Data Privacy & Security Information

As required by New York State, Schalmont would like to share with our families and community the following information.

Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security

Schalmont CSD is committed to ensuring student privacy in accordance with local, state and federal regulations and district policies. Here is our Parents’ Bills of Rights for Data Privacy and Security.

A student’s personally identifiable information cannot be sold or released for any commercial purposes.
Parents have the right to inspect and review the complete contents of their child’s education record , including any student data maintained by Schalmont Central School District. This right of inspection of records is consistent with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and New York State Ed Law 2-D regulations.
State and federal laws protect the confidentiality of personally identifiable information and safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices, including but not limited to, encryption, firewalls and password protection, must be in place when data is stored or transferred.
Parents may obtain a complete list of all student data elements collected by the state here and by writing to the Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234.
Parents have the right to have complaints about possible breaches of student data addressed. Complaints may be subbmited to Schalmont CSD Chief Information Officer Deb Falcone at 518-355-9200, ext. 4014 and to Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234, by email to privacy@nysed.gov, or by telephone at 518-474- 0937.
Parents will be notified in accordance with applicable laws and regulations if a breach or unauthorized release of personally identifiable information occurs.
Employees that handle personally identifiable information will receive training on applicable state and federal laws, policies, and safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices that protect the information.
Contracts with vendors that receive personally identifiable information will address statutory and regulatory data privacy and security requirements.

Additional Student Data Privacy Information

This Bill of Rights is subject to change based on regulations of the Commissioner of Education and the State Education Department Chief Privacy Officer, as well as emerging guidance documents from SED. For example, these changes/additions will include requirements for districts to share information about third-party contractors that have access to student data, including:

How the student, teacher or principal data will be used;
How the third-party contractors (and any subcontractors/ others with access to the data) will abide by data protection and security requirements;
What will happen to data when agreements with third-party contractors expire;
If and how parents, eligible students, teachers or principals may challenge the accuracy of data that is collected; and
Where data will be stored to ensure security and the security precautions taken to ensure the data is protected, including whether the data will be encrypted.

More Information

If you would like more information, please contact Chief Information Officer Deb Falcone at 518-355-9200, ext. 4014 or email her at dfalcone@schalmont.net. More information is also available on the U.S. Department of Education website.

Schalmont’s Data Privacy Security, Breach and Notification Policy is available here.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

FERPA affords parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:

The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the school receives a request for access.
The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.
The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school district to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:
Student Privacy Policy Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202.

Directory Information

FERPA requires that the school district, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, the school district may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the district to the contrary in accordance with district procedures.

The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the district 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.

If you do not want Schalmont Central School District to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the district in writing.

More information is available on the Department of Education website.