendance records, honors, awards, activities, photographs, or other similar types of information. CATEGORY A DATA SHALL BE FILED FOR 100 YEARS.
CATEGORY B - This file's data is verified information of clear importance such as intelligence and aptitude scores, interest inventories, health data, family information, teacher or counselor observations and reports of serious acts of misbehavior and behavior patterns. This files also contains the documents that pertain to evaluation procedures to determine if a student was eligible for special education services of for other accommodations such as Chapter 15 Service Agreements. CATEGORY B DATA SHALL BE DISCARDED SIX YEARS AFTER THE STUDENT IS GRADUATE OR, IN THE CASE OF A TRANSFER OR DROPOUT, WHEN THE STUDENT REACHES AGE TWENTY-ONE. ELIGIBLE STUDENTS MAY ALSO REQUEST A COPY OF THEIR CATEGORY B FILE BEFORE IT IS DESTROYED.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN TO STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED IN 2003 OR EARLIER AND TO STUDENTS WHO ARE TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF AGE THAT DID NOT GRADUATE FROM THE DISTRICT DUE TO TRANSFER OR DROP OUT THAT ALL DATA MAINTAINED IN THEIR CATEGORY B FILE WILL BE DESTROYED AFTER JUNE 30, 2009. The records will be supplied at the cost to the district. If the district is not contacted before the designated date, the District will presume that the eligible student does not want this information. For an appointment to examine tour Category B file, contact: Mrs. Karen Scull, M.S. Ed., Assistant to the Superintendent for Special Educational Services at (814) 776-4255 before April 30, 2009.