Pupil Records 

In accordance with federal and state legislation on the privacy rights of parents and students, the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education has developed and adopted a local policy for the collection and dissemination of pupil records.

Federal and state laws guarantee access to all records by the parent and/or adult student and limit access to pupil records by representatives outside the educational institution.

Key statements relative to the policies and procedures on pupil records are as follows:

  1. Pupil means a person who is/was enrolled in a public school.
  2. Adult pupil means a person who is/was enrolled in a public school and who is at least 18 years of age or an emancipated minor.
  3. Parent means the natural parent(s) or legal guardian(s), foster parent(s) or parent surrogate(s) of a pupil. Where parents are separated or divorced, parent means the person or agency who has legal custody of the pupil as well as the natural parents of the pupil, provided such parental rights have not been terminated by a court of appropriate jurisdiction.
  4. Pupil record means information related to an individual pupil gathered within or without the school system, regardless of the physical form in which it is maintained. Essential in this definition is the idea that any information which is maintained for the purpose of second-party review is considered a pupil record. Therefore, information recorded by any certified school personnel solely as a memory aid, not for the use of the second party, is excluded from this definition.
  5. Access means the right to view, to make notes, and/or to have a reproduction of the pupil record made.
  6. Upon prior written request, the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) or adult pupil shall have access to all pupil records.
  7. By written request, the parent(s), legal guardian(s), or adult pupil shall be provided a copy of the entire pupil record upon graduation or permanent departure of a pupil from the school system.
  8. Authorized organizations, agencies and persons from outside the school shall have access to pupil records upon written consent of the parent(s) or adult pupil.
  9. The local board of education may charge a reasonable fee for the reproduction of pupil records.

Copies of the applicable federal and state laws and local policies are available upon request from the director of pupil services.