Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Notice
As required by federal law, Encompass Community School is committed to protecting the privacy of student education records. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives parents and eligible students (those 18 years or older) specific rights regarding these records.
Storage:
All student records are stored in a locked file cabinet in a locked administrator's office. If a staff member needs to access a student’s cumulative records, they must sign in and out the key from an administrator of the main office.
Your Rights Under FERPA
1. The Right to Inspect and Review Education Records
Parents or eligible students may request to review a student’s education records.
To do so, submit a written request to the school principal identifying the records you'd like to see.
The school will provide access to the records within 45 calendar days of receiving the request and will notify you of the time and place to view them.
2. The Right to Request an Amendment
If you believe a record is inaccurate or misleading, you may request a correction.
Submit a written request to the Head of School (mainoffice@ecstn.org) clearly identifying the part of the record to be changed and explaining why it is incorrect.
If the school denies the request, you have the right to a formal hearing. Details about the hearing process will be provided at that time.
3. The Right to Consent to Disclosures
In most cases, the school must have written permission to release personally identifiable information from a student's records. However, FERPA allows certain disclosures without consent, including to:
School officials with a legitimate educational interest (e.g., administrators, teachers, support staff, health staff, or contracted professionals such as therapists, attorneys, or auditors)
Partner organizations that support Encompass with student academic, behavioral, or social-emotional needs
Officials of another school where a student seeks or intends to enroll
State and federal education authorities, in accordance with the law
A school official has a legitimate educational interest if they need to access a student’s record to fulfill their professional responsibilities.
4. The Right to File a Complaint
If you believe Encompass has violated your rights under FERPA, you can file a complaint with:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
Directory Information
FERPA allows schools to identify certain basic student information as "directory information," which may be shared publicly unless families opt out in writing. At Encompass, we take privacy seriously and limit directory information to the following:
Student name
Grade level
Participation in school-sponsored activities and events
Honors or awards receive
School photographs used in yearbooks or internal school media
If you do not want Encompass to release any directory information about your student without your written consent, you must notify us in writing by the first day of school. Email your request to: mainoffice@ecstn.org.
If you have any questions about FERPA or how Encompass protects student records, please contact the school office.
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how Encompass Community School ("Encompass," "we," "us," or "our") collects, protects, and uses the personally identifiable information ("Personal Information") you ("User," "you," or "your") may provide on our website and any of its products or services (collectively, "Website" or "Services"). It also describes the choices available to you regarding our use of your Personal Information and how you can access and update this information. This Policy does not apply to the practices of third-party companies that we do not own or control, or to individuals we do not employ or manage.
Automatic Collection of Information
When you visit our Website, our servers automatically record information that your browser sends. This data may include your device's IP address, browser type and version, operating system type and version, language preferences, the webpage you visited before arriving at our Website, pages of our Website that you visit, time spent on those pages, information you search for on our Website, access times and dates, and other statistics. This information is used solely to improve the functionality and user experience of our Website.
Collection of Personal Information
You can visit our Website without telling us who you are or revealing any information by which someone could identify you as a specific individual. If you wish to use certain features of our Website, such as submitting an inquiry form, applying for enrollment, or signing up for communications, you may be asked to provide certain Personal Information (for example, your name, email address, or phone number). We receive and store any information you knowingly provide when you fill out online forms on our Website. You may choose not to provide Personal Information, but doing so may limit your ability to use certain features. Users who are uncertain about what information is required are welcome to contact us.
How Voluntarily Provided Information Is Used
Information you voluntarily submit through our Website, such as an enrollment inquiry or contact form, will be used solely for educational and operational purposes related to Encompass Community School. This information may be subject to disclosure to the extent required by applicable law, including the Tennessee Public Records Act.
Student Privacy and FERPA
Encompass Community School is committed to protecting the privacy of our students and their families in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Tennessee Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA), and all other applicable state and federal student privacy laws.
Student education records are maintained in a secure, locked format and are accessible only to school personnel with a legitimate educational interest, or to others as authorized by law.
Directory information may include a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, participation in school activities, dates of attendance, and honors or awards received. Parents and guardians have the right to restrict the release of directory information. To exercise this right, please contact us in writing at the address below.
Annual Notification. Each year, Encompass notifies parents and guardians of their rights under FERPA, including the right to inspect and review their child's education records, request corrections to inaccurate information, and consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information except where FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. Names and images of students are used on public-facing pages of our Website only with prior written permission from a parent or guardian. Student social media accounts and personal web pages are not tagged or linked by Encompass.
Privacy of Children (COPPA)
We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of 13 through our Website without verifiable parental consent, in accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you believe your child has submitted Personal Information through our Website without your consent, please contact us immediately so we can remove it.
Third-Party Educational Technology and Data Sharing
When Encompass partners with third-party educational technology providers to support instruction, those providers are required to enter into a formal Student Data Privacy Agreement with Encompass. Under those agreements:
Student data is used only for the specific educational purposes described in the agreement.
Providers may not sell, rent, or use student data for targeted advertising.
Providers may not build student profiles for non-educational purposes.
Student data is protected at collection, storage, disclosure, and destruction stages.
Encompass retains control over all student data shared with third-party providers and may direct those providers to stop processing data or delete records at any time
Storing Personal Information
We will retain your Personal Information for the period necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Aggregated, de-identified data may be retained and used after individual records are deleted, in a manner that does not identify any individual. Once the applicable retention period expires, Personal Information will be securely deleted
Your Rights as a User
You have the right to:
Access the Personal Information we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
Request deletion of your Personal Information, subject to applicable legal obligations
Withdraw consent for processing where consent was the basis for collection
Receive your information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format upon request
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information at the bottom of this Policy.
Email Privacy
Our Website may include email addresses for faculty and staff. Use of this information for private, commercial, or political mailings, or distribution to any outside party, is prohibited.
Cell Phone Privacy and Consent
If you provide your mobile phone number to Encompass, you consent to receive text messages related to your account, your child's enrollment, or school communications. Mobile information will not be shared with third parties for marketing or promotional purposes.
To opt out of text communications, reply STOP, QUIT, CANCEL, OPT OUT, or UNSUBSCRIBE to any message you receive from us. We will honor all opt-out requests promptly.
Cookies
Our Website may use cookies to personalize your online experience. A cookie is a small text file placed on your device by a web server. Cookies cannot run programs or deliver viruses. They are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by the server that issued them. You may configure your browser to decline cookies, though some Website features may not function as intended if you do so
Information Security
We protect the Personal Information you provide in a controlled, secure environment, safeguarded against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. However, no data transmission over the Internet or wireless network can be fully guaranteed. We encourage you to take precautions to protect your own information when using the Internet.
Data Breach
In the event we become aware that the security of our Website has been compromised or that Personal Information has been disclosed to unrelated third parties as a result of external activity, including security attacks or fraud, we will take appropriate measures. These measures may include investigation, notification to affected individuals, and reporting to relevant authorities as required by law.
Surveys of Students
In accordance with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) and applicable Tennessee law, Encompass will notify parents and guardians before administering any third-party survey that collects personal information from students. Parents have the right to inspect survey instruments before they are administered and to opt their child out of participation.
Changes and Amendments
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When material changes are made, we will post a notice on our Website and, where appropriate, notify families directly. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact:
Encompass Community School Attn: Privacy Inquiries
4300 Park Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37209
Phone: 615-483-9079
Email: hello@ecstn.org