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Florence School District 14-1 – Annual Notices

By Watertown Current - August 6, 2026 in Legals  |  Reading Time: 9 minutes

FLORENCE SCHOOL DISTRICT 14-1
515 Main Ave ∙ PO Box 66 Phone (605) 758-2412
Florence, SD 57235 Fax (605) 758-2433 

Mitch Reed, SUPERINTENDENT ∙ Travis Schmidt, PRINCIPAL ∙ Sherri Sumner, BUSINESS MANAGER 

Florence School Notice of Non-Discrimination 

The Florence School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.1 The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: 

Mitch Reed
515 Main Avenue
Florence, SD 57235
605-758-2412 

For further information on notice of non-discrimination, please contact the Office for Civil Rights: 

Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
One Petticoat Lane
1010 Walnut Street, 3rd floor, Suite 320
Kansas City, MO 64106
Telephone: 816-268-0550
FAX: 816-268-0599
Email: OCR.KansasCity@ed.gov 

Child Find 

The Florence School District, in order to fulfill the obligations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is required to inform and provide full educational opportunities to all individuals with disabilities ages birth through twenty-one. 

Mitch Reed, Superintendent of the Florence School District needs your assistance to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities. This public awareness notice is to inform parents and other individuals/agencies of the availability of educational services and related services to all individuals who reside within the jurisdiction of the Florence School District and who are between the ages of birth through twenty-one, regardless of the severity of their disability. This includes individuals in all public and private agencies and institutions and highly mobile children with disabilities, such as migrant and homeless children, who reside within the legal boundaries of the district. 

Anyone aware of an individual who may benefit from educational services and related services is encouraged to call the Florence School District, at 605-758-2412. 

Possible Methods of Notification: 

  1. Newspaper release in the local district paper.
  2. Radio announcement within local districts coverage areas. 
  3. Information published in the individual district’s student handbook or newsletter. 4. Written material will be made available to interested parties within the jurisdiction of each school district. 
  4. Information will be published within each district’s local paper regarding screening activities to be conducted for children ages’ birth through five years. 
  5. Preschool screening will occur periodically throughout the school year at each of the NESC districts. 
  6. Written information will be displayed to make the public aware of the child find activities by each school. 
  7. Referrals will be addressed on an on-going basis throughout the year when brought to the attention of district personnel. 

Public Information 

The Florence School District has the following documents available for review by parents of children with disabilities and to the general public: 

  1. Comprehensive Plan for Special Education. 
  2. IDEA Federal Applications for Funds. 
  3. Special Education Accountability/Monitoring Final Report. 
  4. Applications, evaluations, periodic program plan or reports relating to federal programs including auditor’s reports, statements of assurance, budget, and grant materials. 

Notification of Rights under FERPA for the Florence School District 

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: 

  1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day the Florence School District receives a request for access. 

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

  1. 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 the Florence School to amend their child’s or their education record should write the school principal 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. 

  1. 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 in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. 

  1. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Florence School to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are: 

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202 

Notice of Directory Information 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that the Florence School District, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, the Florence School District may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the Florence School District to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school publications. Examples include: 

  • A playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production and annual yearbook; 
  • Honor roll or other recognition lists; 
  • Graduation programs; and 
  • Sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with the following information – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent. 

If you do not want the Florence School to disclose any or all of the types of information designated below as directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the Florence School in writing by August 31st, 2020. The Florence School District has designated the following information as directory information: • Student’s name 

  • Address 
  • Telephone listing 
  • Electronic mail address 
  • Photograph 
  • Dates of Attendance 
  • Grad Level 
  • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports 
  • Weight and height of members of athletic teams 
  • Degrees, honors, and awards received 

Notification of Rights Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) 

PPRA affords parents of elementary and secondary students certain rights regarding the conduct of surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes, and certain physical exams. These include, but are not limited to, the right to: 

  • Consent before students are required to submit to a survey that concerns one or more of the following protected areas (“protected information survey”) if the survey is funded in whole or in part by a program of the U.S. Department of Education (ED)– 1. Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent; 
  1. Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family; 3. Sex behavior or attitudes; 
  2. Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior; 
  3. Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships; 6. Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers; 7. Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or parents; or 8. Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility. 
  • Receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of – 
  1. Any other protected information survey, regardless of funding; 
  2. Any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening required as a condition of attendance, administered by the school or its agent, and not necessary to protect the immediate health and safety of a student, except for hearing, vision, or scoliosis screenings, or any physical exam or screening permitted or required under State law; and 3. Activities involving collection, disclosure, or use of personal information obtained from students for marketing or to sell or otherwise distribute the information to others. 
  • Inspect, upon request and before administration or use – 
  1. Protected information surveys of students; 
  2. Instruments used to collect personal information from students for any of the above marketing, sales, or other distribution purposes; and 
  3. Instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum. 

