Student Records

Manassas City Public Schools, as outlined in Policy JO, maintains a scholastic record on each student enrolled in Manassas City Public Schools. Student scholastic records are maintained at the building level in the principal’s office and/or guidance office. The building principal is responsible for collection, maintenance, security, use, disclosure and content of these records. The student scholastic record contains information about scholastic work, grades, evaluations, registration, health, attendance, standardized test results, programs of study and discipline. Students with special needs and certain students requiring differentiated programs or special services have records related to their educational programs maintained in the education records. Information regarding scholastic records can be obtained from the building level administrator. Information regarding records of former students can be obtained by contacting the building level administrator of the school the student last attended. Scholastic records for special education students enrolled in Manassas City Public Schools, but not attending a Manassas City Public School, are maintained by the student’s base school.

It is the policy of the Manassas City Public Schools that all employees comply with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Pupil Protection Rights Amendment (PPRA).  FERPA affords parents and students over 18 years of age (all eligible students) certain rights with respect to the student’s scholastic records. Click here (English, Spanish) to view our annual notice to parents regarding student records. Manassas City Public Schools maintains student scholastic records at the last school attended for at least five years after a student graduates or withdraws from the school division. Parents or students 18 and older may request a copy of the student record within that five-year window. After that period, student records are purged and information that is not required to be permanently retained according to the records retention and disposition schedules of the state of Virginia is destroyed.

It is the policy of the Manassas City Public Schools that all employees comply with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Pupil Protection Rights Amendment (PPRA).  FERPA affords parents and students over 18 years of age (all eligible students) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records. They are:

  • The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the school division receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the principal 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.

  • The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate or misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. Parents or eligible students may ask Manassas City Public Schools to amend records that they believe are inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students should write to the school principal, clearly identifying the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the school division decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school division 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.

  • The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education record, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

  • Personally identifiable information, as defined in MCPS Regulations may not be disclosed to any local, state, or federal law enforcement agency except as it may be expressly authorized by and subject to the restrictions of regulation or law.

Generally, the school division must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.32):

  • School officials with legitimate educational interests;

  • Other school division in which a student seeks or intends to enroll;

  • Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;

  • Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;

  • Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;

  • Accrediting organizations;

  • To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;

  • Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and

  • State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific state law.

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.  A school official is a person employed by the division 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 division 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.

  • The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the school division 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.

Directory Information

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law, requires that Manassas City Public Schools, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child's education records. However, Manassas City Public Schools may disclose appropriately designated "directory information" without written consent, unless you have advised the school division to the contrary.  Personally identifiable information will not be given to any local, state, or federal law enforcement agency except as it may be expressly authorized by and subject to the restrictions of regulation or law.

The primary purpose of directory information is to allow Manassas City Public 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 production;

  • The annual yearbook:

  • Honor roll or other recognition lists;

  • Graduation programs; and

  • Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing the weight and height of team members.

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 (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with the following information - 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.(1)

If you do not want Manassas City Public Schools to disclose directory information from your child's education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the school division in writing within 15 administrative work days from the start of school, or at the time of enrollment (whichever occurs later).  Manassas City Public Schools has designated the following information as directory information:

  • Student's name

  • Address

  • Date and place of birth

  • Telephone listing

  • Dates of attendance

  • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports

  • Height and weight if member is of an athletic team

  • Degrees, honors, and awards received

  • Grade level

  • Photographs, video and/or audio recordings (regardless of the technology and medium of recording), including those made in a place where a student does not have a reasonable

  • expectation of privacy, (hallway, cafeteria, athletic field, gymnasium, school grounds, auditorium, or school bus)

  • Electronic mail address

  • Major field of study

  • The most recent educational agency or institution attended