Admission

1.1 Non Discrimination

Green Dot Public Schools does not discriminate against any person on the basis of the characteristics listed in Education Code Section 220 (actual or perceived disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, immigration status, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 422.55 of the Penal Code or association with an individual who has any of the aforementioned characteristics) and Education Code Sections 221.5 and 221.51 in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. Green Dot Public Schools also does not discriminate against any person on the basis of legal or economic status, primary language, or English Learner status in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. Green Dot Public Schools adheres to all provisions of federal law related to students with disabilities, including but not limited to, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (“IDEA”).  Green Dot Public Schools is committed to providing a work and educational atmosphere that is free of unlawful harassment and the “Discrimination/Harassment Policy” complies with the requirements of Titles IV, VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (race, color, or national origin), Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (sex), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (mental or physical disability), The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and other applicable federal and state laws.  Green Dot Public Schools also prohibits sexual harassment, including cyber sexual bullying, and harassment based upon pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, religious affiliation, creed, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by federal, state, local law, ordinance or regulation.  Green Dot Public Schools does not condone or tolerate harassment of any type, including discrimination, intimidation, or bullying, including cyber sexual bullying, by any employee, independent contractor or other person with which Green Dot Public Schools does business, or any other individual, student, or volunteer.  This applies to all employees, students, or volunteers and relationships, regardless of position or gender.  Green Dot Public Schools will promptly and thoroughly investigate any complaint of harassment and take appropriate corrective action, if warranted.  Inquiries, complaints, or grievances regarding harassment as described in this policy should be directed to the Green Dot Public Schools Uniform Complaint Procedures (“UCP”) Compliance Officer as identified in Policy C. 16.0.

Rev. 06/2021

1.2 Admissions

Green Dot Public Schools operates both independent and conversion charters. Admissions policies may vary based on the type of school.  Parental involvement may be encouraged but is not a requirement for acceptance to, or continued enrollment at, any Green Dot school. Each school shall follow the admission portion of the charter. 

Any student applying for admission after expulsion from their current school district must provide appropriate documentation that their rehabilitation guidelines have been met before acceptance into a Green Dot school. The decision to readmit a pupil or to admit a previously expelled pupil from another school district or charter school shall be in the sole discretion of the charter school’s principal or Discipline Review Panel and the pupil and guardian or representative, to determine whether the pupil has successfully completed the rehabilitation plan and to determine whether the pupil poses a threat to others or will be disruptive to the school environment.  The pupil’s readmission is also contingent upon the capacity of the School at the time the pupil seeks readmission.

Definitions:

An “Independent Charter School”, as defined by this policy, is one that operates independently of the school district in almost all respects and has the greatest degree of flexibility to design and implement the goals and procedures described in their charter petition. 

A “Conversion Charter School” as defined by this policy, is one that existed as a regular district school and converted to charter status.

Admissions for Independent Charters

Independent charters are open to all students. Students must fill out a lottery form and meet all deadlines for the application process. If the number of completed lottery forms exceeds the school’s capacity, a random, public lottery will determine enrollment, with preferences as established by the charter and as described herein.  Students who submit lottery forms after the close of the enrollment period, or after capacity is reached (if no lottery is required), will be added to the waitlist; ordered on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Admissions for Conversion Charters

Conversion charters are open to all students. Students must fill out a lottery form prior to the lottery date and meet all deadlines for the application process.  If the number of applicants exceeds the capacity, students will be placed in a school based on a public random drawing with admissions preferences, as established by the charter and legal requirements including a preference for students who reside in the former attendance area of the school.  Students who submit lottery forms after the close of the enrollment period, or after capacity is reached (if no lottery is required), will be added to the waitlist; ordered on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Rev. 06/2021

Lottery

A 3.0 Lottery Procedures 

Policy: Lottery Procedures

Green Dot Public Schools operates both independent and conversion charters. Lottery procedures may vary based on the type of school.

Lottery Application Forms

Lottery Forms: All students, including siblings, need to turn in  their lottery form prior to the lottery deadline. Existing students will be exempt from the public random lottery.

Lottery Preferences

Lottery Preferences – Independent Schools

Lottery Preferences – Conversion Schools

* Schools not within LAUSD school boundaries: Ánimo City of Champions (Inglewood Unified), Ánimo Compton Span School 1 (Compton Unified), Ánimo Inglewood (Inglewood Unified), Ánimo Leadership (Lennox School District)

Lottery Preferences – Conversion Schools

Lottery forms received after the lottery deadline will be placed on the waitlist in the order they were received.

