Student Surveys

 The District will notify parents/guardians and students of the approximate dates during the school year when any of the below-described activities are scheduled or expected to be scheduled.

Surveys

All surveys requesting personal information from students, as well as any other instrument used to collect personal information from students, must advance or relate to the District’s educational objectives, or assist students’ career choices. This applies to all surveys, regardless of whether the student answering the questions can be identified and regardless of who created the survey.

Before a school official or staff member administers or distributes a survey or evaluation created by a third party to a student, the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) may inspect the survey or evaluation, upon their request and within a reasonable time of their request. This applies to every survey: (1) that is created by a person or entity other than a District official, staff member, or student, (2) regardless of whether the student answering the questions can be identified, and (3) regardless of the subject matter of the questions.

School officials and staff members shall not request, nor disclose, the identity of any student who completes any survey or evaluation (created by any person or entity, including the District) containing one or more of the following items:

• Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent/guardian.
• Mental or psychological problems of the student or the student’s family.
• Behavior or attitudes about sex.
• Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior.
• Critical appraisals of other individuals with whom students have close family relationships.
• Legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those with lawyers, physicians, and ministers.
• Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or the student’s parent/guardian.
• Income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such program).

For the above-described surveys, a student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) may: (1) inspect the survey or evaluation upon, and within a reasonable time of, their request, and/or (2) refuse to allow their child or ward to participate in the survey. The District shall not penalize any student whose parent(s)/guardian(s) exercised this option.

From time to time, students will conduct surveys for class projects (often name blind). These surveys are not surveys under this provision. Students, or their parent(s)/guardian(s), shall have the right to opt out.

Selling or Marketing Students’ Personal Information

No school official or staff member shall market or sell personal information concerning students (or otherwise provide that information to others for that purpose). The term “personal information” means individually identifiable information including: (1) a student or parent’s/guardian’s first and last name, (2) a home or other physical address (including street name and the name of the city or town), (3) a telephone number, (4) a Social Security identification number or (5) driver’s license number or State identification card.

The above paragraph does not apply: (1) if the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) has consented; or (2) to the collection, disclosure or, use of personal information collected from students for the exclusive purpose of developing, evaluating or providing educational products or services for, or to, students or educational institutions, such as the following:

• College or other postsecondary education recruitment, or military recruitment.
• Book clubs, magazines, and programs providing access to low-cost literary products.
• Curriculum and instructional materials used by elementary schools and secondary schools.
• Tests and assessments to provide cognitive, evaluative, diagnostic, clinical, aptitude, or achievement information about students (or to generate other statistically useful data for the purpose of securing such tests and assessments) and the subsequent analysis and public release of the aggregate data from such tests and assessments.
• The sale by students of products or services to raise funds for school-related or education-related activities. 
• Student recognition programs.

Under no circumstances may a school official or staff member provide a student’s “personal information” to a business organization or financial institution that issues credit or debit cards.