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Policies and Procedures

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights are:

  • 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 [or appropriate school official] 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.
  • The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate. Parents or eligible students may ask the School to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They should write to the School principal [or appropriate school official], clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. 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.
  • The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained 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 School as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the School has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); 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. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
  • The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the School District to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
US Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901

FERPA requires that CMI obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, CMI may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised CMI to the contrary in accordance with CMI’s procedures. If you want to limit or opt out of the disclosure of directory information about your child, you may opt out by selecting the opt out checkbox on your PowerSchool enrollment forms. If you have questions or need assistance you can contact frontdesk@cmipcs.org. Directory information is defined as any, some, or all of the following: student first name, student last name, student grade level, parent or guardian first and last name(s), family email address, parent or guardian phone number.

Creative Minds expects all students and staff to behave in a way that promotes an understanding of the Personal Goals outlined in the social-emotional curriculum derived from the IEYC, IPC, and IMYC. These Personal Goals allow us to maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all students, staff, and other community members. Creative Minds expects students and staff to treat one another with respect and does not tolerate acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Similar to violent or highly disruptive behaviors, this type of conduct violates the rights and abilities of students to engage in learning and makes it difficult for Creative Minds staff to educate students in a safe environment.

Creative Minds has created a bullying prevention and intervention policy to protect our school culture and the safety and well-being of all members of our school community. Creative Minds staff will use this policy to immediately investigate reports of bullying, harassment, and intimidation and determine appropriate next steps for all involved in an incident.

See our Student & Family Handbook for all policies on bullying and sexual assault or harassment (pp. 50-54)

To report bullying, sexual assault or harassment, please complete this printable form and email it to swt@cmipcs.org.

Student Sexual Harassment & Assault Policy

See our Student & Family Handbook for all policies on safety discipline (pp. 43–54).

See our Student & Family Handbook for grievance procedures (pp. 25–30).

Our goal is for students to attend school on time each and every day. To meet the instructional needs of all our students, we emphasize the importance of students’ forming good habits of punctual arrival and infrequent absences. The District of Columbia Public Schools mandatory school attendance laws (D.C. Law 8-247) apply to students five years of age and older; as a public charter school, Creative Minds strictly enforces D.C. Law 8-247. Parents are held accountable for students’ regular attendance to school.

Once pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) children are enrolled as Creative Minds students, they are expected to follow the same attendance policies as school-aged students, including attending school on time every day. Although attendance-based referrals to CFSA are not required for students under the age of five (5), Creative Minds will implement interventions for all PK-8 students.

The Student Wellness Committee at Creative Minds International PCS developed the following guidelines in an effort to document tardiness and absences. Students who have 10 or more full school day unexcused absences are considered to be chronically truant under the law and must be reported for truancy and investigation to Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) at 202-671-7233

See our Student & Family Handbook for our complete Attendance Policy (p. 54).

Creative Minds International PCS acknowledges that homelessness exists in our community. The term “homeless” refers to an individual (including migratory and undocumented children and youth) who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, including children and youth who are: (a) sharing housing due to loss of housing or economic hardship; (b) living in emergency or transitional housing (including being abandoned in hospitals or living in parked cars, parks, public spaces, substandard housing and/or bus/train stations); (c) living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate housing; and (d) students who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place, not designed or ordinarily for regular sleeping quarters.

Creative Minds International PCS will ensure that all children and youth receive a free and appropriate public education and are given meaningful opportunities to succeed in our school. We will also follow the requirements of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, including, but not limited to: (a) provide immediate enrollment of homeless children; (b) provide school stability for homeless students (i.e. allow students to remain in the school of origin and provide transportation upon request; (c)
ensure that homeless students are provided services in such a way that they are not isolated or stigmatized; and (d) promote school success and completion).
Under federal law, children and youth in transition must have access to appropriate public education, including prekindergarten, and be given a full opportunity to meet state and local academic achievement standards. They must be included in state- and district-wide assessments and accountability systems. Creative Minds will ensure that children and youth in transition are free from discrimination, segregation, and harassment; More information regarding our full policy can be found on our website and will be distributed to all students upon enrollment and twice during the school year, provided to students who seek to withdraw from school, and posted in the school. Our school’s liaison and point of contact for more information is our school social worker, Jamia Burrows, who may be contacted at jamia.burrows@cmipcs.org.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights are:

  • 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 [or appropriate school official] 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.
  • The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate. Parents or eligible students may ask the School to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They should write to the School principal [or appropriate school official], clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. 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.
  • The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained 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 School as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the School has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); 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. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
  • The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the School District to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
    Family Policy Compliance Office
    US Department of Education
    400 Maryland Avenue, SW
    Washington, DC 20202-5901

FERPA requires that CMI obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, CMI may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised CMI to the contrary in accordance with CMI’s procedures. If you want to limit or opt out of the disclosure of directory information about your child, you may opt out by selecting the opt out checkbox on your PowerSchool enrollment forms. If you have questions or need assistance you can contact frontdesk@cmipcs.org. Directory information is defined as any, some, or all of the following: student first name, student last name, student grade level, parent or guardian first and last name(s), family email address, parent or guardian phone number.

Creative Minds International PCS is committed to providing an environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each student has the right to learn in an atmosphere that promotes equal opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices.

Harassment on the basis of any protected characteristic is strictly prohibited. Under this policy, harassment is verbal or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of his/her race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or source of income in its programs, and that: (i) has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment; (ii) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s performance.

Harassing conduct includes, but is not limited to: epithets, slurs or negative stereotyping; threatening, intimidating or hostile acts; denigrating jokes and display or circulation of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group (including through email).

CMI does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or source of income in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

In addition, we do not allow discrimination of any kind in the workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and also take affirmative action measures against discrimination in all aspects of employment and School business. This policy applies not only to personnel decisions but to all aspects of the School.

We ask that everyone in the CMI community respect everyone around them—students, family members, teachers, staff, and management alike.

Any person who believes that CMI has discriminated on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or source of income, or otherwise may submit a complaint pursuant to CMI’s Grievance Procedures contained within this document.

If you have any questions about our non-discrimination policy, please call and ask to speak with our Title IX Coordinator at 202-588-0370.

Any person, including any District of Columbia public school or public charter school official, who knowingly supplies false information to a public official shall be subject to the payment of a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or any combination thereof. Any such person’s case may be referred to the Office of the Attorney General for consideration for prosecution.