Sibling Preference defined as:

• Siblings of a currently enrolled student at any grade level are eligible to receive admissions preference to the same Green Dot School.
• Applicants who are siblings and apply to the same Green Dot school together are given sibling admissions preference as soon as one sibling is accepted into the school during the lottery.
• Siblings must share at least one biological parent or legal guardian.

Matriculation preferences (i.e., applicants who matriculate from a specific Green Dot middle school to a Green Dot high school) are only eligible to Ánimo Ralph Bunche CHS applicants matriculating from Ánimo Jefferson CMS, Ánimo Watts College Preparatory Academy applicants matriculating from Ánimo Mae Jemison CMS, Ánimo Pat Brown CHS applicants matriculating from Ánimo Florence-Firestone CMS and Ánimo South LA CHS applicants matriculating from Ánimo Legacy  CMS.

For schools in LAUSD, Inglewood Unified School District and Compton Unified School District, preferences for children of Green Dot employees are limited to 10% of the school’s enrollment.

Recommended Lottery Procedures

At the lottery, a presentation will be made in English and Spanish to all interested parties about the lottery process and rules. The school will conduct the lottery using an automated online system to ensure that the process is fair and equitable for all participants.

In the automated online lottery, applicants will be admitted to the school in the order they are drawn, up to the school’s capacity.

• The school reserves the right to select more than the capacity for admission to ensure the school’s overall enrollment is stable as long as the increase would not require a material revision to the charter (more than 20% or 100 students, whichever is less, above the enrollment capacity).
• Should the Principal elect to enroll more students than the school’s capacity, an announcement will be made at the lottery and additional students will be enrolled based on the lottery and the methods described.
• Results will be mailed to applicants (notify them of acceptance or waitlist status)
• Follow-up phone calls will also be made.

After the acceptance list is set, a waitlist will be created and maintained. Should vacancies occur, admission will be offered to applicants on the waitlist in the order their names appear. Lottery preferences may no longer be extended to applicants applying post-lottery. Applicants applying after the lottery will be added to the bottom of the waitlist.

Enrollment Process and Packet

Parents/guardians of applicants that submitted a lottery form will receive a notification letter sent to the address indicated on the form. The letter will indicate whether the child was accepted or waitlisted, and, if waitlisted, the number on the waitlist for the applicant. For students identified on the acceptance list, the letter will include steps the parents/guardians of the applicants must take to enroll the applicant in the school. Staff members will document all attempts to call the families and any responses.

If Green Dot has not received confirmation within 10 calendar days, after three attempts, the student will be dropped and a student on the waitlist will be offered placement.

Each school must ensure that each admitted student submits:

• Completed Enrollment Form
• Photo ID of Parent/Guardian
• Proof of Birth
• Immunization Records
• Records from Previous School
• School-Parent-Student Compact
• Media Release Form
• Proof of updated TDAP vaccine (if entering in 7^th grade or later)
• Proof of 2 Varicella vaccines (or written documentation from a physician certified in California explaining why the vaccine is not recommended for the student)
• Student Eligibility Form
• IEP or Section 504 plan, if applicable

Rev. 06/2022

Enrollment Policy                                                                                                                                                   

A. 4.0 Waitlist Management

All students that do not receive a placement during the random, public lottery will be placed on a waitlist to enroll should space become available. Waitlist ranking will be assigned in the order selected. Should vacancies occur, admission will be offered to applicants on the waitlist in the order their names appear. Lottery preferences will no longer be extended to applicants applying post-lottery. Applicants applying after the lottery will be added to the bottom of the waitlist. A student is allowed to be on multiple waitlists, and must be offered a placement should space become available, even if the student is enrolled in another Green Dot school. If the student registers and completes an enrollment packet  at multiple Green Dot schools, they will be given 2 weeks after the initial notification to make a final decision on which school they plan to attend. After the 2 week period, pending extenuating circumstances, the student will be enrolled at one school and spots at other schools will be released. 

If vacancies should arise during the school year, the school will notify parents/guardians of applicants on the waitlist. Typically, three separate phone calls on three different days are made, with accompanying documentation made available to the parents/guardians. If parents/guardians of applicants do not respond within ten calendar days, the next applicant’s parents/guardians will be contacted and the previously contacted applicant may be removed from the waitlist.

