The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) affords parents and students over eighteen (18) years of age and/or students who are considered emancipated minors pursuant to Iowa laws (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the district’s conduct of surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes and certain physical exams. These include the following rights:
- The right to consent before a student is required to submit to a survey that concerns one or more of the following protected areas (“protected information surveys”) if the survey is funded in whole or in part by a program of the U.S. Department of Education (ED):
- Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or the student’s parents;
- Mental or psychological problems of the student or the student’s family;
- Sex behaviors or attitudes;
- Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating or demeaning behavior;
- Critical appraisals of others with whom the respondents have close family relationships;
- Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers;
- Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the students or parents; or
- Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility.
- The right to receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of a protected information survey, which concerns any of the protected areas outlined above, regardless of the source of funding of the survey.
- The right to receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of any non-emergency, invasive physical examination or screening required as a condition of attendance, administered by the school or its agent, and not necessary to protect the immediate health and safety of a student, except for hearing, vision, or scoliosis screenings, or any physical examination or screening permitted or required under Iowa law.
- The right to receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of activities involving the collection, disclosure, or use of personal information obtained from students for marketing or to sell or otherwise distribute the information to others.
- The right to inspect, upon request and before administration or use, any of the following information:
- Protected information surveys of students;
- Instruments used to collect personal information from students for any of the above marketing, sales, or other distribution purposes; and
- Instructional materials used as part of the educational curriculum.
- 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 PPRA. The name and address of the office that administers PPRA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office, United States Department of Education,
400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC, 20202-5920.
Approved: June 29, 2015
Revised/Reviewed: April 22, 2024