Annual Notifications

Rights Under FERPA  The federal law known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents[1] and students who are 18 years of age or older (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to the student’s education records.  

[1] The word “parents,” when used in these Annual Notifications includes legal guardians and, where required by law, those acting in the place of parents.   

The School District is required to provide United States Armed Forces recruiters with at least the same access to student directory information as is provided to other entities offering educational or employment opportunities to those students as is permitted and/or required by law.  "Armed forces of the United States" means the armed forces of the United States and their reserve components and the United States Coast Guard.  An eligible student or the parent may submit a signed, written direction to the School District that the student’s directory information not be accessible to United States Armed Forces recruiters.  In such case, the information will not be disclosed.

Each school building within the School District has been inspected for the presence of asbestos-containing materials as required by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). The Board of Education has adopted a policy to provide students and staff with an environment that is free of pests, pesticides, and harmful chemicals to the extent required by law.  

The Board of Education recognizes that the misuse of drugs is a serious problem with legal, physical, and social implications for the entire school community.  In accordance with the federal and state law, the Board establishes a “Drug-Free School Zone” that extends 1000 feet from the boundary of any school property.  

The Oak Park School District is committed to equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, training, promotion, and retention of staff.  The Board is committed to maintaining a learning/working environment in which all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, free from discrimination and harassment.  There will be no tolerance for discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, marital status, genetic information, disability, age, or any other illegal grounds.

If you have a Nondiscrimination Policy complaint,

Sexual Harassment and Title IX Procedure is available here.
Formal Complaint Form is available here.
Title IX Training is available here.

Ms. Aliya Fenderson Send email
Director of Human Resources
Title IX Coordinator and Compliance Officer
Administrative Offices
13900 Granzon 
Oak Park, MI 48237
248.336.7703

State and federal laws prohibit discrimination based on gender. Schools have an obligation to protect students, teachers, staff and other people within the school community. Schools also have an obligation to ensure that its programs and curriculum are free of bias and prejudice.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was the first comprehensive federal law to prohibit sex discrimination against students and employees of educational institutions. It is one of several federal and state anti-discrimination laws that define and ensure equality in education. The regulations implementing Title IX prohibit discrimination, exclusion, denial, limitation, or separation based on gender. Title IX states:

" No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance (MDE, 2019)."

If you have questions or concerns about Title IX, please contact our Title IX Coordinator listed below. The Title IX Coordinator can provide any pertinent information.

If you have a Nondiscrimination Policy complaint,

Sexual Harassment and Title IX Procedure is available here.
Formal Complaint Form is available here.
Title IX Training is available here.

Ms. Aliya Fenderson  Send email
Director of Human Resources
Title IX Coordinator and Compliance Officer
Administrative Offices
13900 Granzon 
Oak Park, MI 48237
248.336.7703

The School District, in accordance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, will ensure that homeless children and youth in transition have access to a free and appropriate public education, including preschool, and be given a full opportunity to participate in state and District-wide assessments and accountability systems.  A student may be considered eligible for services if he/she is presently living:

• In temporary shared housing, a shelter, or transitional living program;
• In a hotel/motel, campground, or similar situation due to lack of alternatives;
• At a bus station, park, car, or abandoned building; or
• In a temporary or transitional foster care placement.

The Board of Education has designated the Student Services Coordinator & Database Administrator as the School District’s Coordinator under the Homeless Assistance Act.  

For questions or assistance, please contact the Student Services Coordinator & Database Administrator at 248-336-7708 or visit the Registration & Pupil Services Office at 13900 Granzon during regular business hours 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Parents have the right to inspect, upon request, any instructional material used as part of the School District’s educational curriculum.  Parents will be provided access to instructional materials within a reasonable period of time after the request is received by the building principal.  The term “instructional material” means instructional content that is provided to a student, regardless of its format, including printed and representational materials, audio-visual materials, and materials in electronic or digital formats (such as materials accessible through the Internet).  The term does not include academic tests or assessments. 

