Volume
1, No. 4
Winter 2003
The
late Hamilton Fish, a U.S. Congressman from N.Y., was dedicated
to justice and youth issues. It is in his memory which we
dedicate our work.
|
|
 Use
of Student Records
by
Kirk Bailey, J.D. and Catherine J. Ross, Ph.D., J.D.
|
|
In
This Issue:
•"Student
Records: A Legal Primer" (Part four of four)
• Good Starts: Tips for a Safe & Successful New
School Year
• Program Review
• Teacher's Tip for Classroom Management
• Around the Web: Other Resources on the Internet
• HFI News Briefs
• Heard in the Halls
• Book Review
|
Creating
a safe school environment
requires extensive communications among schools, law enforcement
and social service agencies. Such cooperation involves significant
record-keeping about disciplinary and counseling matters.
The records that might be shared by various agencies include
school records of student disciplinary problems released for
law enforcement or counseling services, or law enforcement
records used by a school to identify problem students or as
evidence in a school hearing. The appropriate use of these
records is essential for schools and the educational process.
|
|
Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
 The
confidentiality of student records (educational, medical
and disciplinary) has long been regarded as a compelling
state interest, requiring courts, state agencies and school
districts to take reasonable steps to ensure that confidentiality
is maintained. The leading legal framework on the appropriate
use of student records is the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA). Generally, FERPA allows schools
to collect information concerning disciplinary action taken
against
continued
on page 3
|
The
Hamilton Fish Institute is administered by The George Washington
University Institute for Education Policy Studies, Graduate
School of Education and Human Development
|
Good
Starts: Tips for a Safe
Each
new school year holds the potential of being the best year
of learning for each child and the most rewarding year for
each educator. While there are no guarantees, there are some
things that can be done to make the year more successful for
everyone. Here are just a few:
For
Administrators
- Post
expectations of behavior in common areas throughout the
building (ie., hallways, cafeteria, auditorium). Make it
clear that students have a right to a safe environment where
each person is valued and respected.
- Conduct
a physical assessment of the school's grounds and try to
improve safety in potentially unsafe areas such as dark
stairwells and unsupervised hallways.
|
|
&
Successful New School Year
- Deal
with issues of violence consistently and appropriately,
whether the perpetrator is a student or teacher.
-
Conduct an assessment of your school’s emotional climate.
If not through a formal survey, talk to students. Ask them
where they feel afraid in school, if anywhere (ie., the
hallways, bathrooms, cafeteria or locker rooms).
-
Make regular observations of your teaching staff with their
classes.
- Speak
to your staff to find out if there are areas in which the
teachers might benefit from enrichment instruction. Administrative
support and leadership, student behavior, school atmosphere
and teacher autonomy are working conditions associated with
teacher satisfaction. Ask your teachers about their satisfaction
in these areas.
Continued
on Page 5 |
| 
2121
K Street NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC
20037
Tel: 202 496 2200
Fax: 202 496 6244
hfi@hamfish.org
|
| Page
1 | HFI Bulletin |
|