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The contact information for Evanston Township High School’s Official Records Custodian follows:

This notice contains a description of your and your student’s rights concerning school student records. A school student record is any writing or other recorded information concerning a student and by which a student may be identified individually that is maintained by a school or at its direction or by a school employee, regardless of how or where the information is stored, except for certain records kept in a staff member’s sole possession; records maintained by law enforcement officers working in the school; video and other electronic recordings that are created in part for law enforcement, security, or safety reasons or purposes; and electronic recordings made on school buses. The District maintains two types of school records for each student: permanent record and temporary record.

The permanent record includes:

1. Basic identifying information, including the student’s name and address, birth date and place, gender, and the names and addresses of the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s)

2. Academic transcripts, including grades, class rank, graduation date, grade level achieved, and the unique student identifier assigned and used by the Illinois State Board of Education’s Student Information System 

3. Attendance record

4. Health record defined by the Illinois State Board of Education as “medical documentation necessary for enrollment and proof of dental examinations, as may be required under Section 27-8.1 of the School Code”

5. Record of release of permanent record information that includes each of the following:

a. The nature and substance of the information released
b. The name and signature of the official records custodian releasing such information
c. The name and capacity of the requesting person and the purpose for the request
d. The date of release
e. Copy of any consent to a release

6. Scores received on all state assessment tests administered at the high school level (that is, grades 9 through 12)

The permanent record may include:

1. Honors and awards received

1. Record of release of temporary record information that includes the same information as listed above for the record of release of permanent records

2. Scores received on the state assessment tests administered in the elementary grade levels (i.e., kindergarten through grade 8)

3. Completed home language survey

4. Information regarding serious disciplinary infractions (i.e., those involving drugs, weapons, or bodily harm to another) that resulted in expulsion, suspension, or the imposition of punishment or sanction

5. Any final finding report received from a Child Protective Service Unit provided to the school under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act; no report other than what is required under Section 8.6 of that Act shall be placed in the student record

6. Health-related information, defined by the Illinois State Board of Education as “current documentation of a student’s health information, not otherwise governed by the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act or other privacy laws, which includes identifying information, health history, results of mandated testing and screenings, medication dispensation records and logs (e.g., glucose readings), long-term medications administered during school hours, and other health-related information that is relevant to school participation, e.g., nursing services plan, failed screenings, yearly sports physical exams, interim health histories for sports”

7. Accident report, defined by the Illinois State Board of Education as “documentation of any reportable student accident that results in an injury to a student, occurring on the way to or from school or on school grounds, at a school athletic event or when a student is participating in a school program or school-sponsored activity or on a school bus and that is severe enough to cause the student not to be in attendance for one-half day or more or requires medical treatment other than first aid. The accident report shall include identifying information, nature of injury, days lost, cause of injury, location of accident, medical treatment given to the student at the time of the accident, or whether the school nurse has referred the student for a medical evaluation, regardless of whether the parent, guardian or student (if 18 years or older) or an unaccompanied homeless youth ... has followed through on that request.”

8. Any documentation of a student’s transfer, including records indicating the school or school district to which the student transferred

9. Completed course substitution form for any student who, when under the age of 18, is enrolled in vocational and technical course as a substitute for a high school or graduation requirement

The temporary record may include:

1. Family background information

2. Intelligence test scores, group and individual

3. Aptitude test scores

4. Reports of psychological evaluations, including information on intelligence, personality and academic information obtained through test administration, observation, or interviews

5. Elementary and secondary achievement level test results

6. Participation in extracurricular activities, including any offices held in school-sponsored clubs or organizations

7. Honors and awards received

8. Teacher anecdotal records

9. Other disciplinary information

10. Special education records

11. Records associated with plans developed under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

12. Verified reports or information from non-educational persons, agencies, or organizations of clear relevance to the student’s education

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Illinois School Student Records Act (ISSRA) afford parents/guardians and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s school records. They are:

1. The right to inspect and copy the student’s education records within 10 school days of the day the District receives a request for access. The degree of access a student has to his or her records depends on the student’s age. Students less than 18 years of age have the right to inspect and  copy only their permanent record. Students 18 years of age or older have access and copy rights to both permanent and temporary records. Parents/guardians or students should submit to the Building Principal (or appropriate school official) a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) or student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. The District charges $.35 per page for copying but no one will be denied their right to copies of their records for inability to pay this cost. These rights are denied to any person against whom an order of protection has been entered concerning a student (105 ILCS 5/10-22.3c and 10/5a, and 750 ILCS 60/214(b)(15).

