4250-5075-7316 - North Carolina Address Confidentiality Program ## North Carolina ## Address Confidentiality Program
The board seeks to provide a work and school environment free from violence or the threat of violence against employees, students or other persons. The board encourages eligible individuals to participate in the North Carolina Address Confidentiality Program established pursuant to Chapter 15C of the General Statutes, which protects the address of relocated victims of domestic violence, sexual offense, stalking or human trafficking to prevent a victim’s assailants or potential assailants from finding the victim through public records. The program provides participants the use of a substitute mailing address and denies public access to a participant’s actual address.
The Address Confidentiality Program is administered by the State Attorney General. Information and assistance in applying to the program can be obtained by telephone from the Attorney General’s Address Confidentiality Program Office at (919) 716-6785.
Program participants receive an authorization card with a substitute mailing address that can be presented whenever an address is required. Mail sent to the substitute address is forwarded cost-free by the program to the participant at his or her residential address.
School Personnel Participants
The name, actual address, and telephone number of any school system personnel participating in the Address Confidentiality Program shall not be open to inspection as a public record, shall not be included as part of any employee directory published by the school system, and shall be redacted from any record released pursuant to G.S. 115C- 320. (See board policies 5070, Public Records, and 7820, Personnel Files.)
Student Participants
The school system shall use the actual address of a program participant, not the substitute address designated by the Attorney General, for any purpose related to admission or assignment but shall keep the actual address confidential from the public. Student records shall reflect only the substitute address and not the student’s actual address. The student’s telephone number also shall be kept confidential from the public. The parent/guardian of a student participant may request that a student’s name be withheld from any release of directory information by the school, as provided in policy 1310/4002, Parental Involvement.
When transferring school records from one school to another, the transferring school may send the files to the participant (parent/guardian) via the substitute address provided by the Address Confidentiality Program to ensure confidentiality of the student’s new location.
Disclosure Prohibited
The knowing and intentional disclosure of a program participant’s actual address or telephone number to unauthorized persons is prohibited. Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. In addition, violators may be subject to criminal prosecution.
Legal References: G.S. Ch. 15C, 115C-47, -320, -366(g), -402(f), 132-1.1(d)
Cross References: Domicile or Residence Requirements (policy 4120), School Assignment (policy 4150), Student Records (policy 4700), Public Records (policy 5070), Personnel Files (policy 7820)
Other Resources: Address Confidentiality Program – Student Records and Address Confidentiality Program – Employee Records (August 21, 2003) (Office of Attorney General Roy Cooper), available at http://www.ncwise.org/generaldocs.html
Adopted: 2007-12-03