In addition to the state and local resources available to parents and children, there are many agencies and organizations that offer support, information, training, and help in advocating for persons with disabilities in Tennessee. A few of these organizations are listed below:

• The ARC of Williamson County, 129 W. Fowlkes Street, Suite 151, Franklin, TN 37064, 615-790-5815, Fax: (615) 790-5891
• Support and Training for Exceptional Parents (STEP), 712 Professional Plaza, Greeneville, TN 37745, 615-463-2310
• Disability Rights Tennessee, 2 International Plaza, Suite 825, Nashville, TN 37217, Phone: 615-298-1080, Toll free: 1-800-342-1660, email: GetHelp@disabilityrightstn.org.
• Tennessee Voices for Children, 1315 8th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-269-7751, Fax: 615-269-8914, TN Toll Free: 800-670-9882, TVC@tnvoices.org.

These are a few of the organizations available to help with information, training, and advocacy. This information is provided as a service to individuals seeking additional avenues for help and information. The Department of Education and Williamson County Schools do not intend this as an endorsement or recommendation for any individual organization or service represented in this list.

Pursuant to the terms of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C.§1232(g),  WCS designates the following personally identifiable information contained in a student’s educational record as “directory information,” and it will disclose the following student information without prior written consent: name, address, photograph, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, weight and height of members of an athletic team, and most recent previous educational agency or institution attended. Parents must notify their child’s school in writing if they do not want his/her directory information released.

The primary purpose of directory information is to allow WCS 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

Directory information 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.

Additionally, pursuant to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and other federal law, directory information will be provided to recruiters from the armed services upon request, including telephone numbers. Parents must notify their child’s school in writing if they do not want his/her directory information released to military recruiters.

If you do not want WCS to disclose directory information from your child's education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing by September 5, 2022.

You qualify for consideration under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act if any of the following apply: if you live in a shelter, motel, vehicle, campground, abandoned building or trailer, or other inadequate accommodations or if you live with friends or relatives, because of the inability to afford adequate housing. If any of these apply, you may be entitled to all services, rights and protection provided under this law.

If qualified, your children have the right to attend a school no matter where you live or how long you have lived there, continue in the school last attended before becoming homeless (if that is your choice and it is feasible) and receive transportation to the school last attended prior to becoming homeless if requested. Students, if qualified, are also allowed to enroll in a school without a permanent address, without school records or without proof of immunization. These will be obtained by school personnel. For further information, contact Juli Oyer, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools, at 615-472-4000.

Parents may access information about child advocacy groups and information on how to contact the Tennessee Department of Education for information on student rights and services from the following agencies:

• Tennessee Department of Education Legal Services Division, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Andrew Johnson Tower, 5th floor, Nashville, TN 37243-0380, 615-741-2851, Fax: 615-253-5567 or 615-532-9412.
• Williamson County Schools Student Support Services, 1320 West Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064, 615-472-4130, Fax: 615-472-5670.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) are acts which prohibit discrimination against persons with a disability in any program receiving federal assistance, among others. Both acts define a person with a disability as anyone who:

• has a mental or physical impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities (examples of major life activities include caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working);
• has a record of such impairment;
• is regarded as having such an impairment or has had a record of such an impairment.

In order to fulfill its obligations under Section 504 and the ADA, Williamson County Schools recognizes a responsibility to avoid discrimination in policies and practices regarding its personnel and students. No discrimination against any person on the basis of a disability will knowingly be permitted in any of the programs or practices in the school system.

The school district has specific responsibilities under both acts, which include the responsibility to evaluate and determine if the child is eligible under Section 504 and/or ADA, and to then afford access to appropriate educational accommodations.

For further information, contact Jill Merritt, 504 Coordinator at 615-472-4000.

Chapter 644 of the Public Acts of 2016 requires the department to annually compile a list of state laws related to the rights of students and their parents or legal guardians. This document includes a summary of the state laws that provide explicit rights to parents, legal guardians, or students and does not include all the legal protections and privileges afforded to students and their parents or legal guardians.

Parents have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teachers and any paraprofessionals providing support to the child. Parents must be provided, upon request, state qualifications and license criteria for teachers and paraprofessionals. For more information, contact the Human Resources Department at 615-472-4050.

Williamson County Schools in its employment of personnel and in its educational activities with students does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, disability or any other federal protected basis. Employees of Williamson County Schools are appointed as coordinators of the various activities ensuring compliance with federal laws and regulations including the U.S. Department of Education regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Vocational Education Programs Guidelines for Eliminating Discrimination and Denial of Services on the Basis of Race, Color, and National Origin, Sex and Handicap, and U.S. Department of Justice regulations implementing Title II of the American Disabilities Act of 1990.

Employees include Title VI & ADA Coordinator Vickie Hall, Title IX Coordinator Kayla Aaron, IDEA & Title II Coordinator Maria Griego. Contact them at: 1320 West Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064, 615-472-4000. Individuals who need assistance or have a complaint should contact the above listed individuals.

Williamson County Schools provides access to patriotic societies per the terms of TCA §49-6-305.