PPSB Policies

Protection of Pupil Rights (PPRA) Annual Notice to Parents

Dear Parent or Guardian: This letter is to inform you of your rights regarding district surveys, collection and use of student information for marketing purposes, and certain physical examinations. These rights include:

1. Your consent is required before students are required to complete a survey that concerns one or more of the following protected areas if the survey is funded in whole or in part by a program of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent;
• Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family;
• Sex behavior or attitudes;
• Illegal behavior, socially unacceptable behavior, behavior that implies your own guilt, or humiliating behavior;
• Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships;
• Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors or ministers;
• Religious practices, affiliations or beliefs of the student or parents; or
• Income, other than is required by law to determine program eligibility.

2. You must receive notice and an opportunity to refuse to have your student participate in –

• Any other protected information survey, regardless of funding;
• Any non-emergency, in depth physical exam or screening required as a condition of attendance, administered by the school
• or its agent, and not necessary to protect the immediate health and safety of a student. Exceptions are made for hearing,
• vision or scoliosis (spine disorder) screenings, or any physical exam or screening permitted or required under State law;
• Activities involving collection, release, or use of personal information obtained from students for marketing or to sell or otherwise distribute the information to others.

3. You may review, upon request and before administration or use –

• Protected information surveys of students;
• Instruments used to collect personal information from students for any of the above marketing, sales or other
• distribution purposes; and
• Instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum.

When a student reaches the age of 18 or is an emancipated minor (has independent status) under State law, the parent’s rights transfer to the student. The district has adopted policies, in consultation with parents, regarding these rights. These policies relate to arrangements to protect student privacy in the administration of protected information surveys and the collection, release, or use of personal information for marketing, sales or other distribution purposes. Parents will be notified of these policies at least annually at the start of each school year and after any important changes. The district will also inform parents at the beginning of the school year if the district has identified the specific or approximate dates of activities or surveys and will provide an opportunity for the parent to refuse to have his or her child participate in a specific activity or survey. For activities scheduled after the school year starts, parents will be provided reasonable notice of the planned activities and surveys and will be provided an opportunity to refuse to have their child participate in these activities and surveys. Parents will also be provided an opportunity to review any relevant surveys. The following are specific activities and surveys covered under this requirement:

• collection, release or use of personal information for marketing, sales or other distribution.
• administration of any protected information survey not funded by the U.S. Department of Education; and
• any non-emergency, in depth physical examination or screening as described above.

To file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the district to comply with the requirements of PPRA, contact:                                               

Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-4605

Annual Notice Regarding Consent to Bill Medicaid and Share Information with the Louisiana Department of Health

Schools in Louisiana have been approved to receive partial reimbursement from Louisiana Medicaid for the cost of certain health-related services provided by the Plaquemines Parish School Board to certain students. In order for Plaquemines Parish School Board to get back some of the money spent on services, Plaquemines Parish School Board needs to share with Louisiana Medicaid the following types of information about certain students: name; date of birth; gender; type of service provided, when and by whom; diagnosis (if any) and Louisiana Medicaid ID. If your child is eligible to receive services to meet his/her needs, the services may be provided by the school system and/or you may take your child to another provider that accepts Medicaid. With one-time written parental permission, Plaquemines Parish School Board seeks partial reimbursement for services provided by Louisiana Medicaid including, among others, a hearing test or eye exam; occupational or speech or physical therapy; some school nurse visits; and counseling services. After the initial permission is given, this annual notice is provided each year. Please be advised of the following:

1. Plaquemines Parish School Board cannot require families to sign up for Louisiana Medicaid in order to receive the health related and/or special education services to which the student is entitled.
2. Plaquemines Parish School Board cannot require families to pay anything towards the cost of a student’s health-related and/or special education services.
3. Plaquemines Parish School Board is given permission to share information with and request reimbursement from Louisiana Medicaid:
   • This will not affect the student’s available lifetime coverage or other Louisiana Medicaid; nor will it in any way limit the family’s use of Louisiana Medicaid benefits outside of school.
   • The permission will not affect the student’s special education services or IEP rights in anyway, if the student is eligible to receive them.
   • The permission will not lead to any changes in the student’s Louisiana Medicaid rights; and
   • The permission will not lead to any risk of losing eligibility for other Medicaid funded programs.
4. Once the permission is given, families have the right to change their mind and withdraw permission at any time.
5. If permission is withdrawn, Plaquemines Parish School Board will continue to be responsible for providing the student with services, at no cost to the family.

