Custody
Mom and Dad are separating, Mom requests that Dad be removed from Infinite Campus and the school stops communication with Dad. What should the school do?
What is inform Mom, that without a Court Order, the school is unable to remove Dad, and will have to continue to communicate with Dad.
Under FERPA, this is the maximum number of days a school has to comply with a parent's request to inspect and review their child's education records.
What is 45 days
A parent asks a teacher to write a letter for custody court hearing describing concerns about the student's hygiene and well-being. Should the teacher write the letter?
What is staff generally are not require nor prohibited from providing this type of letter, however, they do so in their own personal capacity.
Two parents with 50/50 custody disagree about classroom placement of their child. Neither provides a court order identifying a final decision-maker. What should the school do?
What is continue operating under one parent's direction or maintain the status quo.
Defined under FERPA as records, files, documents, and other materials that contain information directly related to a student and are maintained by an educational agency or institution.
What are education records?
A teacher comes into your office with a subpoena requiring court testimony in a custody case. What should be your first question?
What is was the subpoena properly served?
Dad provides school with custody order stating he has primary legal and physical custody of the child. Mom comes in and wants to check the child out of school early. What should the school do?
What is check the custody order and see if there is a visitation schedule but if not, school should call Dad and see if Mom can pick up child.
A parent request a principal's notes taken during a meeting with the child. What is the school's first step?
What is determine whether the notes taken are part of the child's educational record.
A principal learns the PTO/PTA bank records appear to show questionable spending and inadequate financial controls. How should parents within the PTO/PTA do next?
What is PTOs/PTAs are separate legal entities and are able to respond/react in the way they believe is most appropriate.
Mom provides a school with a custody order that states Dad only have supervised visitations with the child. Dad comes in requesting to have lunch with the child. What should the school do?
What is since the visitation is supervised, the school should not allow Dad to have lunch with child.
A parent requests copies of surveillance footage showing their child involved in an incident with another student. What should the school do?
What is allow the parent to view the video if appropriate, but do not provide a copy without proper legal authority.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement show up at your school with documentation and seeking to enter. What should the school do?
What is collect the documents and contact the legal department. The legal department will inform the school whether they would be allowed to enter.
Dad is not on birth certificate and is generally not the point of contact for the school but Mom has emailed the school claiming he is Dad and has enrolled the student and included Dad's information under the parent information in the enrollment. Mom now would like the school to not acknowledge Dad since he is not on the birth certificate. What should the school do?
What is the school should continue to acknowledge Dad as a parent with equal rights until a court order says otherwise.
An immigration attorney that represents a student's parent, who is currently in detention, reaches out asking for the child's education records. What should the school do?
What is the attorney would still need a proper release for the school to release information to an attorney who represents a parent.
A custody order provides a two-step approach with the first step is giving a parent only supervised visitation at the discretion of the other parent and after the completion of step one, the parent can go to step 2, which grants the parents 50/50 custody. Parents are unable to agree on which step they are in the custody order. How should the school respond.
What is the school can try to gather as much information surrounding the situation, however, the school can follow the custody order under either step unless a subsequent order is provided.