• CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

    The district has issued regulations considered necessary to provide for study of such issues which have publicly evoked opposing viewpoints in our society. Contact your school principal for guidelines. (Policy 2331)

    DIRECTORY INFORMATION

    The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law, requires Yelm Community Schools, with certain exceptions, to obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, Yelm Community Schools 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 Yelm Community Schools to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school publications. Examples include: 

    • A playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama presentation;
    • The annual yearbook;
    • Honor roll, graduation programs or other recognition lists;
    • Sports Rosters, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members; and
    • District approved websites and social media publications.

    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 (LEA) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories – 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 Yelm Community Schools to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing by SEPTEMBER 30 EACH SCHOOL YEAR (See the following sample Opt Out Form)

    Yelm Community Schools has designated the following information as directory information:

    • Student’s name
    • Parent/Guardian name(s)
    • Address
    • Telephone listing
    • Grade level
    • Date of birth
    • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
    • Weight and height of members of athletic teams
    • Photograph
    • Degrees, honors, and awards received
    • Dates of attendance
    • Grade level
    • The most recent educational agency or institution attended
    • Post high school career plans

    * These laws are: Section 9528 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7908), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110), the education bill, and 10 U.S.C. 503, as amended by section 544, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (P.L. 107-107), the legislation that provides funding for the nation’s armed forces.

    YELM COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
    OPT OUT form - EXAMPLE

    For Student directory Information INCLUDING PHOTOGRAPHS and access to Technology
    (This form is available at your child’s school and at www.ycs.wednet.edu)

    If you do not wish photos or directory information released about your student, complete the form and return to your child’s school by September 30 each school year.

    Directory information and photo can be made public without the consent of parents.

    Directory information for students K-12 means the student’s name, photo, parent/guardian name(s), address, telephone listing,  birth date, post-high school career plans, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, type of awards received, and the most recent school attended by the student. For students grades 9-12, their names, addresses, and telephone numbers will be released upon request to military recruiters and institutions of higher education unless parents have advised the school in writing that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent. In addition, the district will release the student’s current school, address and telephone number to appropriate law enforcement personnel including Child Protective Services. Parent(s)/guardian(s) may complete the following form if they want to restrict the release of directory and/or photo information. (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1975, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g.)

    Access to Technology
    Students and parents should review responsible use of technology in the student handbook as outlined in Policy 2022. All students will be provided access to district electronic systems including the Internet.  If a parent wishes to waive access to technology, they will meet with the principal or designee to review the impact on instruction due to the lack of access to educational materials and curriculum.

    If no documentation is on file, it will be assumed that permission for release of directory information including photos and use of technology has been granted.  

    PLEASE DO NOT RELEASE DIRECTORY:
    INFORMATION WHICH INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS TO: (check all that apply)
    ____ Military recruiters
    ____ Institutions of higher learning
    ____ Any outside source (e.g., newspapers) except as required by law
    ____ District/School publications (e.g., newsletters, yearbooks, social media online communication or school websites)

    PLEASE DO NOT ALLOW ACCESS
    TO TECHNOLOGY: (check all that apply)
    _____  District network, Google and other instruction related online resource tools
    _____  Zoom

    School principals have forms which parent(s)/guardian(s) may use if they want to restrict the release of directory information. (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1975, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g.)

    Return the completed form to your school’s principal by September 30 each school year.
    The request for restriction is recorded into the student information system, and the form is kept on file in the school’s office for one school year. For more information, phone (360) 458-1900.

    NOTIFICATION OF RIGHTS UNDER THE FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA)

    The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. They are: 

    1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days* of the day the school receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal (or appropriate school official) a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The school official 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 the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask Yelm Community Schools to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the district will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing. 
    3. 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. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor or support staff member (including, but not limited to, health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (including, but not limited to an attorney, auditor, medical consultant or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his/her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his/her professional employment responsibility. Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. 
    4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the district to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
      Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-5901 

    * State Law Qualification: Although FERPA allows 45 days to honor a request, the state policy records law requires an appropriate response to a ‘public records’ request within five business days. RCW 42.17.320

    FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

    1. Students are entitled to express their personal opinions verbally, symbolically and in writing. Student expression may not contain language or ideas of such a nature that it is reasonably probable that the expression will create hostility or violent or unlawful behavior, be libelous, slanderous, profane, vulgar or obscene, or materially and substantially interfere with the educational process. Intentionally intimidating, demeaning, harassing or threatening any students or staff based on ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, race or sexual orientation will not be tolerated.
    2. School-sponsored student publications and presentations are not public forums. School officials may review and exercise editorial control over school-sponsored student publications and presentations.
    3. To prevent interference with the school program by non-school publications and distribution of leaflets and handbills, the principal will determine the time and place of distribution and clarify student responsibility for content.
    4. Student groups which are not authorized by the Associated Student Body may conduct meetings during non-instructional time by submitting an application to the school principal and reserve meeting space through the district office. School personnel may not participate in the meeting and non-students may not initiate, direct, control or regularly attend the meetings.
    5. Freedom of peaceful assembly is regulated in time and place by the building administrator. Demonstrations which interfere with the operation of the school or classroom are prohibited. Class attendance takes precedence over freedom to assemble.
    6. Commercial solicitation is not allowed unless authorized by the principal/superintendent.
    7. Distribution of unlawful materials in school buildings or on the grounds is prohibited.
    8.  Any violation by any student(s) of the limitations of freedom of expression may subject the student to such discipline (to include suspension/expulsion) as may be deemed appropriate by the school authority, provided that such discipline occurs only for just cause and is in accordance with due process of law (RCW 28A.600.010, RCW 28A.305.160).

    REVIEW AND PRIOR APPROVAL OF CERTAIN SURVEYS

    Independent “third party” researchers, such as colleges and universities, sometimes request permission to gather survey or interview information from students. Upon request, parent(s)/guardian(s) shall be granted permission to inspect any such surveys or interview questions. After inspection of the materials parent(s)/guardian(s) may request that their child(ren) not participate in the survey/interview. The district’s assistant superintendent must approve any third party research before it can begin. Part of that approval process includes prior notification to parent(s)/guardian(s) of any surveys or interviews and the opportunity to inspect the materials. Parent(s)/guardian(s) with questions or concerns about any surveys or interviews may contact the assistant superintendent at (360) 458-6120.

    Sometimes surveys conducted by the school district are viewed by some parent(s)/guardian(s) as being overly personal or private. If a survey conducted by the school district includes one or more items pertaining to the list below, the district shall protect the privacy of individual student responses. Furthermore, the district will provide sufficient time for parent(s)/guardian(s) to review the survey and, after review, request that their child(ren) not participate if the survey contains an item or items related to: 

    1. Political affiliations or beliefs of the student, the student’s parent or members of the student’s household;
    2. Mental or physical problems of the student, the student’s family or members of the student’s household;
    3. Gender behavior or attitudes;
    4. Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating or demeaning behavior;
    5. Critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close family relationships;
    6. Legally recognized privileged or analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians and ministers;
    7. Religious practices, affiliations or beliefs of the student, the student’s parent or members of the student’s household;
    8. Income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program for receiving financial assistance under such program). (Section 1061 of PL 107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1975, 20 U.S.C. § )

    RIGHT TO INSPECT CURRICULAR MATERIALS

    Members of the community are invited to review any core instructional materials in current or proposed use.  Such review may be accomplished at the school or in the district office.  The review and examination process will be arranged in a way to avoid disrupting the educational program.  The review of core materials will be undertaken with the knowledge of district learning objectives in mind.  Contact your school principal for guidelines.  (Policy 2020P)

    RIGHT TO REQUEST TEACHER AND PARAPROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

    As part of the federal Every Students Succeeds Act, you have the right to learn more about your child’s teachers’ training and credentials. Specifically, you may ask (1) whether the teacher met state qualifications and certification requirements for the grade level and subject he/she teaches; (2) whether the teacher received an emergency or conditional certificate through which state qualifications were waived; and (3) what undergraduate or graduate degrees the teacher holds, including graduate certificates and additional degrees, and major(s) or area(s) of concentration.

    You may also ask about paraprofessionals working with your child in reading, writing, and/or mathematics. We can tell you whether your child receives help from a paraprofessional and whether he/she meets state qualifications and/or licensing requirements.

