Annual Notices

Rights Under FERPA The federal law known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA) affords parents 1 and students who are 18 years of age or older (“eligible students”) certain rights
with respect to the student’s education records. These rights are:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 30 days after the day the
School District receives a request for access.
Parents or eligible students who wish to inspect their education records should submit to the
school principal a written request that identifies the records they wish to inspect. The principal or
designee will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time
and place where the records may be inspected.

2. The right to request the amendment of education records that the parent or eligible student
believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under
FERPA.
Parents or eligible students who wish to ask the School District to amend their child’s or their
education record should submit a written request to the school principal, clearly identifying the
part of the record they want changed and specifying why they believe it should be changed. If the
School District decides not to amend the record as requested, the school will notify the parent or
eligible student of the decision and of their right to a hearing regarding the request for
amendment. Additional information regarding hearing procedures will be provided to the parent
or eligible student at the time they are notified of the right to a hearing.

3. The right to provide written consent before the School District discloses personally identifiable
information (PII) from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA
authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with
legitimate educational interests. A designated school official with a legitimate educational interest
includes a person employed by the School District as an administrator, teacher, or other person
designated by the Board of Education. A school official also includes a liaison officer who, while
not employed by the School District, may be granted access to student educational records
(including video footage) at the direction and supervision of a school administrator. A school
official also may include a contractor or consultant who, while not employed by the School
District, performs an institutional service or function (such as design and maintenance of the
School District’s security camera system) for which the school would otherwise use its own
employees and who is under the direct control of the School District with respect to the use and
maintenance of personally identifiable information from student education records.

4. The right to refuse to allow the disclosure of “directory information.”

 

 

“Directory information” regarding a student may be released to any requesting person or party, in
addition to the eligible student or his/her parent, without written consent. The Board of Education
has defined “directory information” to include a student’s:

● Name;
● Address and telephone number;
● Photograph;
● Birth date and place of birth;
● Participation in School District related programs and extracurricular activities;
● Academic awards and honors;
● Height and weight, if a member of an athletic team;
● Honors and awards; and
● Dates of attendance and date of graduation.

In the event inconsistency exists between the Board of Education policy defining “directory
information” and this annual notification, the policy prevails.

Each year, the Superintendent, or his/her designee, will provide public notice to students and
parents of the School District’s intent to make directory information available to students and
parents. Common uses for students’ directory information, which include, but are not limited to:

 

Publication in official District publications, on social media sites, or websites hosted or maintained
by, on behalf of, or for the benefit of the District, including the District's internal email system;
District officials who have access, consistent with FERPA, to such information in conjunction with
a legitimate educational interest; and

External parties contractually affiliated with the District if such affiliation requires sharing Limited
Use Directory Information.

Eligible students and parents may refuse to allow the School District to disclose any or all of such
directory information upon written notification to the School District within thirty (30) days after
receipt of the School District's public notice. Parents may submit written notification to the
building principal of their child’s school and/or fill out the attached FERPA Opt-Out Form.

5. The right to file a complaint with the United States 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 is:

Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520

 

United States Armed Forces The School District is required to provide United States Armed Forces
recruiters with at least the same access to student directory information as is provided to other entities offering educational or employment opportunities to those students as is permitted and/or required by law.
"Armed forces of the United States"; means the armed forces of the United States and their reserve
components and the United States Coast Guard. An eligible student or the parent may submit a signed,
written direction to the School District that the student’s directory information not be accessible to United
States Armed Forces recruiters. In such a case, the information will not be disclosed.

Other Agencies or Institutions As permitted by FERPA, the School District may forward education
records, including disciplinary records, without student or parental consent, to other agencies or
institutions in which the student seeks or intends to enroll or is already enrolled so long as the disclosure
is for purposes related to the student's enrollment or transfer and upon receipt of a request for a student’s
school or education records.

Compliance The School District will comply with a legitimate request for access to education records
within a reasonable period of time, but not more than 30 days after receiving the request or within a
shorter period as may be applicable by law to students with disabilities. The requesting party may be
charged a processing fee for the information.

