Swampscott Schools Give Notice Of Records Destruction

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Swampscott Public Schools intends to destroy all records of students who exited from special education programs up to and including the 2016-17 school year.

Any former student who has reached 18 years old may review and/or receive their records by contacting the Student Service Office at 781-596-8800 Ext. 4381 to schedule an appointment.

Record destruction is set to begin on Oct. 18.

According to federal law, parents and guardians lose their right to review or obtain these records when their child (the student) reaches 18 years of age or starts attending a postsecondary institution, whichever occurs first. However, a parent of a child with a disability who is 18 years of age or older may retain parental rights provided a court has appointed legal guardians to the parent.

Upon review, a copy of any information contained in the record will be provided to the parent/guardian or eligible student.

Once an appointment is scheduled, the record will be held for review for ten days after the
appointment date. If an appointment is not kept or if an appointment is rescheduled, the file will be held for 10 days from the last scheduled appointment.

If no student, parent, or guardian responds to this public notice, the school district will assume consent to destroy the entire record specific to the student. In accordance with federal and state laws, special education records are maintained for up to seven years after the student exits the special education program.

A permanent record of the student's name, address, phone number, grades, attendance record, and year completed is maintained for 60 years.

The purpose of destruction is to protect the student from improper and unauthorized disclosure of the confidential information contained within the file. Please note that certain records may be needed by the student, parent, or guardian for social security benefits or other purposes.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)