Wyomissing Area School District

School counselors are available to provide individual and group counseling services in order to help students achieve their academic potential, to advocate for students at student meetings, to ease the adjustment to the school setting, to develop a healthy self-concept, and to assist students with choices for postsecondary planning. Counselors also work with parents to help them understand their children's abilities, interests, achievements and needs, and to support them with any problems and concerns they have regarding their children. Additionally, counselors work with teachers and administrators to address questions and concerns regarding the personal welfare and academic progress of students. School counselors are also responsible for various services available to Wyomissing Area students: meetings with college, business, and military representatives, peer tutoring, peer mediation and support groups which are run in conjunction with community agencies.

Orientation, education and vocational placement and information services, standardized testing including the PSSA and Keystone Exams and coordination of various pupil services are among the other services that counselors provide for students.

The Student Assistance Team is a multi-disciplinary team for grades K-12 that includes teachers, administrators, nurses, counselors, and liaisons from community agencies. The team is trained to understand and work with adolescent chemical use, abuse, and dependency as well as to recognize behavioral indicators that may be associated with social or emotional maladjustment. The team's primary role is to assist school personnel to identify barriers to a student's learning and school success. Student assistance is not a treatment program; rather, it is a systematic process using effective and accountable professional techniques to mobilize school resources to remove the barriers to learning, and, where the problem is beyond the scope of the school, to assist the parent and the student with information so they may access services within the community. The student assistance team members do not diagnose or treat; but they may refer for an assessment for treatment. It is the parent's right to be involved in the process and to have full access to all school records under applicable state and federal laws and regulations.

Notification of Rights for Parents/Eligible Students

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Pennsylvania law afford parents/ guardians and students eighteen (18) years of age and over (eligible students) certain rights with respect to the student's educational records as follows:

1.    The right to inspect and review the student's education records within forty-five (45) days of the District's receipt of a request for access.

A parent or eligible student making such a request must submit to the school 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 or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

2.    The right to request amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading or otherwise violates the privacy rights of the student.

A parent or eligible student may request the District to amend a records/he believes is inaccurate, misleading or violates the privacy rights of the student by clearly identifying in writing the part of the records/he wants changed and specifying why it is inaccurate, misleading or violates the privacy rights of the student. The request shall be made to the building principal (or appropriate school official).

If the District decides not to amend the record as requested, the principal will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise 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 disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA and state law authorize disclosure without consent.

Disclosure of personally identifiable information can be made without consent to the following:
a.    School officials, including teachers, with a legitimate need to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities. This may include the disclosure of disciplinary information regarding conduct that posed a significant risk to the safety or well-being of the student or others. 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 Board of Education; a person or company with whom the District 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.
b.    Officials of another school or school system in which the student seeks or intends to enroll. In this case, disciplinary information may be included. The District will make a reasonable attempt to notify the student's parents prior to the disclosure of information and will provide the parent with a copy of the record if so requested.
c.    Authorities named in FERPA and accompanying federal regulations, including authorized representatives of the Comptroller General of the United States, Secretary of Education, and state and local educational authorities.
d.    Officials connected with a student's application for a receipt of financial aid.
e.    State and local officials who are required to get specific information pursuant to state law if the disclosure concerns the juvenile justice system and the system's ability to effectively serve the student whose records are released. If the state statute was enacted after November 19, 1974, the officials must certify in writing that the information will not be disclosed to any other person, except as provided by state law, without prior written consent of the parent.
f.    Educational testing and research organizations for the purpose of administering student aid programs or improving instruction or predictive tests as long as confidentiality is maintained and such organizations are required to destroy records after they no longer are needed.
g.    Accrediting institutions.
h.    In emergency situations to appropriate persons if the information is necessary to protect the health and safety of the student or others.
i.    Anyone if required by a court order or subpoena. However, where the subpoena is issued by a federal grand jury, the District will make reasonable efforts to notify the parent or eligible student prior to complying with the subpoena or court order.

4.    The school district may disclose group scholastic achievement data from which the individual cannot be identified without written consent of the parent or eligible student.

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

5.    The right to refuse to permit the designation of any or all of the categories of directory information. The District is permitted by law to disclose directory information without written consent of the parent or eligible student. The parent or eligible student has the right to refuse to permit the designation of any or all of the categories of directory information if a written refusal is forwarded to the building principal by September 15 of the current school term.

Directory information which may be released may include the student's name, 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 and awards received; the most recent and previous education agency or institution attended by the student; email address; photograph and other similar information.

6.    The right to request that information not be provided to military recruiting officers.

Names, addresses and home telephone numbers of seniors will be released to military recruiting officers unless a student submits a written request, prior to the first day of senior year to the building principal that such information not be released.