School counselors, psychologists and administrators across the Princeton corridor need written parental consent before giving students mental health screenings, under federal guidance issued Aug. 26.
The Hamilton County Educational Service Center is hosting a free session Monday, Oct. 26, to walk school staff through the changes. School attorney Erin Wessendorf-Wortman of Cincinnati-based Ennis Britton will lead the 90-minute training at the ESC's Conference Center, 11083 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati.
The session runs 8:30 to 10 a.m. and is open to building administrators, school psychologists, counselors, board certified behavior analysts and other staff who assess or support students in public and nonpublic schools. It carries 1.5 contact hours of credit. Registration is free, with 100 seats available, and closes Oct. 23.
What the federal letter says
The U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) issued the Dear Colleague Letter as its annual notification to school districts about their obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). Districts that fail to comply risk losing federal funding.
The letter tightens requirements in several areas. Surveys touching protected categories, including students' mental health, religious beliefs, sex behavior and family income, require advance written parental consent rather than an opt-out. Mental health screening instruments that ask about emotional wellbeing fall under the same consent rule, the letter states.
The guidance also clarifies that parents can inspect all education records, with no distinction between official files and informal notes. That includes documents sometimes labeled "gender plans," according to the letter.
It is the second such letter from the SPPO in recent years. The first was issued in March 2025. The office has since opened investigations into Massachusetts school districts for alleged FERPA and PPRA violations, according to Texas Border Business.
Princeton connection
Princeton City Schools has an active service relationship with Hamilton County ESC. The Princeton Board of Education approved a renewal of the ESC's 2026-2027 annual service contract at a June 29 special meeting, along with agreements for preschool evaluations, multilingual support and other services.
At the board's July 13 regular meeting, Treasurer Chris Poetter flagged a surge in outside data requests to the district. "Businesses outside of the district and state are requesting data that they are then providing to other entities likely profiting from this information," Poetter said, according to board minutes.
No statement from Princeton administrators about the Aug. 26 guidance or plans to attend the Oct. 26 session has been made public.
The session will cover how the guidance affects student screeners, threat and suicide assessments, and supports that gather information directly from students. Wessendorf-Wortman plans to help attendees identify consent forms and school practices that may need updating.