    If you have further questions about teacher or paraprofessional qualifications, please contact the Human Resources Department at the district office:  Phone: 360.458.6522    FAX: 360.458.4052

    STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

    Student organizations are limited to students enrolled at the school and are encouraged if the purposes and activities are consistent with the educational program of the district and are approved by the building principal.

    STUDENT RECORDS

    Each student has one complete set of records that progress through the grades with the child (except for special education records which are kept in the special education department). Student records located in the school may contain achievement information, standardized test scores, enrollment, directory information, health records, attendance, staff evaluations, comments, letters, disciplinary action and achievement awards. Student records for special education students are located in the special education files and contain reports and assessments by staff specialists in speech, hearing, social/emotional, child study, visually disabled, etc.; individualized educational programs; state-approved reports and assessments such as special education programs and summer counseling; reports from individuals or agencies outside of school; and disciplinary action. (Policy 3231)

    TECHNOLOGY – RESPONSIBLE USE POLICY

    Introduction: Computer access is available to qualifying students, teachers, staff, and administrators. These resources are provided and maintained at the district’s expense and are to be used by members of the school community with respect for the public trust through which they have been provided. Our goal is to promote innovation and educational excellence by using technology tools for research, worldwide resource sharing, communication, and storage of student work.

    The Internet is an electronic highway connecting computers all over the world. Internet services provide access to electronic mail, public shareware of all types, and massive databases at universities, government agencies, and private industry. Students may be assigned several student accounts with passwords granting access to different data. All students are assigned a Skyward Account that provides access to student records. Some students may be assigned an account with a data storage area on one of the district servers. Students are also assigned a Google Apps for Education account and that service is hosted on many Google servers off campus. Students must remember that accounts are not private and can be viewed at any time by district administration. In order to ensure the appropriate use of the network, the district administrator reserves the right to monitor, access, and disclose files contained, stored, or transmitted using district equipment.

    Issues: With access to computers and people all over the world also comes the availability of material that will not be considered to be of educational value in the context of the school setting. The Internet may contain material that is objectionable from many points of view. There is, however, a wealth of educational material available. Yelm Community Schools uses a content filtering system to comply with CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) regulations. The filtering is designed to block websites that educators believe are inappropriate for students. Even though content filtering is automatically maintained and customized on a daily basis, it is impossible on a global network to control access to all materials that are objectionable or inappropriate. The filter will block most of the inappropriate sites; however, no system is perfect.  With the constantly changing internet landscape, students may be able to gain access to sites that were previously filtered. The district cannot guarantee that users will not have access to inappropriate or objectionable material and could possibly use unmonitored email and social media services.

    Responsibilities: Internet access is coordinated through a complex association of government agencies and regional and state networks. In addition, the smooth operation of the network relies upon the proper conduct of the end-users who must adhere to strict guidelines. As set forth in Policy 2022 Electronic Resources and Internet Safety, responsible use guidelines are provided so that students are aware of the responsibilities that they are about to acquire. In general, student responsibilities require ethical, efficient, and legal use of the network resources.   If a student user violates the Responsible Use Policy (RUP), his or her network/Internet access may be modified or terminated. 