The District prohibits discrimination or harassment, in any program or activity that it operates, on the basis
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity/expression),

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marital status, pregnancy status, genetic information, disability, age, or any other basis prohibited by law.
The Board of Education has adopted a Discrimination and Harassment Policy which prohibits all forms of
harassment and discrimination within the School District. Any person who believes that they have been
the victim of discrimination may seek resolution of their complaint through the procedures that have been
established by the School District. A person wishing to pursue a complaint may also contact the School
District’s Civil Rights Compliance Officer, the assistant Superintendent at 616.252.2090 and or visit the
district office at 15 36th Street SW. Individuals may report concerns or questions about sex discrimination
to the Title IX Coordinator. The notice of nondiscrimination is located at www.godwinschools.org.

The Board acknowledges the need for a reasonable degree of in-school storage of student possessions
and will provide storage places, including desks and lockers, for that purpose. Where lockers are provided, students may lock them against incursion by other students, but lockers remain School District property. Students do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to School District personnel or their designees in lockers or other in-school storage places provided by the School District.

Under the federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) and School District policy, no student
will be required as a part of the school program or the School District’s curriculum, without prior parental
consent, to submit to or participate in any survey, analysis or evaluation that reveals information
concerning:

● Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or his/her parents;

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

This requirement also applies to the collection, disclosure, or use of student information for marketing
purposes (“marketing surveys”), and certain physical examinations and screenings.

Parents have the right to inspect, upon request, a survey or evaluation created by a third party before the
survey/evaluation is administered or distributed by the school to the student. The parent will be given
access to the survey/evaluation within a reasonable period of time after the request is received by the
building principal.

Parents who believe their rights have been violated may file a complaint with:

 

Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20202-8520

All schools within the Godwin Heights Public Schools district receive Title I funding. West Godwin, North
Godwin, Godwin Middle and Godwin High School within Godwin Heights Public Schools receive
Schoolwide funding, while Godwin Heights Learning Center within Godwin Heights Public Schools
receives Targeted Assisted funding. In accordance with law, the Board of Education has adopted a
parent involvement policy (also known as a parental and family engagement policy). The School District
is committed to establishing and maintaining positive relationships with families and the community. To
that end, the School District will provide a variety of opportunities for families and other members of the
community to become involved in children’s education.

 

Parents may request information regarding the professional qualifications of the student's classroom
teachers in writing submitted to the building principal. The request may include:

● Whether the teacher has met Michigan qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and
subject areas in which s/he provides instruction;
● Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which State
qualification or licensing criteria have been waived;
● The teacher’s baccalaureate degree(s), major, any other graduate certification or degree(s) held,
and the field of discipline of the certification or degree; and

● Whether the student is provided services by a paraprofessional and, if so, the paraprofessional’s
qualifications.

The School District participates in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and
Special Milk Program. The participation policy for families unable to pay the full price of meals served
under the School Lunch Program may be found in the office of each school building, as well as in the
School District’s main office. The corresponding policy and/or administrative regulation may be reviewed
by any interested party and can be found by visiting www.godwinschools.org

To apply for reduced-price or full-price meals at any time during the school year, please visit
https://www.michigan.gov/mde to fill out an application and submit it to the Food Service Director at 15
36th Street SW. Please be sure to include all required information; the School District cannot approve
incomplete applications. Households receiving benefits from SNAP, FDPIR, and TANF may submit an
application which contains only each Student’s name, appropriate SNAP or TANF case number, or
FDPIR case number or other FDPIR identifier, and the signature of an adult household member.

Students are eligible for reduced-price or full-priced meals during the 2025-2026 school year (July 1,
2025 to June 30, 2026) if their households receive SNAP, FDPIR, or TANF, or if the total household
income falls at or below the following:

 

 

 

Students whose parents become unemployed during the school year are eligible for reduced-price or full-
price meals during the period of unemployment, provided the household income during that period is
within the income eligibility range. Students in households participating in WIC may be eligible for
reduced-price or full-price meals. Please fill out an application for eligibility determination. Head Start
enrollees and foster, homeless, migrant, and runaway children are categorically eligible for free meals.
Please contact your student’s school for additional information. Any information included on the
application may be verified by the School District at any time.

If you disagree with the School District’s decision about your application, you may ask for a hearing by
contacting the Assistant Superintendent at 616-252-2090.

In the operation of child feeding programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, sex,
color, national origin, age or disability.