The waitlist expires annually on the last day of the open enrollment period for the following school year. Waitlists DO NOT rollover year to year.

Rev. 06/2024

Transfers and Withdrawals

A 5.0 Student Transfers

• Sibling
• Parent employment-related transfers
• Specialized programs
• Social adjustment and/or protection

Special Enrollment

A 6.0 Students Experiencing Homelessness

• Live with another family/are sharing the housing of other persons, due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (doubled or tripled up);
• Live in an emergency or transitional shelter;
• Live in a hotel or motel due to lack of alternate adequate accommodations;
• Live in a trailer park or campsite due to lack of alternate adequate accommodations;
• Have been abandoned at a hospital;
• Have a primary nighttime residence that is public or a private place that is not designed for or ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations for human beings;
• Are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
• Migratory children and unaccompanied youth (youth not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian) may be considered homeless if they meet the above definition of “homeless.” 

1. Homeless students are identified by school personnel and through coordination activities with other entities and agencies, and through the annual housing questionnaire administered by the Charter School. 
2. Homeless students enroll in, and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed at Green Dot. 
3. Homeless students and families receive educational services for which they are eligible, including Head Start and Even Start programs, and referrals to health care services, dental services, mental health services, housing services, and other appropriate services.
4. Parents/guardians are informed of the educational and related opportunities available to their children and are provided with meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children.
5. Public notice of the educational rights of homeless children is disseminated in locations frequented by parents, guardians, and unaccompanied youths, including schools, shelters, public libraries, and soup kitchens, in a manner and form understandable to the parents and guardians of homeless youth and unaccompanied youth. 
6. Enrollment/admissions disputes are mediated in accordance with law, the Green Dot charter(s), and Board policy. Parents/guardians and any unaccompanied youth are fully informed of all transportation services, as applicable. 
7. Charter School personnel providing McKinney-Vento services receive professional development and other support. The McKinney-Vento Liaison shall ensure that training related to Green Dot’s homeless education program policies and recognizing signs that students are at-risk of or are experiencing homelessness is offered at least annually to certificated and classified employees providing services to students experiencing homelessness, including but not limited to, teachers, support staff, and other school staff who work with students.  The McKinney-Vento Liaison shall inform certificated and classified employees of the availability of training and services the McKinney-Vento School Liaison provides to aid in the identification of and provision of services to students at-risk of or experiencing homelessness.
8. The McKinney-Vento Liaison collaborates with State coordinators and community and school personnel responsible for the provision of education and related services to homeless children and youths.
9. Unaccompanied youth are enrolled in school; have opportunities to meet the same challenging State academic standards as the State establishes for other children and youth; and are informed of their status as independent students and that the youths may obtain assistance from the McKinney-Vento Liaison to receive verification of such status for the purposes of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
10. The California Department of Education (“CDE”) publishes a list of the contact information for the Homeless Education Liaisons in the state, which is available at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/hs/    

• Through the end of the academic year if he/she is in grades K-8.
• Through graduation if he/she is in high school.  

• Transportation services 
• Educational services for which the child or youth meets eligibility criteria, such as educational programs for students with disabilities and educational programs for students with limited English proficiency. 
• Programs in vocational and technical education 
• Programs for gifted and talented students 
• Title I services 
• School nutrition programs 

1. Sets forth the general rights provided in this policy;
2. Specifically states:
   1. The choice of schools homeless children and youths are eligible to attend, as provided in 42 U.S.C Section 11432(g)(3)(A);
   2. That no homeless child or youth is required to attend a separate school for homeless children or youths;
   3. That homeless children and youths shall be provided comparable services described in this policy, including transportation services, educational services, and meals through school meals programs; and
   4. That homeless children and youths should not be stigmatized by school personnel; and
3. Provides contact information for the McKinney-Vento Liaison and the State Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children and Youths.

A 6.1 Foster Youth 

A 6.2 Migratory Students 

• “A migratory child” is a student who meets the definition of “currently migratory child” under California Education Code Section 54441 (see Instruction Policy B. 1.0 for a detailed definition).
• “School of origin” means the school in which the student is enrolled at the time that a change in residence occurs.

