Data Retention and FERPA Statement
Destruction of Data & Retention Policy
VHS Learning Data Retention timeframes are in accordance with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
records retention laws and have been approved by our accrediting bodies. Partners with differing needs
may amend their individual contract upon mutual agreement with VHS, Inc. Individual student records
may be deleted upon request by the parent or eligible student, per FERPA guidelines.
Data cannot be recovered after destruction. VHS Learning Data Retention is as follows:
- Course transcripts will be retained indefinitely.
- Student data, including assignment grades, will be retained for 5 years.
- Student assignment submissions and activity, communication, and teacher feedback will be
retained for 5 years.
All questions or concerns regarding our Privacy or Data Retention policies should be directed to your
Partnership manager or our Privacy Officer at privacy@vhslearning.org.
FERPA Statement
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law enacted in 1974 that guarantees
the confidentiality of a student's records. VHS, Inc. adheres to FERPA policies and regulations.
If you or your child were enrolled in VHS, Inc. directly by your local school or district, VHS, Inc. may be
considered a school official, contractor, operator, or consultant of your child’s school. In these cases,
your local school may designate an authorized representative to contact for FERPA or privacy questions,
records inspection requests or directory information opt-out requests. In these cases, please contact the
designated representative for your local school directly. For students enrolled in VHS, Inc. courses
through a private school, FERPA may not apply if the private school does not receive federal funding.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students who are 18 years of
age or older ("eligible students") certain rights with respect to the student's education records. These
rights are:
o The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after the day VHS,
Inc. receives a request for access.
Parents or eligible students who wish to inspect their child’s or their education records should
submit to the Chief Privacy Officer (privacy@vhslearning.org) a written request that identifies the
records they wish to inspect. The school official will arrange for access and notify the parent or
eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
o The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible
student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights
under FERPA.
Parents or eligible students who wish to ask VHS, Inc. to amend their child’s or their education
record should contact the Chief Privacy Officer (privacy@vhslearning.org), clearly identify the part of
the record they want changed and specify why it should be changed. If the school decides not to
amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school will notify the parent or
eligible student of the decision and 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.
o The right to provide written consent before the school discloses personally identifiable information
(PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure
without consent.
One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with
legitimate educational interests. The criteria for determining who constitutes a school official and what constitutes a legitimate educational interest must be set forth in the school’s or school
district’s annual notification for FERPA rights. A school official typically includes a person employed
by the school or school district 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
school board. A school official also may include a volunteer, contractor, or consultant who, while
not employed by the school, performs an institutional service or function for which the school would
otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to
the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, medical
consultant, or therapist; a parent or student volunteering to serve on an official committee, such as
a disciplinary or grievance committee; or a parent, student, or other volunteer assisting another
school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official typically has a legitimate educational
interest if the official needs to review an education record to fulfill his or her professional
responsibility.
Upon request, the school discloses education records without consent to officials of another school
or school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll or is already enrolled if the disclosure
is for purposes of the student’s enrollment or transfer. NOTE: FERPA requires a school or school
district to make a reasonable attempt to notify the parent or student of the records request unless it
states in its annual notification that it intends to forward records on request, or the disclosure is
initiated by the parent or eligible student.
o The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by
VHS, Inc. to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that
administers FERPA are:
Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202