Partnership Schools

Research in the Utah public school districts require planning, careful preparation, and ample time for review and to obtain permission to conduct studies. Researchers should familiarize themselves with each school district’s demographics, policies, and procedures before they submit an application. There are certain times of the year that the districts do not allow research in the classrooms.

When conducting research in public schools, researchers should also consider whether the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) or the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) also apply. If either of these regulations applies, there will be additional requirements. Please see the following links for more information:

• The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) is a federal law that affords certain rights to parents of minor students with regard to surveys that ask questions of a personal nature. http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
• The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal privacy law that gives parents certain protections with regard to their children’s education records. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2009-title34-vol1/xml/CFR-2009-title34-vol1-part98.xml

Please note the following procedures:

1. Discuss with relevant stakeholders (e.g., teacher, principal, special education director, curriculum director) about the timeline and feasibility of the proposed study.
2. Submit the IRB application to your college’s Scientific Review Committee, including evidence of conversations (for MSE researchers only) with the Partnership schools/districts to mse_src@byu.edu.
3. Submit the college-approved IRB application to irb@byu.edu.
4. Submit the approved-IRB to the school district via the “Consent to Conduct Research Form” found here: https://education.byu.edu/request_to_conduct_research.
5. After review, the district administrator will email you whether your study has been approved or not.
6. Please note that some districts may require a monetary deposit (≈ $100) to conduct research. The district will return the deposit when the investigator submits the results of the study. Investigators are required to seek out and comply with each district’s policies and procedures.
   The contact information for each district is listed on the Utah State University IRB website: School District Research | Office of Research Institutional Review Board | USU

• Each school district will review and make a determination about the research based on the study topic, benefit to their schools, scheduling, etc.
• BYU IRB approval does not guarantee that the school districts will approve the research.
• Researchers must submit written documentation on letterhead from each school district to BYU IRB before initiating any research procedures.
• Research conducted in charter schools will require the approval of the school principal.
• Research conducted outside the Partnership School Districts will follow policies and procedures set forth by each institution.