The parent of a former Gulen school student who attended the LISA school in Arkansas contacted this website regarding a failed request by the parent to obtain her daughter’s school records. Despite her many attempts to get copies of the requested records, the boys at LISA have conveniently stymied her efforts. Notably, the student has not attended the school since 2010, yet four years later; this parent still cannot get the school records.
It’s funny how these clowns move quickly when they want to promote their own political and personal agendas via their public relations propaganda machines, but when parents request public documents – which school records are – the boys suddenly develop swift cases of amnesia and simply cannot remember where the records are filed. I guarantee if someone requested the names and addresses of local Arkansas politicians that the boys have sponsored trips to Turkey and contributed campaign funds to, they would manage to muster up those records warp speed. I guess it’s just a matter of priorities – promote the cheaply bought- off politicians or actually take care of parents who help fund these schools through their hard earned tax dollars (and also pay the salaries of the Gulenist politicians).
So here’s my suggestion to the parent(s), continue to request any and all records that fall under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and if the boys do not comply contact the agency directly, contact the local newspaper, and the state’s educational governing body.
Here’s a copy of the parent’s letter sans her identity:
My daughter attended LISA Academy during her 6th grade year, 2009-2010. Towards the end of that year, I uncovered the Gulenist bent of the school mostly because of this site, and pulled her out of there. Unfortunately, they remain somewhat in business, although I have noted that enrollment is falling and most of my daughter's friends who attended there are leaving. Typically, those like my daughter who left are conveniently left out of graduation rate calculations, but that's another story. I wrote your site in 2010 detailing my daughter's year and the results of my sleuthing about these schools.
Now, I have yet another area that warrants investigation. By FERPA, parents are entitled to review their child's school file within a reasonable time of filing a request. I would be very interested in finding out if other parents of former students (especially the pull-outs) are having trouble getting these schools to conform to FERPA.
I obtained a copy of my daughter's file from our public school district from her high school. Amongst the papers was a photocopy of a fax cover sheet with "10 pages incl. cover" and "Resource teacher will send IEP documentation" written on it.
At the time, my daughter did not have an IEP, which requires parents to sign a permission form and annual meetings with the teachers. Furthermore, these schools are not known for special education.
When I went to LISA to ask about the "IEP" note, the school at first tried to tell me that my daughter had never attended there. I had the fax cover sheet to prove that. Then they backpedaled and told me that her records were archived in the high school building and only one person had the key to that room. They tried to keep me from filling out a formal request form, probably so they could stonewall me from receiving the records. I finally filled one out today (Friday 1/24) and in my understanding, the school is required to comply within five business days and not more than 45.
As for the IEP, I spoke with someone who told me that whoever filled out the cover sheet dd not know if my daughter had an IEP or not, and wrote that just in case. That may have made sense if it had read "Resource teacher will forward any IEP documentation". As it was written, that story makes no sense. I thought it would be a common enough thing for whoever forwards a file to find out if a student has an IEP.
Is it somehow unlawful to allude to the existence of a legal document when in fact none exists?
It definitely would seem unlawful to me for a school to destroy or "misplace" records before the requisite five or seven years (a common cutoff). I wonder if these schools would try that, for whatever reasons.
And so I wait for the records, but I have a strong feeling that I am going to have to ultimately take it to an attorney. Please urge parents to demand a copy of their students' files BEFORE pulling them out or commencing any whistleblowing. It's important to know your rights under FERPA and not to let them talk you down or brush you off.
If you at CSW have any information on Gulen schools and FERPA violations, or the question on indicating an IEP exists when none does, could someone please contact me at your convenience? Thank you for your time and research.
Sincerely,
Below is the FERP website and a full explanation of the ACT:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students."
For additional information, you may call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) (voice). Individuals who use TDD may use the Federal Relay Service.
Or you may contact us at the following address:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-8520
In other news:
Sharon Higgins, creator of the Charter School Scandal website, recently hosted a webinar on the Gulen movement and in particular, its infiltration into the American educational system.
The information listed in the webinar is extensive and is a definite read for parents and other community members who currently “host” American tax funded Gulen charter schools (an oxymoron for sure).