    Yelm Community Schools Guidelines of Responsible Use

    1. Responsible Use: Network/Internet use must be consistent with the educational objectives of the district. Students will use only their school district assigned user name and password to gain access to the computer network.
    2. The following are considered unacceptable uses of the district network:
      A.  Personal gain, commercial solicitation and compensation of any kind;
      B.  Actions that result in liability or cost incurred by the district;
      C.  Downloading, installing and use of games, audio files, video files, games or other applications (including shareware or freeware) without permission or approval from the technology director;
      D.  Support for or opposition to ballot measures, candidates and any other political activity;
      E.  Hacking, cracking, vandalizing, the introduction of malware, including viruses, worms, Trojan horses, time bombs and changes to hardware, software and monitoring tools.
      F.  Unauthorized access to other district computers, networks and information systems;
      G.  Action constituting harassment, intimidation or bullying, including cyberbullying, hate mail, defamation, harassment of any kind, discriminatory jokes and remarks, posts, files or comments. The district reserves the right to remove any user-generated content from its sites at any time; and
      H.  Information posted, sent or stored online that could endanger others (e.g., bomb construction, drug manufacturing); Accessing, uploading, downloading, storage and distribution of obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit material; or
      I.  Attaching unauthorized devices to the district network. Any such device will be confiscated and additional disciplinary action may be taken; or
      J.  Any unlawful use of the district network, including but not limited to stalking, blackmail, violation of copyright laws, and fraud. 
    3. Privileges: Network/Internet use is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use may result in a loss of network privileges, disciplinary action, and/or referral to legal authorities. At the direction of the district administration, student user access and /or accounts may be denied, revoked, or suspended as a result of misuse of network privileges.
    4. Netiquette: Students are expected to abide by the generally accepted rules of network etiquette. These include (but are not limited to) the following: Be polite. Do not be abusive in your messages to others. Use appropriate language. Do not swear, use vulgarities or any other language inappropriate in a school setting.
    5. Services: The district makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the service it is providing. The district will not be responsible for any damages an individual suffers while on this system. These damages include loss of data resulting from delays, non-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by negligence, errors, or omissions. Use of any information obtained via Internet is at your own risk. The district specifically denies any responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through its services.
    6. Security: If a student identifies a security problem, he/ she must notify school personnel immediately. He/she is not to demonstrate the problem to other users. Students may not use the Internet to discuss or disseminate information regarding security problems or how to gain unauthorized access to sites, servers, files, etc.
    7. School Account: Students will be issued a student account and password.  If any information on a student’s account changes or the account password is lost or stolen, it is the student’s responsibility to notify school personnel.
    8. Google Apps for Education accounts: Yelm Community Schools provides students with Google Apps for Education accounts. Google Apps for Education includes free, web-based programs with email, document creation tools, shared calendars, and collaboration tools. This service is available through an agreement between Google and Yelm Community Schools. Google Apps for Education runs on an Internet domain purchased and owned by the district and is intended for educational use. Your student’s teachers will be using Google Apps for lessons, assignments, and communication. Google Apps for Education is also available at home, the library, or anywhere with Internet access. School staff will monitor student use of Apps when students are at school. Parents are responsible for monitoring their child’s use of Apps when accessing programs from home. Students are responsible for their own behavior at all times.

    Responsible Use (Privacy and Safety)
    Google Apps for Education (Apps) and other provided online applications are primarily for educational use. Students may use these applications for personal use subject to the restrictions below and additional school rules and policies that may apply. 

    1.  Privacy – School personnel have access to student accounts for monitoring purposes. Students have no expectation of privacy within the district domain and any software application systems.

    2.  Limited personal use – Students may use software applications tools for personal projects but may not use them for:

    • Unlawful activities
    • Commercial purposes (running a business or trying to make money)
    • Personal financial gain (running a website to sell things)
    • Inappropriate sexual or other offensive content
    • Threatening another person
    • Misrepresentation of Yelm Community Schools, staff or students. Apps, sites, email, and groups are not public forums. They are extensions of classroom spaces where student free speech rights may be limited.

    3.  Safety

    • Students may not post personal contact information about themselves or other people. That includes last names, addresses and phone numbers.
    • Students agree not to meet with someone they have met online without their parent’s approval and participation.
    • Students will tell their teacher or other school employee about any message they receive that is inappropriate or makes them feel uncomfortable.

    Students are responsible for the use of their individual accounts and should take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use their account. Under no conditions should a student provide his or her password to another person.

    Yelm Community Schools’ Guidelines for Access and/or Accounts
    All students will be provided access to district electronic systems including the Internet.  If a parent wishes to waive access to technology, they will meet with the principal or designee to review the impact on instruction due to the lack of access to educational materials and curriculum. See page 35 for same opt out form.

    Student user accounts will become inactive upon leaving the district.

    Disclaimer: The availability of information from other organizations indirectly via this page does not constitute an endorsement by the Yelm Community Schools. If you are concerned about the accuracy or appropriateness of any information, we recommend that you contact the original publisher or distributor of that information. You may also wish to review the Yelm Community Schools Electronic Resources Responsible Use Policy 2022.