These rights transfer from the parents to a student who is 18 years old or an emancipated minor under State law. 

The Florence School District adopts policies, in consultation with parents, regarding these rights, as well as arrangements to protect student privacy in the administration of protected information surveys and the collection, disclosure, or use of personal information for

marketing, sales, or other distribution purposes. Florence Schools will directly notify parents of these policies at least annually at the start of each school year and after any substantive changes. The District will also directly notify, such as through U.S. Mail or email, parents of students who are scheduled to participate in the specific activities or surveys noted below and will provide an opportunity for the parent to opt his or her child out of participation of the specific activity or survey. The Florence School District will make this notification to parents at the beginning of the school year if the District has identified the specific or approximate dates of the activities or surveys at that time. For surveys and activities scheduled after the school year starts, parents will be provided reasonable notification of the planned activities and surveys listed below and be provided an opportunity to opt their child out of such activities and surveys. Parents will also be provided an opportunity to review any pertinent surveys. Following is a list of the specific activities and surveys covered under this requirement: 

  • Collection, disclosure, or use of personal information for marketing, sales or other distribution. 
  • Administration of any protected information survey not funded in whole or in part by ED. •Any non-emergency, invasive physical examination or screening as described above. 

Parents who believe their rights have been violated may file a complaint with: 

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-5901 

Public Notice for Speech/Language and Hearing Screenings

The Florence School District in cooperation with the Cornbelt Educational Cooperative will be conducting its annual Speech/Language and Hearing screening tests during the first nine weeks of school. The Speech, Language and Hearing screening tests will be conducted at the following student grade levels:

KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS – All Kindergarten students will be screened for both Speech/Language and Hearing difficulties.

1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 11th GRADE STUDENTS – All 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 11th grade students will be screened for Hearing difficulties only.

In the event a student has difficulty during the screening, school district staff or cooperative personnel will contact the student’s parents or guardian to make arrangements to re-test the area of concern. The screening tests are the responsibility of the local school district and will be provided at no cost to all participating students. For further information please contact:

Mitch Reed (Elementary Principal) or Travis Schmidt (MS/HS Principal)

PPRA Consent/Opt-Out of Specific Activities 

The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232h, requires the Florence School to notify you and obtain consent or allow you to opt your child out of participating in certain school activities. These activities include a student survey, analysis, or evaluation that concerns one or more of the following eight areas (“protected information surveys”): 

1. Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent; 

2. Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family;

3. Sex behavior or attitudes;

4. Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior; 

5. Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships; 

6. Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers; 

7. Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or parents; or

8. Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility. 

This parental notification requirement and opt-out opportunity also apply to the collection, disclosure or use of personal information collected from students for marketing purposes (“marketing surveys”). Please note that parents are not required by PPRA to be notified about the collection, disclosure, or use of personal information collected from students for the exclusive purpose of developing, evaluating, or providing educational products or services for, or to, students or educational institutions. Additionally, the notice requirement applies to the conduct of certain physical exams and screenings. This includes any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening required as a condition of attendance, administered by the school or its agent, and not necessary to protect the immediate health and safety of a student. This does not include hearing, vision, or scoliosis screenings, or any physical exam or screening permitted or required by State law. 

Following is a schedule of activities requiring parental notice and consent or opt-out for the upcoming school year. This list is not exhaustive and, for surveys and activities scheduled after the school year starts, the Florence School will provide parents, within a reasonable period of time prior to the administration of the surveys and activities, notification of the

surveys and activities, an opportunity to opt their child out, as well as an opportunity to review the surveys. (Please note that this notice and consent/opt-out transfers from parents to any student who is 18 years old or an emancipated minor under State law. 

Published once on August 6, 2026, at the total approximate cost of $183.71 and may be viewed free of charge at www.sdpublicnotices.com and www.watertowncurrent.com.