FERPA Policy 

School Year 2023-2024

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents/guardians and students over 18 years of age (eligible students) certain rights with respect to the student’s educational records. These rights include the following: 

Parents/guardians or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student’s educational records within forty-five (45) days of the day Prenda or the Prenda microschool (collectively, “the School”) receives a request for access. Parents/guardians or eligible students should submit to the Guide or Prenda’s Enrollments Team a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The School will make arrangements for access and notify the parent/guardian or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. 

If circumstances effectively prevent the parent/guardian or eligible student from exercising the right to inspect and review the student’s educational records, the School shall provide the parent/guardian or eligible student with a copy of the records requested or make other arrangements for the parent/guardian or eligible student to inspect and review the requested records. The School may charge a reasonable fee for a physical copy of an education record that is made for the parent/guardian or eligible student, unless the imposition of a fee effectively prevents a parent/guardian or eligible student from exercising the right to inspect and review the student’s education records. The School will not charge a fee to search for or to retrieve the educational records of a student, or to provide an electronic copy of requested documents. If the educational records of a student contain information on more than one student, the parent/guardian or eligible student may inspect and review, or be informed of, only the specific information about that student. 

The School shall not destroy any educational records if there is an outstanding request to inspect and review the records under this section. 

Parents/guardians or eligible students may ask the School to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy rights of the student. Such a request must be made to the microschool Guide or Prenda’s Enrollments Team in writing, clearly identify the part of the record the parent/guardian or eligible student wants changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. The School will decide whether to amend the record as requested within a reasonable time after receipt of the request. 

If the School decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent/guardian or eligible student, it will notify the parent/guardian or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. If, as a result of the hearing, the School decides that the information is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy rights of the student, it shall amend the record accordingly and inform the parent/guardian or eligible student of the amendment in writing. 

If, as a result of the hearing, the School decides that the information in the educational record is not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy rights of the student, it shall inform the parent/guardian or eligible student of the right to place a statement in the record commenting on the contested information in the record or stating why they disagree with the decision of the School, or both. If the School places an amended statement in the educational records of a student, it is obligated to maintain the amended statement with the contested part of the record for as long as the record is maintained and disclose the statement whenever it discloses the portion of the record to which the statement relates. 

Parents/guardians or eligible students have the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s educational 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 has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibility. A “school official” is: 

1. a person employed by Prenda as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); 
2. a person or company with whom the School has outsourced services or functions it would otherwise use its own employees to perform (such as an independent contractor guide, attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); 
3. a parent/guardian or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee; or 
4. a parent/guardian, student, or other volunteer assisting another school official in performing their tasks. 

Upon request, the School may also disclose education records without consent to officials of another open-enrollment charter school, school district, or private school 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. 

Parents/guardians or eligible students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the School to comply with the requirements of FERPA. These complaints should be addressed as follows: 

Family Policy Compliance Office 

U.S. Department of Education 

400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202-4605 

Parents/guardians are entitled to access their students’ medical records. 

Under FERPA, the School must, with certain exceptions, obtain written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from a student’s education records. However, the School may disclose personally identifiable information contained in the student’s educational records without obtaining prior written consent of the parent/guardian or eligible student if the School has designated the information as “directory information.” 

The School has designated the following categories of information as directory information for the purpose of disclosure relating to school-sponsored/school-affiliated purposes: 

1. Student name; 
2. Address; 
3. Telephone listing; 
4. Electronic mail address; 
5. Photographs (including video image); 
6. Date and place of birth; 
7. Major field of study; 
8. Degrees, honors, and awards received; 
9. Dates of attendance; 
10. Grade level; 
11. Most recent educational institution attended; 
12. Participation in officially recognized activities and sports; and 
13. Weight and height of members of athletic teams. 

School-sponsored/school-affiliated purposes are those events/activities that the School conducts or sponsors to support the educational mission of the School. Examples include, but are not limited to: 

1. Extracurricular programs or events (e.g., school plays, concerts, athletic events, graduation ceremony); 
2. Publications (e.g., newsletters, yearbook); 
3. Honor roll and other student recognition lists; and
4. Marketing materials of the School (e.g., print media, website, videos, newspaper).

The School shall not release directory information except for the purpose indicated above, namely, disclosure relating to school-sponsored/school-affiliated purposes. 

A PARENT/GUARDIAN OR ELIGIBLE STUDENT MAY OPT OUT OF THE RELEASE OF DIRECTORY INFORMATION FOR THESE PURPOSES BY SUBMITTING A WRITTEN OBJECTION TO THE PRENDA REGISTRAR. THE SCHOOL REQUESTS THAT SUCH AN OBJECTION BE SUBMITTED WITHIN THE FIRST FIVE SCHOOL DAYS OF THE 2022–2023 SCHOOL YEAR. THE STUDENT FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT OPT-OUT FORM IS AVAILABLE ON THE PRENDA WEBSITE, THE HELP CENTER, IN THIS HANDBOOK, AND IN THE FAMILY AND STUDENT HANDBOOK. 

Records requests to the Prenda Registrar may be emailed to support@prenda.co.