1. allow the student to continue their education in the school of origin, regardless of any change of residence of the migratory child during that school year, for the duration of the student’s status as a student who is a migratory child; or
2. for a student whose status changes as a student who is a migratory child during a school year, comply with either of the following, as applicable:
   1. if the student is enrolled in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 8, inclusive, allow the student to continue their education in the school of origin through the duration of that academic school year; or
   2. if the child is enrolled in high school, allow the student to continue their education in the school of origin through graduation.

• any outstanding fees, fines, textbooks, or other items or monies due to the school last attended;
• not having clothing normally required by the school, such as school uniforms;
• the student being unable to produce records normally required for enrollment, such as previous academic records, proof of residency, medical records, including, but not limited to, records or other proof of immunization history, or other documentation.

A 6.3 Newcomer Students

• are aged three through twenty-one;
• were not born in any state (each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico); and
• have not been attending one or more schools in the United States for more than three full academic years.

A 7.0 Over Age Students

1. the pupil was enrolled in a public school in pursuit of a high school diploma (or, if a student in special education, an IEP) while 19 years of age and, without a break in public school enrollment since that time, is enrolled and is making satisfactory progress towards award of a high school diploma (or, if a student in special education, satisfactory progress in keeping with an IEP) consistent with the definition of satisfactory progress set forth in Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations section 11965; and
2. the pupil is not over the 22 years of age on the date of enrollment.

A 8.0 Returning Student and Withdrawal

Student Records

A 9.0 Student Records 

In General

Student records are any items of information (in handwriting, print, tape, film, video or audio tape, microfiche, computer, or other medium) gathered within or outside Green Dot that are directly related to an identifiable student and maintained by Green Dot, required to be maintained by an employee in the performance of their duties, or maintained by a party acting for Green Dot.

Student records do not include:

• directory information (see Policy C. 18.0);
• informal notes that remain in the sole possession of the maker, are used only as a personal memory aid, and are not accessible or revealed to any other person except a substitute employee;
• records of the law enforcement commissioned at Green Dot campuses, subject to 34 CFR § 99.8;
• records that only contain information about an individual after they are no longer a student at Green Dot and that are not directly related to the individual’s attendance as a student; and
• grades on peer-graded papers before they are collected and recorded by a teacher.

Other Definitions

“Eligible Student“ is defined as a student who has reached eighteen (18) years of age.

“School Official” is defined as a person employed by Green Dot as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel) or a person serving on the Board of Directors of Green Dot.  A school official also may include a volunteer or an independent contractor outside of Green Dot who performs an institutional service or function for which Green Dot would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of Green Dot with respect to the use and maintenance of personally identifiable information from education records.

Types of Student Records

“Mandatory permanent records” include the following examples and are to be kept in perpetuity by Green Dot:

• student name, birth date, place of birth, gender;
• parent/guardian name and address;
• class subjects taken during the school year; and
• graduation date; and
• attendance records.

“Mandatory interim records” are those that schools are required to compile and maintain for a stipulated period of time and then they may be destroyed.  Examples include:

• health information;
• participation in special education programs including required tests, case studies, authorizations;
• actions necessary to establish eligibility for admission or discharge; and
• progress reports.

“Permitted records” are student records that Green Dot maintains for appropriate educational purposes.  Permitted records may be destroyed when their usefulness ceases.  Examples include:

• program placement;
• programming of student class schedules;
• state assessment results;
• objective counselor and/or teacher ratings;
• materials created and stored within a student’s Google account
• routine discipline data; and
• verified reports of relevant behavior patterns.

Persons Granted Absolute Access to Student Records

Parents and eligible students have the right to review the student’s education records.  In order to do so, parents and eligible students shall submit a request to review education records in writing to the Principal.   Within five (5) business days, Green Dot shall comply with the request.  Absolute access to their child’s or own student records shall be granted to:

• parents/guardians of students younger than 18 years of age, including the parent who is not the student’s custodial parent;
• an adult student, or a student under 18 years of age who attends a postsecondary institution, in which case the student alone shall exercise rights related to their student records and grant consent for the release of records; and
• parents/guardians of an adult student with disabilities who is at least 18 years of age and has been declared incompetent under California law.

