5.D. Managing the Review

After verifying the legitimacy of a request, the school or agency should notify the parent of the time and place to inspect the record. See the sample notice in exhibit 5–3. A school or district staff member may be designated for managing the review. The role of this staff member might include:

• explaining the laws and regulations that safeguard the confidentiality of the information;
• verifying the identification of the requester (through the use of an identification with the bearer’s photograph);
• staying with the parent during the review to make sure the parent understands the contents of the record;
• making sure the complete record is returned after the review;
• answering questions about the policies and procedures regarding the review; and
• referring the parent to the appropriate resources if a parent has further questions about the contents of the record.

At the end of the review, the parents may be asked to sign a form, such as the one in exhibit 5–3, indicating that they have reviewed the record.

Parents may bring another person (e.g., an interpreter, a trusted friend, or an attorney) to review the record. The staff member managing the review should:

• explain the laws and regulations that safeguard the confidentiality of the education records, and the penalties to the agency or school of unauthorized disclosure;
• ask the parent to sign and date a consent form, such as the one in exhibit 5–4, to allow the accompanying person access to the record; and
• ask the accompanying person to sign an affidavit of nondisclosure, such as the one in exhibit 5–4.

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