The Board acknowledges the need for a reasonable degree of in-school storage of student possessions and will provide storage places, including desks and lockers, for that purpose.  Where lockers are provided, students may lock them against incursion by other students, but lockers remain School District property.  Students do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to School District personnel or their designees in lockers or other in-school storage places provided by the School District. 

The Board also authorizes the use of canines, trained in detecting the presence of drugs or devices.  Canines are used to determine the presence of drugs in locker areas and other places where such substances may be concealed.  Canine detection is usually conducted in collaboration with law enforcement authorities or other certified organizations and is not used to search individual students without legally sufficient suspicion, a warrant or parental permission has been obtained. 

School authorities are authorized to take reasonable steps to safeguard the safety and well-being of the students by, among other things, implementing the School District’s Student Code of Conduct.  Within the discharge of their responsibilities, School District personnel may search students, student property, and school property in the manner permitted by law. 

The School District is required, by law, to locate, identify and evaluate all children with disabilities, including children with disabilities attending private schools located within the School District, as well as homeless children.  The process of locating, identifying, and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find.

Child find extends both to children who may be eligible for special education under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA) and those who may be eligible under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504).

If you believe your child may qualify under either the IDEA or Section 504, please contact the District’s Director of Special Services. 

The Personal Curriculum (PC) is a Michigan Department of Education (MDE) endorsed process, permitting modification of specific credit requirements and/or content expectations based on the individual learning needs of a student.  It is designed to serve students who want to accelerate or go beyond the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) requirements and students who need to individualize learning requirements to meet the MMC requirements.  For more information from MDE about personal curriculums, please click here.

Student Privacy & Parental Access to Information
Under the federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), no student will be required as a part of the school program or the School District’s curriculum, without prior parental consent, to submit to or participate in any survey, analysis or evaluation that reveals information concerning: 

• Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or his/her parents; 
• Mental or psychological problems of the student or his/her family; 
• Sexual behavior or attitudes; 
• Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior; 
• Critical appraisals of other individuals with whom students have close family relationships; 
• Legally-recognized privileged and analogous relationships, such as those of lawyers, physicians, and ministers; 
• Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or his/her parents; or 
• Income (other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such a program). 

School(s) within the Oak Park School District receive Title I funding.  School(s) within the Oak Park School District receive Title I funding, while School(s) within the Oak Park School District receive Title I funding.  In accordance with law, the Board of Education has adopted a parent involvement policy (also known as a parental and family engagement policy).  The School District is committed to establishing and maintaining positive relationships with families and the community.  To that end, the School District will provide a variety of opportunities for families and other members of the community to become involved in children’s education.

Parents of limited English proficient (LEP) students participating in a language instruction program will be notified, no later than 30 days after the beginning of the school year, of the following:

• Placement and reason why their child was identified as LEP;
• The student’s academic achievement level and level of English proficiency (including method of measurement);
• The methods used for language instruction;
• How the language program will meet the student’s instructional needs;
• How the program will help the child to learn English and meet the academic standards required for promotion or graduation;
• The exit requirements for the language program; and
• An explanation of parental rights, including the parent’s right to enroll or remove a child from the language instruction program.

The School District participates in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Special Milk Program.  The participation policy for families unable to pay the full price of meals served under the School Lunch Program may be found in the office of each school building, as well as in the School District’s main office.  

The School District is committed to creating a school environment that enhances lifelong wellness practices.  As required by law, the Board has adopted a Wellness Policy, which is periodically reviewed.  The Board’s policies and/or administrative regulations can be found at: www.oakparkschools.org. 

In the absence of an emergency or an IEP or Section 504 plan, the School District does not provide physical examinations and screenings on school premises.  In the event the School District does provide physical examinations and screenings, parents may opt-out their student from participation by sending the request, in writing, to their student’s building principal, or by submitting the attached Physical Examinations and Screenings Opt-Out Form.