Missing Children

​​​​ Per KRS 156.495 and KRS 158.032, a missing student’s educational records in Infinite Campus (IC) will be automatically flagged when the Kentucky State Police notify the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). It is imperative that principals ensure all appropriate​​ school and district personnel are aware of the situation and that they comply with the stipulations of the statutes. They must immediately report to local law enforcement or the Kentucky State Police if any of the following occurs: someone in the school knows of the student’s whereabouts; the identified student is currently present at the school; or an individual or a school requests the student’s records.​

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)​ is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. However, FERPA is not intended to be an obstacle in addressing emergences and protecting the safety of students. Missing children and runaways should be considered an emergency situation, and school officials should contact law enforcement immediately if any of the three situations above occur. The U.S. Department of Education has provided additional guidance on FERPA and the Disclosure of Student Information Related Emergencies or Disasters.

If the school notified is not the student’s last known school of enrollment, contact KDE immediately to ensure the correct school or principal can be notified. IC will automatically end date the flag when KDE receives notification that a missing student has been located.

Schools must ensure that the principal email address is kept current in IC to ensure Missing Children notifications are directed to the appropriate personnel. ​Additionally, a process alert will be sent to all members of the Missing Child User Group with calendar rights to the school of the missing student. Schools and districts can reference the Missing Child Process and Procedures and Missing Children Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.​​