Policies

The information on this site is being provided as a service to our customers and to the community. Due to its dynamic nature, we cannot guarantee the information contained herein is current or complete at all times. Every effort has been made to assure its accuracy at the time it was posted.

View School District Policies

Complaints and Grievances

Students: The District’s Equity Grievance Procedure for Students, including applicants for enrollment in District schools, is located in Policy 5.71.

Employees: The District’s Grievance Procedure for Employees is located in Policy 6.35.

Others: The District’s Equity Grievance Procedure for Non-Students, Non-Employees, including applicants for employment with the Board, is located in Policy 2.71.

No person shall, on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, genetic information, gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, medical condition, national origin, political beliefs, pregnancy, race, religion, religious beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity, or in any employment conditions or practices conducted by this School District, except as provided by law.

The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries and complaints regarding the school board’s non-discrimination policies:

Inquiries and complaints by students, parents, applicants for admission to school, and all others except employees and applicants for employment:

Heather Roland, Executive Director of Exceptional Student Education & Student Services
St. Lucie Public Schools
9461 Brandywine Lane
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
Office: (772) 429-4577
Fax: (772) 429-4589
E-mail: SS-GRV@stlucieschools.org

Non-Discrimination Policy Inquiries and Complaints by Employees and Applicants for Employment:

Dr. Rafael Sanchez Jr., Executive Director of Human Resources
St. Lucie Public Schools
9461 Brandywine Lane
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
Office: (772) 429-7508
Fax: (772) 429-7501
E-mail: EMP-GRV@stlucieschools.org

Inquiries and complaints under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 should be directed to the school board’s Section 504 Compliance Officer, the Executive Director of Exceptional Student Education & Student Services, contact information listed above.

The district’s Equity Coordinator is identified below:

Dr. Adrian Ocampo, Executive Director of Assessment and Accountability
St. Lucie Public Schools
9461 Brandywine Lane
Port St. Lucie Fl, 34986
Office: (772) 429-5538
E-mail: Adrian.Ocampo@stlucieschools.org

If due to a disability you need special accommodations to receive school board information or to participate in school board functions, call 772-429-3600 and ask for the School Board Secretary. A telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) is available at 772-429-3919.

The School Board takes seriously its obligations to ensure that no student or employee suffers discrimination on the basis of sex, as defined in Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972.  Title IX is a federal law, enacted in 1972, which 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”.

Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities that receive financial assistance.  Under Title IX, discrimination on the basis of sex can include sexual harassment, which is defined as conduct on the basis of sex that satisfies one or more of the following:

• An employee of the District conditioning the provision of an aid, benefit, or service of the District on participation in unwelcome conduct;

• Unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would determine to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the District’s education program or activity;

• Sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking, as defined by applicable law.

Reporting Harassment/Discrimination  

Any person may report sex discrimination, including sexual harassment (whether or not the person reporting is the person alleged to be the victim of conduct that could constitute sex discrimination or sexual harassment), in person, by mail, by telephone, or by electronic mail, using the contact information listed for the Title IX Coordinator, or by any other means that results in the Title IX Coordinator receiving the person’s verbal or written report. Such a report may be made at any time (including during non-business hours) by using the telephone number or electronic mail address, or by mail to the office address, listed for the Title IX Coordinator.

Title IX Formal Complaint

Next Steps

After a report of sexual harassment has been made, the school and/or Title IX Coordinator will reach out to the individual affected by the alleged misconduct, provide supportive measures, discuss the grievance policy, and offer the opportunity for the complainant to file a formal complaint if the behavior meets the Title IX definition of sexual harassment.  If a formal complaint is filed, appropriate steps will be taken to investigate. Upon completing the investigation, the outcome will be shared with all stakeholders.

Appeal Procedures

If a party does not agree with the final determination made by the school or has concerns of noncompliance with Title IX or actions that would be prohibited by Title IX, he/she may appeal the determination in accordance with School Board Policy.

District Title IX Coordinators:

Employee Related
Aaron Clements
Director of Employee Relations
Phone: (772) 429-7520
aaron.clements@stlucieschools.org

Student Related
Heather Roland
Executive Director of Exceptional Student Education & Student Services
Phone: (772) 429-4577
heather.clark@stlucieschools.org

School Title IX Coordinators:

https://www.stlucie.k12.fl.us/pdf/TitleIXCoordinators.pdf

Any Questions or Concerns contact:

Dr. Adrian Ocampo, Executive Director of Assessment and Accountability
St. Lucie Public Schools
9461 Brandywine Lane
Port St. Lucie Fl, 34986
Phone: (772) 429-5538
E-mail: Adrian.Ocampo@stlucieschools.org

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. §1232g (FERPA), and corollary state law, Section 1002.22, Fla. Stat., afford parents and students who have attained 18 years of age (“eligible students”) certain rights with respect to each student’s education records.  These rights are:

• The right of privacy with respect to the student’s education records.

Personally identifiable records or reports of a student, and any personal information contained in these reports, are confidential.  The School District of St. Lucie County will not release the education records of a student without the written consent of the eligible student or the student’s parents or guardian, except to the extent FERPA and state law authorizes disclosure without consent.

• The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 30 days of the day the District receives a request for access.

Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal (or appropriate school official) a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect.  The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

• The right to request amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of a student’s privacy rights.

Parents or eligible students may ask the School District of St. Lucie County to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of a student’s privacy rights.  They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of a student’s privacy rights.

If the District decides not to amend the records as requested by the parent or eligible student, the District will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment.  Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

• The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA and state law authorize disclosure without consent.

One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests.  A school official is a person employed by the District as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the District has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

Upon request, the District discloses educational records without consent to officials of another school, school system, or institution of postsecondary education in which a student seeks or intends to enroll or is already enrolled.

(5)       The right to file a complaint with the United States Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the District to comply with the requirements of FERPA.  The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office

United States Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20202-5920

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Other disclosures without prior consent; parents’ right to limit:

School administrators may disclose directory information about a student without the consent of either the student or his/her parents(s)/guardian(s) unless, within ten (10) days after enrolling or beginning school, the student or parent/guardian notifies the school in writing that any or all directory information should not be released.  Directory information includes the student’s name and grade level. A limited release of information is required for participation in student athletics as described on the Parent and Player Agreement, Permission, and Release form.

Military recruiters and institutions of higher education have access to the name, address, and telephone listing of each secondary school student unless, within 10 days of enrolling in or beginning school, the student or the parent notifies the school in writing that such information should not be released without the prior written consent of the parent.

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The School District of St. Lucie County policy on education records of students is set forth in District Policy 5.70 Student Records and the District’s Student Education Records Manual.  The policy and manual are available for inspection at the District Administration Office located at 9461 Brandywine Lane, Port St. Lucie, FL.  A copy of the policy and the manual may be obtained, free of charge, upon request.

St. Lucie Public Schools is committed to honoring the rights of parents and promoting parental involvement in the District. We recognize parent rights in taking an active role in their child’s education and safety.

Access Parent Bill of Rights

The following is a current list of information we may collect during your visit, or information that you provide to us voluntarily, and how we handle that information. This policy is not intended and should not be interpreted as a contract of any nature, either stated or implied. This document may change without notice.

Automatically collected information In order to provide our visitors with a pleasant experience, our web servers collect some technical information automatically upon your visit. This includes your IP address, browser used, and date of visit. This information is collected to enhance our site by supplying us with statistics on web visits, and is only for internal use. No personally identifiable information (name, address, email address, phone, etc…) is collected automatically. The minimal information we do collect is kept confidential, and is used solely in summary form to enhance the services offered, or to publish site usage statistics.

Information you voluntarily supply to us

1. If you send an email to us with a question or comment, and that email contains personally identifying information, that information may be used to contact you in responding to your email, or may be forwarded to another agency for help in responding to you. This information will not be sold, rented, or voluntarily supplied to any agency, commercial or private, unless required by law.
2. If you fill out an interactive form, the information you provide may be used to respond to your request, or may be forwarded to another agency for help in responding to you. This information will not be sold, rented, or voluntarily supplied to any agency, commercial or private, unless required by law.
3. If you fill out a form that enables any type of service, the information you supply may be used in processing your request, and may be collected for inclusion in databases or directories, to be used for internal purposes only. This information will not be sold, rented, or voluntarily supplied to any agency, commercial or private, unless required by law.

Email Addresses Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

Subscriptions If you subscribe to any service that involves continuous delivery of information to you, your contact information will be kept on a separate distribution list for each service until you submit a request to unsubscribe. This distribution list will be kept confidential, and will not be sold, rented, or voluntarily supplied to any agency, unless required by law. If, at any time, you would like to unsubscribe from a distribution list, information on how to unsubscribe can be found at the end of the document sent to you.

Florida Sunshine Law As a general rule, any personally identifiable information collected online is not disclosed except where you have given us permission, or where the information is requested to be disclosed and is public information under the State of Florida statutes or other applicable laws. Visitors to the site should be aware that Florida Statute 119 declares that it is the policy of this state that all state, county, and municipal records shall be open for personal inspection by any person, and thus information collected may be subject to examination and inspection upon request, if such information is a public record and not otherwise protected from disclosure by statute.

Links to other site This website contains links to other sites. These sites follow their own privacy policy, and are subject to their own guidelines and policies, and should not be viewed as a part of this site.

How to contact us If you have questions regarding this privacy policy, feel free to contact us.

Your check is welcome at St. Lucie Public Schools. We recognize that occasionally a parent may inadvertently overdraw a checking account and a check may be returned by your bank. In order to recover these funds in a private and professional manner, St. Lucie Public Schools has contracted with Envision Payment Solutions, a company based in Suwanee, Georgia for collection of returned checks.

Each person writing a check to St. Lucie Public Schools should write the check on a commercially printed check with their name, address, and one phone number. When a person writes a check to St. Lucie Public Schools, the person writing the check agrees that, if the check is returned that it may be represented electronically on the same account, and that the fee established by law may be debited from the same account.

Envision Payment Solutions will contact you by mail and by telephone in order to make arrangements to pay before attempting to represent the check electronically. Payments may be made to Envision’s office by mail to P.O. Box 157, Suwanee, GA, 30024-0157. Customers (check writers) with returned check inquires should contact: Envision Payment Solutions, 877-290-5460 or customerservice@envisionpayments.com.