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. These rights 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. Charges will be made for copies of items contained within the record.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask the School to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the School principal (or appropriate official), 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 School 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 have records which personally refer to a student kept confidential except either by consent of the parent/eligible student or when being used by school personnel for a legitimate educational interest. A school official is a person employed by the School as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the School has contracted to perform a special task (such as 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 or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Certain official agencies may also request records. These are listed in the Board of Education Policy on Privacy of Student Records.

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the School to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20200-2-4605.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, Carman-Ainsworth 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 Carman-Ainsworth to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school 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. In addition, two Federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) 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.

Carman-Ainsworth has designated the following information as directory information:

• Student’s name
• Parent’s name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Date and place of birth
• Major field of study
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Dates of attendance
• Degrees, honors, and awards received
• Electronic mail address
• The most recent educational agency or institution attended
• Grade Level
• Similar information generally found in yearbooks
• Pictures and videotapes of the image of the student

If you do not want Carman-Ainsworth to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing. This letter must be resubmitted on a yearly basis to the building principal.

In accordance with Section 763.84 of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), or the “Asbestos in Schools Rule,” Carman-Ainsworth Community  Schools is notifying employees and building occupants, or their legal guardians, of activities conducted within the past school year involving the asbestos inspections, response actions, and post-response action activities, including periodic re-inspection and periodic surveillance activities, that are planned or in progress at School District facilities.

During the upcoming school year (the “2022 – 2023 School Year” – August 2022 through July 2023), Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools has planned the following activities related to asbestos-containing materials throughout the School District:

• Six-Month Periodic Surveillances: Six-month periodic surveillances will be completed every six months and continue on a regular six-month schedule (the next two scheduled rounds will occur in January and July of 2023).
• Three-Year Re-inspections: The EPA requires that each school district re-inspect all known and assumed asbestos-containing materials once every three years. The three-year re-inspection activities for all Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools facilities were completed in July 2022.  Therefore, the next three-year re-inspections are due in the summer of 2025.
• Asbestos Abatement Projects – Scheduled: As of the construction of this document, no projects have been scheduled. When necessary to support renovations of building operations, abatement will be completed by trained and accredited personnel.

During the previous twelve months (the “2021 – 2022 School Year” – August 2021 through July 2022), Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools completed the following activities related to asbestos-containing materials throughout the School District:

• Six-Month Periodic Surveillances: Six-month periodic surveillance activities were completed in October 2021 and February 2022.
• Removed approximately 1,912 Sq. ft. of material from Rooms 301 and 303 at Dye Elementary. Removed approximately 2,628 Sq. ft. from Rooms 101 and 407at Randels  Elementary.
• Removed approximately 1,050 Sq. ft. of material from the Middle School due to flood and carpet/flooring damage. Removed material from the Carman-Ainsworth High School.
• AHERA Management Plans are available for review in each school building office or at the CACS Administration Building (G-3475 Court Street, Flint, Michigan). Summaries for all of the asbestos abatement projects conducted prior to the 2017 – 2018 School Year are located at each building in their AHERA Management Plan, while complete documentation is maintained in the CACS Administration Building.

Questions regarding the asbestos program for Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools may be addressed to Mr. Jeff Thornton, Operations Supervisor for Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools at (810) 591-3220.