Confidentiality

Records

Records and what takes place in an ARD committee are considered to be confidential information. Information pertaining to records or ARD conversations is available only to professionals within the school with a legitimate educational interest. All other parties need written consent from adult student, parent or guardian before reading or receiving copies of any information or before anyone can share (verbally) what took place in an ARD meeting. Official records are kept on each campus. The Regional Program for the Deaf keeps records at the Education Support Center.

A complete copy of the policies concerning parent and student rights and confidentiality of records may be obtained upon request from Amarillo Independent School District at 7200 I-40 West Amarillo, Texas 79106.

Access List

A current listing of the names and positions of those employees within the District who may have direct access to personally identifiable information can be found on each campus.

The Amarillo Independent School District has established the following procedures to protect the rights of parents and students and to insure the confidentiality of personally identifiable information:

1. Parents and/or eligible students (who have reached the age of majority) have the right of access to records.
2. Parents and/or adult students must designate in writing that a third party may have access to a copy of the records indicating the name and address of the person and/or agency to receive the records, the date of the request, and the signature of the parent or adult student.
3. Records are released in compliance with a judicial order or subpoena, provided that the parent and student are notified in advance of compliance.
4. Professional employees of the Amarillo Independent School District and its consultants who have an educational interest in the student have access to the student's records.
5. The District forwards a student's records on request and without prior parental consent to a school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. Legal guardian consent is required to release the records to anyone else.
6. A record of access is maintained in each student's folder containing the written request for access, a record of the person/agencies granted access, and the date of access to information.
7. The principal will forward copies of a student's special education records (last ARD and Full Individual Evaluation) and discipline records (list of office referrals, behaviors, and consequences during the current school year) to the appropriate police liaison officer if the District reports criminal activity and the legal guardian gives consent for the release of these records.

Procedures for Confidentiality

1. Principals assume responsibility for insuring the confidentiality of personally identifiable information on each campus. The Superintendent is responsible for the confidentiality at the district level. The district provides training and instruction regarding all polices and procedures to all individuals using or collecting personally identifiable information.
2. Personally identifiable information is maintained in the student's eligibility folder.
3. Persons with access to personally identifiable information on students include teachers currently serving the student, campus special education staff who are currently serving the student, the campus administrator, superintendent, members of the multi-disciplinary evaluation team, the director of special education, the consulting psychologist, persons authorized access by the guardian, the guardian, and Texas Education Agency monitoring teams.
4. Individual schools maintain current lists of names and positions of those persons having access to information contained in student records.

Memo from the superintendent concerning the importance of confidentiality