2. The right to have one or more scores received on college entrance examinations removed from the student’s academic transcript. Parents/guardians or eligible students may have one or more scores on college entrance exams deleted from their student’s academic transcript. Students often take college entrance examinations multiple times to improve their results. Test publishers provide the results from each examination taken to the student’s high school. Schools must include each of these scores on the student’s transcript, which may result in the academic transcript having multiple scores from a single college entrance exam. A parent/guardian or eligible student may not want certain scores to be sent to postsecondary institutions to which the student applies. The District will remove scores on college entrance examinations upon the written request of the parent/guardian or eligible student stating the name of each college entrance examination that is the subject of the request and the dates of the scores that are to be removed.

4. The right to permit disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that the FERPA or Illinois School Student Records Act authorizes disclosure without consent. Disclosure without consent is permitted to school officials with legitimate educational or administrative interests. A school official is a person employed by the District 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 District has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, therapist, or education technology company); or any parent(s)/guardian(s) 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. Individual board members do not have a right to see student records merely by virtue of their office unless they have a current demonstrable educational or administrative interest in the student and seeing his or her record(s) would be in furtherance of the interest. 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. Upon request, the District discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student has enrolled or intends to enroll, as well as to any person as specifically required by State or federal law. Before information is released to these individuals, the parents/guardians will receive prior written notice of the nature and substance of the information, and an opportunity to inspect, copy, and challenge such records.

When a challenge is made at the time the student’s records are being forwarded to another school to which the student is transferring, there is no right to challenge: (1) academic grades, or (2) references to expulsions or out-of-school suspensions. Disclosure is also permitted without consent to: any person for research, statistical reporting or planning, provided that no student or parent(s)/guardian(s) can be identified; any person named in a court order; appropriate persons if the knowledge of such information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other persons; and juvenile authorities when necessary for the discharge of their official duties who request information before adjudication of the student.

5. The right to a copy of any school student record proposed to be destroyed or deleted. The permanent record is maintained for at least 60 years after the student transfers, graduates, or permanently withdraws. The temporary record is maintained for at least 5 years after the student transfers, graduates, or permanently withdraws. Temporary records that may be of assistance to a student with a disability who graduates or permanently withdraws, may, after 5 years, be transferred to the parent(s)/guardian(s) or to the student, if the student has succeeded to the rights of the parent(s)/guardian(s). Student temporary records are reviewed every 4 years or upon a student’s change in attendance centers, whichever occurs first.

7. The right to request that military recruiters or institutions of higher learning not be granted access to your secondary school student’s name, address, and telephone numbers without your prior written consent. Federal law requires a secondary school to grant military recruiters and institutions of higher learning, upon their request, access to secondary school students’ names, addresses, and telephone numbers, unless the parents/guardians, or student who is 18 years of age or older, request that the information not be disclosed without prior written consent. If you wish to exercise this option, make the request to update FERPA preferences in the "U.S. Military" and/or "Colleges and other educational institutions" categories in your Home Access Center account.  The request to withhold directory information will be in effect until and unless you change your preferences.  You may change your preferences at any time in your Home Access Center account.

8. The right contained in this statement: No person may condition the granting or withholding of any right, privilege or benefits or make as a condition of employment, credit, or insurance the securing by any individual of any information from a student’s temporary record which such individual may obtain through the exercise of any right secured under State law.

9. 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 20202-4605