The U.S. Department of Education has issued new guidance on the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity data for public school students and staff.

This requires school districts to re-identify race and ethnicity for all students and the identification is to be done by parents or guardians. If a student’s parents or guardians decline to indicate race and/or ethnicity, observer identification by school district staff is required.

The new race and ethnicity data will be used in the same manner as previously collected data, e.g., in reporting and analyzing test results by race and ethnicity. The information will not be used to check immigration status, and the confidentiality of individual student information will be protected.

Please complete one (1) form per child, and be sure to answer both parts of the two-part question. (Remember that school district staff are required to provide any missing information by observer identification.)

Thank you for your cooperation in providing the needed data. Please direct any questions you may have to Bethany A. Lindsay, Superintendent.