Persons or Agencies Granted Limited Access to Student Records

The following persons or agencies shall have access to student records that are relevant to their legitimate educational interest or other legally authorized purpose without prior written consent of the parent or eligible student:

• parents/guardians of a student at least 18 years of age who is a dependent child as defined
  under 26 USC § 152;
• students who are at least 16 years of age who have completed the 10^th grade;
• Green Dot officials and employee who have a legitimate educational interest as defined in this policy and 34 C.F.R. Part 99;
• members of a Green Dot Student Attendance Review Team;
• Upon receipt of a student records request from a receiving school/school district, Charter School shall transfer a copy of the student’s complete cumulative record within ten (10) school days in accordance with Education Code section 49068. Charter School shall comply with the requirements of California Code of Regulations, title 5, section 3024, regarding the transfer of student special education records.
• the California Student Aid Commission, for the purpose of providing the grade point average (“GPA”) of all Green Dot students in grade 12, and subsequently providing verification of high school graduation or its equivalent of all Green Dot students who graduated in the prior academic year, for use in the Cal Grant postsecondary financial aid program, except when students opt out or are permitted by the rules of the California Student Aid Commission to provide test scores in lieu of the GPA;
• federal, state, and local officials, as needed for an audit, evaluation, or compliance activity related to a state or federally funded education program and in accordance with a written agreement developed pursuant to 34 CFR § 99.35; and
• any person, agency, or organization authorized in compliance with a court order or lawfully issued subpoena. Subject to the exceptions found in 34 C.F.R. 99.31(a)(9)(i), reasonable effort must be made to notify the parent or eligible student of the order or subpoena in advance of compliance, so that the parent or eligible student may seek a protective order;
• any judge, district attorney, probation officer, counsel of record of a minor student pursuant to California Education Code Section 49076;
• a foster family agency with jurisdiction over a currently enrolled or former student, a short-term residential treatment program staff responsible for the education or case management of a student, and a caregiver (regardless of whether the caregiver has been appointed as the pupil’s educational rights holder) who has direct responsibility for the care of the student, including a certified or licensed foster parent, an approved relative or nonrelated extended family member, or a resource family, may access the current or most recent records of grades, transcripts, attendance, discipline, and online communication on platforms established by Green Dot for student and parents, and any individualized education program (“IEP”) or Section 504 plan that may have been developed and maintained by Green Dot;
• a student at least 14 years of age who is both a homeless student and an unaccompanied minor as defined in 42 USC § 11434a;
• an individual who completes items 1-4 of the caregiver’s authorization affidavit pursuant to California Family Code Section 6552 and signs the affidavit for the purpose of enrolling a minor in school;
• a caseworker or other representative of a state or local child welfare agency or tribal organization that has legal responsibility for the care and protection of a student, provided that the information is directly related to providing assistance to address the student’s educational needs;
• appropriate law enforcement authorities, in circumstances where California Education Code
  Section 48902 requires that Green Dot provide special education and disciplinary records of a student with disabilities who is suspended or expelled for committing an act violating California Penal Code Section 245; and
• designated peace officers or law enforcement agencies in cases where Green Dot is authorized by law to assist law enforcement in investigations of suspected criminal conduct or kidnapping and a written parental consent, lawfully issued subpoena, or court order is submitted to Green Dot, or information is provided to it indicating that an emergency exists in which the student’s information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.

In addition, the parent/guardian or adult student may provide written consent for access to be granted to persons, agencies, or organizations not afforded access rights by law.  The written consent shall specify the records to be released and the party or parties to whom they may be released.  The recipient must be notified that further transmission of records is prohibited.  The consent notice shall be kept with the student’s records file in perpetuity.

Discretionary Access to Student Records

Green Dot may release information from a student’s records to the following without prior written consent from the parent or eligible student:

• appropriate persons in an emergency if the health and safety of the student or other persons are at stake;
• accrediting associations;
• local health departments operating countywide or regional immunization information and reminder systems and the California Department of Public Health, unless the parent/guardian has requested that no disclosures of this type be made;
• contractors and consultants having a legitimate educational interest, as defined above, based on services or functions which have been outsourced to them through formal written agreement or contract by Green Dot;
• agencies or organizations in connection with the student’s application for, or receipt of, financial aid, provided that information permitting the personal identification of a student or their parents/guardians for these purposes is disclosed only as may be necessary to determine the eligibility of the student for financial aid, determine the amount of financial aid, determine the conditions which will be imposed regarding the financial aid, or enforce the terms or conditions of the financial aid; or
• county elections officials for the purpose of identifying students eligible to register to vote or offering such students an opportunity to register, subject to the provisions of 34 CFR § 99.37 and under the condition that any information provided on this basis shall not be used for any other purpose or transferred to any other person or agency.