Below is the link to webinar:
http://vimeo.com/84967261
It’s funny how these clowns move quickly when they want to promote their own political and personal agendas via their public relations propaganda machines, but when parents request public documents – which school records are – the boys suddenly develop swift cases of amnesia and simply cannot remember where the records are filed. I guarantee if someone requested the names and addresses of local Arkansas politicians that the boys have sponsored trips to Turkey and contributed campaign funds to, they would manage to muster up those records warp speed. I guess it’s just a matter of priorities – promote the cheaply bought- off politicians or actually take care of parents who help fund these schools through their hard earned tax dollars (and also pay the salaries of the Gulenist politicians).
So here’s my suggestion to the parent(s), continue to request any and all records that fall under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and if the boys do not comply contact the agency directly, contact the local newspaper, and the state’s educational governing body.
Here’s a copy of the parent’s letter sans her identity:
My daughter attended LISA Academy during her 6th grade year, 2009-2010. Towards the end of that year, I uncovered the Gulenist bent of the school mostly because of this site, and pulled her out of there. Unfortunately, they remain somewhat in business, although I have noted that enrollment is falling and most of my daughter's friends who attended there are leaving. Typically, those like my daughter who left are conveniently left out of graduation rate calculations, but that's another story. I wrote your site in 2010 detailing my daughter's year and the results of my sleuthing about these schools.
Now, I have yet another area that warrants investigation. By FERPA, parents are entitled to review their child's school file within a reasonable time of filing a request. I would be very interested in finding out if other parents of former students (especially the pull-outs) are having trouble getting these schools to conform to FERPA.
I obtained a copy of my daughter's file from our public school district from her high school. Amongst the papers was a photocopy of a fax cover sheet with "10 pages incl. cover" and "Resource teacher will send IEP documentation" written on it.
At the time, my daughter did not have an IEP, which requires parents to sign a permission form and annual meetings with the teachers. Furthermore, these schools are not known for special education.
When I went to LISA to ask about the "IEP" note, the school at first tried to tell me that my daughter had never attended there. I had the fax cover sheet to prove that. Then they backpedaled and told me that her records were archived in the high school building and only one person had the key to that room. They tried to keep me from filling out a formal request form, probably so they could stonewall me from receiving the records. I finally filled one out today (Friday 1/24) and in my understanding, the school is required to comply within five business days and not more than 45.
As for the IEP, I spoke with someone who told me that whoever filled out the cover sheet dd not know if my daughter had an IEP or not, and wrote that just in case. That may have made sense if it had read "Resource teacher will forward any IEP documentation". As it was written, that story makes no sense. I thought it would be a common enough thing for whoever forwards a file to find out if a student has an IEP.
Is it somehow unlawful to allude to the existence of a legal document when in fact none exists?
It definitely would seem unlawful to me for a school to destroy or "misplace" records before the requisite five or seven years (a common cutoff). I wonder if these schools would try that, for whatever reasons.
And so I wait for the records, but I have a strong feeling that I am going to have to ultimately take it to an attorney. Please urge parents to demand a copy of their students' files BEFORE pulling them out or commencing any whistleblowing. It's important to know your rights under FERPA and not to let them talk you down or brush you off.
If you at CSW have any information on Gulen schools and FERPA violations, or the question on indicating an IEP exists when none does, could someone please contact me at your convenience? Thank you for your time and research.
Sincerely,
Below is the FERP website and a full explanation of the ACT:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students."
- Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
- Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.
- Generally, schools 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 § 99.31):
- School officials with legitimate educational interest;
- Other schools to which a student is transferring;
- 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.
For additional information, you may call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) (voice). Individuals who use TDD may use the Federal Relay Service.
Or you may contact us at the following address:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-8520
In other news:
Sharon Higgins, creator of the Charter School Scandal website, recently hosted a webinar on the Gulen movement and in particular, its infiltration into the American educational system.
The information listed in the webinar is extensive and is a definite read for parents and other community members who currently “host” American tax funded Gulen charter schools (an oxymoron for sure).
Below is the link to webinar:
http://vimeo.com/84967261