Legal Notifications
Revised: July 2026
Notice of Nondiscrimination (District Policies 4140, 8400, 8410)
Adams 12 Five Star Schools (“the District”) is committed to nondiscrimination in relation to race, color, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), age, religion, creed, national origin (including ethnicity), ancestry, genetic information (including family medical history), marital status, family composition, sexual orientation, transgender identity, gender identity, gender expression, or disability (“Protected Classes”), in its educational programs or activities, operations, and employment applications and decisions. Harassment may be a form of discrimination.
A report of discrimination or harassment may be made to any District employee, including the District’s Title IX/Nondiscrimination Coordinator or designated assistant principal in each school building. Reports may be made in person, in writing, over the phone, by email or via the District’s website. The District’s nondiscrimination policies, grievance procedures, and online complaint form are available on the District’s Nondiscrimination and Title IX web pages.
The District’s Title IX/Non-Discrimination Coordinator is responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and documenting District compliance with District Policies 4140 (Equal Employment Opportunity), 8400 (Nondiscrimination), and 8410 (Sex-Based Discrimination and Harassment). Inquiries about these policies may be referred to the District’s Title IX/Nondiscrimination Coordinator, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, or both.
The District’s Title IX/Nondiscrimination Coordinator is:
Kate Mandel, Title IX/Nondiscrimination Coordinator
Adams 12 Five Star Schools
1500 E 128th Ave, Thornton, CO 80241
TitleIX-Nondiscrimination-Coordinator@adams12.org
(720) 972-4179
Career and Technical Education Opportunities
Adams 12 Five Star Schools offers Career and Technical Education (CTE) which includes Computer Science, Automotive Technology, Engineering, Video Production, Graphic Design, Advanced Medical Sciences-CNA, Auto Body Collision and Repair, Emergency Medical Technician, Firefighting, Law Enforcement, Crime Scene Investigation, Business/Marketing, Computer Digital Technology, Hospitality and Food Production, Early Childhood Education, P-Teach, Behavioral and Mental Health, ProStart, Fashion Design, Interior Design, Construction Technology, Welding Technology, Sports Medicine, Alternative Cooperative Education and Veterinary Assistant. These programs allow students to explore opportunities that prepare them for high-demand careers and give them an edge entering college. Adams 12 CTE students equip themselves with relevant, rigorous and practical skills which provide them with a competitive advantage as they enter college, career or the military. The CTE programs are available to all interested students.
Homeless Students Notification (District Policy 5270)
Specific rights and protections are ensured to parents, children and youth experiencing homelessness as defined under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Title IX Part A of ESSA). For more information about services for homeless students refer to District Policy 5270 or contact the Student and Family Outreach Program at 720 972-6015.
Notification of Rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (District Policy 5300)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age ("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 of the day the School receives a request for access. Parents or eligible students should submit to the School principal a written request that identifies the record(s) 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.
2. 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 School to amend a 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 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.
3. The right to privacy of personally identifiable information in 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. A school official is a person employed by the District as an administrator, supervisor, teacher, or support staff member (including but not limited to paraprofessionals, transportation personnel, health and law enforcement unit personnel and before-and-after-school program personnel); a member of the school board; a person, agency or company with whom the District has contracted, or otherwise arranged to perform a specific task or service; 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. (1)
- A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill the school official’s professional responsibility.
- Upon request, the District 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.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. 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 are:
Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
FERPA Notice for Directory Information (District Policy 5300)
FERPA requires that the District, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, the 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 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;
- The 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 three directory information categories – 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.
Parents and eligible students that do not want the District to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without prior written consent, must give written notice by October 1 of the current school year to the principal of the school in which the child is enrolled. The District has designated the following information as directory information:
- Student’s name
- Student’s grade
- Photograph
- Dates of attendance
- Participation in officially recognized activities & sports
- Weight and height of members of athletic teams
- Major field of study
- Degrees, honors, and awards received
- Date and place of birth
- The most recent previous educational agency or institution attended
Student Sex Offenders (District Policy 5900)
District Policy 5900 addresses management of student sex offenders. Further, Colorado Revised Statute 22-1-124 instructs school districts to notify parents of their right to request information concerning registered sex offenders in the community. More information on accessing such information may be obtained online via the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice’s webpage.
For additional information, parents may also contact the District’s Director of Safety and Security at 720-972-6174 or the Director of Student Engagement Initiatives at 720-972-4150.
Notification of Rights under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) (District Policy 6510)
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) affords parents certain rights regarding our conduct of surveys, collection and use of information for marketing purposes, and certain physical exams. These include 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):
- Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent;
- Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family;
- Sex behavior or attitudes;
- Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior;
- Critical appraisals of others with whom a student has close family relationships;
- Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers;
- Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or parents; or
- Income, other than as required by law to determine program eligibility.
- Receive written notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of:
- Any other protected information survey, regardless of funding, and to which a student is not required to submit;
- Any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening required as a condition of attendance, administered by the school or its agent and scheduled in advance, 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
- Activities involving collection, disclosure, or use of personal information obtained from students for marketing or selling that information or otherwise providing that information to others for that purpose.
- Inspect, upon request and before administration or use:
- Any required or voluntary protected information survey administered or provided to students;
- Instructional material used in connection with any protected information survey; and
- Instruments used to collect personal information from students for any of the above marketing, sales or other distribution purposes.
These rights transfer from the parents to a student who is 18 years old or an emancipated minor under state law.
The District has developed and adopted a policy, 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. The District will directly notify parents of this policy 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 parents to opt their child out of participation of the specific activity or survey. The 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:
Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-8520
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) Annual Legal Notification
In accordance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, the District has Asbestos Management Plans available for review at each school and the Educational Support Center, 1500 E. 128th Avenue in Thornton, CO, 80241. Contact the Environmental Health and Safety Specialist with any questions. Telephone: 720-972-4128.