Access to Student Records by Armed Forces Recruiters

Pursuant to the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (“ESSA”), Green Dot secondary schools receiving funds under the ESSA shall provide armed forces recruiters with access to the name, address, and telephone listing of each secondary school student served by the student’s school of attendance, unless the parent/guardian of such student has submitted a written request to the school that such student information not be released without prior written consent of the parent/guardian.

Inspection of Records

Student records are available for inspection and review by appropriate persons as identified in this Student Records Policy and as permitted by law at the school attended by the student during regular school hours.  Written requests for access should be directed to the school’s custodian of records (i.e., the Principal or designee), and will be granted within five days from the date of the request subject to an authentication of the requestor’s identity.  In the case of separated or divorced parents, both parents shall have equal access to school records, unless there is a current court order specifically preventing access to records. It is the responsibility of the parent to produce legal documentation of this nature.  (A court order preventing access to the student does not necessarily prevent access to records.)

Maintenance of Records

Student records are maintained by the student’s teacher and the custodian of records, depending on the type of record, at the student’s school of attendance or designated Green Dot location.  All student records should be locked when feasible and kept at the school site.

The student’s school of attendance should maintain a Student Record Access Log in the school’s main office for each student.  Each Student Record Access Log should include the:

• name of person(s) to whom the information was disclosed (or, if no disclosure was made, from whom the request was received);
• reason for disclosure;
• time and circumstances of disclosure; and
• particular records that were disclosed.

Charges for Duplication of, or Locating/Retrieving, Records

To provide copies of any student record, Green Dot may charge a reasonable fee not to exceed the actual cost of providing the copies.  No charge shall be made for providing up to two transcripts or up to two verifications of various records for any former student.  No charge shall be made to locate or retrieve any student record.

Changes to Legal Name or Gender in Mandatory Student Records

A student’s legal name or gender as entered on the mandatory student record shall only be changed pursuant to a court order.  However, at the written request of a student or, if appropriate, their parents/guardians, the student’s school of attendance shall use the student’s preferred name and pronouns consistent with their  gender identity on all other school-related documents.

Changes to Legal Name or Gender of a Former Student

If Green Dot receives government-issued documentation demonstrating that a former student’s legal name of gender has been changed, Green Dot will update the former student’s records, as requested by the former student, to include the updated legal name or gender.  Such government-issued documentation includes, but need not be limited to, any of the following:

• state-issued driver’s license;
• birth certificate;
• passport;
• social security card; or
• court order indicating a name change or a gender change, or both

If a former student does not provide any government-issued documentation, the former student may use the process described below in the section titled “Challenges to Student Records”.

If requested by the former student, Green Dot will reissue any documents conferred upon the former student (e.g., transcript, high school diploma) with the former student’s updated legal name or gender. Upon reissuing any such documents, Green Dot will add a new document to the former student’s file that includes all of the following:

• the date of the request;
• the date the requested records were reissued to the former pupil;
• a list of the records that were requested by, and reissued to, the former student;
• the type of documentation provided by the former student in order to demonstrate the legal name or gender change;
• the name of the staff person that completed the request; and
• the current and former name or gender of the former student.

Challenges to Student Records

Only a parent/guardian having legal custody of a student or an adult student may challenge the content of a student record or offer a written response to a student record.  Should a challenge to the content of a student record because a parent/guardian or student believes the record to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights as outlined above, the school Principal should be contacted for a conference.  Green Dot will respond within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the challenge.  Green Dot’s response will be in writing and if the challenge is denied, Green Dot will set forth the reason for the denial.

If the Principal sustains any or all of the allegations, he or she must order the correction or the removal and destruction of the information.  The Principal or Principal’s designee must then inform the parent or eligible student of the amendment in writing.  However, the Principal shall not order a pupil’s grade to be changed, unless the teacher who determined the grade is, to the extent practicable, given an opportunity to state orally, in writing, or both, the reasons for which the grade was given and is, to the extent practicable, included in all discussions relating to the changing of the grade. For requesting a grade change, please see Policy B. 5.0, Grade Changes and Withdrawal Grades.

Complaints

Parents and eligible students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Green Dot to comply with the requirements of FERPA.  The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue. S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20202-5920

Rev. 06/2023