Barrow County Schools New Federal Guidelines for Reporting Ethnicity and Race Data for BCS Staff and Students Overview The U.S. Department of Education requires all states to collect information on the race and ethnicity of public school students and staff. The federal government has developed a new way to report ethnicity and race that includes new categories. The changes should provide a more accurate picture of the nation’s ethnic and racial diversity. Beginning in 2009, staff and families of all students will be asked to fill out a brief form to update the reporting of their children’s ethnicity and race. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Q: If I have already provided this information to the school system, why must I provide it again? A: In the past, forms for reporting race and ethnicity to the federal government allowed individuals to be identified in only one racial category. The new form enables individuals to be identified in ethnic and racial classifications and in more than one racial category. The federal government is requiring that ethnic and racial information for all students and staff be reported in this new way in order to reflect the nation’s diversity more accurately. Q: Why do you need this information? A: The demographics of our society have changed significantly in the last few decades. The reporting changes will allow our students and staff to more accurately describe who they are. All states and school districts are required by the Federal government to use the new categories. There are good reasons in addition to meeting federal requirements, though. We routinely report aggregate information to the federal government for funding and evaluation purposes, as well as, civil rights compliance. We also use racial and ethnic data to evaluate our placement and program needs, providing the best services for all students. The U.S. Census in 2000 used the new categories. This is a trend that education and human service agencies will follow. Q: How was race and ethnicity data collected before the introduction of the new standards? A: Prior to the new categories, data was collected according to five race/ethnicity categories: • American Indian or Alaskan Native • Asian or Pacific Islander • Black • White • Hispanic These categories were used to comply with previous federal reporting guidelines. Each student was identified by one and only one race/ethnicity category. Q: What are the new categories? A: The revised standards require that agencies offer individuals the opportunity to select one or more races when reporting information on race in federal data collections. In addition, race and Hispanic origin are to be considered as two separate and distinct concepts. Therefore, Hispanic origin data are collected separately from race. The minimum designations, according to OMB, are: Ethnicity: • Hispanic or Latino. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term, "Spanish origin," can be used in addition to Hispanic or Latino. • Not Hispanic or Latino Race: • American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. • Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. • Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. • White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. Respondents select one ethnicity code, and one or more race codes, for a total of 62 different possible combinations. Q: How will the information be used? A: The data with the new ethnicity/race categories will be used in the same manner that racial/ethnic data are currently used. The new categories will replace the existing categories for use in all state and federally sponsored statistical data collections that include data on ethnicity or race. Some examples include reports on participation in federal programs and test results. Q: Who provides the information? A: Parents will complete a brief form to identify their children’s ethnic and racial identity. Staff members will receive a form to fill out their own information. Q: You can’t make me complete the new self-report form, can you? A: No, We can’t; but we are required to provide an answer on your behalf, if you choose not to provide such information. Q: When and how will the new information be gathered? A: Barrow County Schools will follow the new federal guidelines beginning in the first half of 2009. The new form will be distributed to all families and staff during this time. The families of all newly enrolled and of all current students will be asked to complete the form and return to the school. Staff members will also be asked to complete the new form. Q: How will the data be collected if families or employees refuse to provide the information? A: We will first, request that all families and staff self-report the required data. For families or employees who decline to complete the self-report form we will have to rely on current records and/or visual surveys to complete the required reports. Q: Is the federal government checking on my immigration status? A: No. This information will be maintained in student or employment records. It will not be reported to any federal agency in a way that identifies individual students or employees. No one will check for immigration status from the information given in the new self-report forms. Q: Will the school release my student’s race and ethnicity to other parties? A: Individual student records are protected by the Federal Education Records and Privacy Act (FERPA). The new race and ethnicity categories have no effect on FERPA’s protection of student records. FERPA does not designate race and ethnicity as directory information, and race and ethnicity have the same protection as any other nondirectory information in a student’s education record. Q: I am Hispanic. Why do I have to answer more questions? A: One of the major changes is the recognition that members of Hispanic populations can be of different races. The federal government would like to afford Hispanic/Latino populations the opportunity to better describe themselves according to their culture and heritage. So yes, you will be asked to select one or more races, even if you have indicated that you are Hispanic/Latino. Q: How do I know that I won’t be discriminated against after I’ve told you that I belong to a minority group? A: This is exactly why we need to maintain better racial and ethnic data about our students and staff. We are required to maintain this information about each individual in her or her record, in case a civil rights investigation surfaces. Again, state and local guidelines are in place to ensure that racial and ethnic data will not be reported elsewhere in a way that you may be identified.