If a parent wishes to withdraw previously given consent, please contact the district at 504-595-6400.

PLAQUEMINES PARISH SCHOOL BOARD’S NOTICE FOR DIRECTORY INFORMATION

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law, requires that the Plaquemines Parish School Board (PPSB), with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records.  However, PPSB may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the PPSB in writing to the contrary in accordance with PPSB procedures.  The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the PPSB to include information from your child’s education records in certain school publications.  Examples include:

• A playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production;
• The annual yearbook;
• Honor roll or other recognition lists;
• Graduation programs; and
• Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent.  Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks.  In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with the following information – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent.  (20 U.S.C. § 7908; 10 U.S.C. § 503(c)) If you do not want the PPSB to disclose any or all of the types of information designated below as directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the PPSB in writing by August 24th, 2021.  Please send your written notice to: Denise Cooper Principal, Belle Chasse Primary School 601 F. Edward Hebert Blvd.                     Belle Chasse, LA 70037                   [email protected]

The PPSB has designated the following information as directory information:

• Student’s Name
• Address
• Telephone listing
• Electronic mail address
• Photograph
• Date and place of birth
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• Grade level
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Degrees, honors, and awards received
• The most recent educational agency or institution attended
• Student ID number, user ID, or other unique personal identifier used to communicate in electronic systems but only if the identifier cannot be used to gain access to education records except when used in conjunction with one or more factors that authenticate the user’s identity, such as a PIN, password, or other factor known or possessed only by the authorized user
• A student ID number or other unique personal identifier that is displayed on a student ID badge, but only if the identifier cannot be used to gain access to education records except when used in conjunction with one or more factors that authenticate the user's identity, such as a PIN, password, or other factor known or possessed only by the authorized user.

 For further information about this notice, please contact: Ronald Bateman, Director of Student Services   1484 Woodland Hwy.   Belle Chasse, LA 70037      [email protected]

Plaquemines Parish School District Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)Annual Notice of Student Education Record Privacy

Dear Parent or Guardian: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive federal funds. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their child’s education records. When a student reaches the age of 18 or attends a post-secondary school or college, the parent’s rights transfer to the student. At that time the student is an “eligible student” under the law. Under FERPA, parents and eligible students have the following rights:

1. You have the right to examine and review the student’s education records kept by the school. The school must allow this within 45 days of receiving a written request. The request should identify the record(s) to be examined. The school is not required to provide copies of records and may charge a fee if copies are requested. The following staff person may be contacted to request access to your child’s record: You will be notified of the place and time the record(s) may be available for review.
2. You have the right to request that the school correct records believed to be inaccurate or misleading. The request must be in writing and clearly specify: (a) the part of the record that you are requesting be changed, and (b) why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to change the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to a hearing. A hearing is like a legal trial where evidence is reviewed to determine what should be done. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to change the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement in the record about the contested information. The school is not required to consider requests for grade or disciplinary decisions, opinions of school officials in the education record, or the child’s special education determination. The following staff person may be contacted to request a change to your child’s record:

Georgette Erwich, school counselor                      [email protected]   504-595-6123

3. You have the right to control the release of your child’s personally identifiable information from his or her education record. The school or district must, with certain exceptions, obtain parent written consent prior to the release of personally identifiable information from education records. The exception is that release of personally identifiable information without consent is allowable when it is released to authorized representatives of the school district with legitimate educational interests. This would be to:
4. a person employed by the district;
5. a person serving on the school board;
6. a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, or therapist); a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a grievance (complaint) or disciplinary committee or assisting another school official; an official of another school district in which a student seeks to enroll; an individual or agency responsible for audit, evaluation, or enforcement of compliance with state or federally supported programs.

        Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-4605