top of page

RIGHTS & PRIVACY

Know Your Parental Rights

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
 

FERPA is a federal privacy law that affords parents the right to:

  • Have access to their children’s education records,

  • Confirm the accuracy and seek to have the records amended,

  • Review and appeal the information, and

  • Consent to the disclosure of personally identifiable information

 

Have you ever wondered what EdTech apps your student is required to use at school and what information is collected and shared?

 

The Student Data Privacy Project is addressing this issue by providing parents with sample templates and letters so that you can request your child’s data from their school.

​

What Is FERPA (PDF) explains what each of these rights mean. Document provided by the Capitol Resource Institute.

Loving Son

Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) 34 CFR PART 98

PPRA is the federal law that requires schools to notify parents or guardians to obtain consent or allow to opt their child out of participating in certain school activities.  These activities include a student survey, analysis, or evaluation that concerns one or more of the following eight areas (“protected information surveys”):

 

  1. Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent;

  2. Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family;

  3. Sex behavior or attitudes;

  4. Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;

  5. Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships;

  6. Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers;

  7. Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent; or

  8. Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility.

 

​

Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was enacted by Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children's access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet.

 

​

Civil Rights | Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

The United States Congress has enacted civil rights laws that protect individuals from discrimination. An important civil rights law is Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI provides:

​

“No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

 

​

Helpful Georgia Laws

  • Open Records (Sunshine Laws): This link includes template letters for parents to use. 

  • Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GAPSC): Teacher complaints​

  • Opt Out of Sex Education – OCGA §20-2-143(d)

    • Any parent or legal guardian of a child to whom the course of study set forth in this Code section is to be taught shall have the right to elect, in writing, that such child not receive such course of study.​

​

  • Purchasing Instructional Materials– OCGA §20-2-1011
    • The State Board of Education may provide for the selection and purchase of free textbooks either by multiple listings or uniform adoption or by any other method that will enable the acquiring of acceptable books at the lowest possible costs, provided such adoption or multiple listings shall in no event constitute a binding contract until ratified in writing by the state board. None of the books so purchased shall contain anything of a partisan or sectarian nature.

 

  • Review Instructional Materials and Content – OCGA §20-2-1017

    • (b) Each local board of education shall establish a review and recommendation process for any locally approved instructional materials and content that are adopted or used by the local school system. Such process shall include notice to parents … and the opportunity for public comment and parental input prior to the adoption or use of any proposed instructional materials and content…

    • (c)(1) Each local board of education shall make all proposed and locally approved instructional materials and content used by the local school system available for review on site upon request.

bottom of page