• Rights of Parents/Guardians​​
  
  ​Parents/guardians must be informed if a research project involving their child is to be conducted at the school and they ​​must be provided with sufficient information about the research to enable them to give informed consent. Parents/guardians have the right to withhold permission allowing their child to participate in research studies. Parents/guardians have the right to withdraw their child at any time from a research project without reprisal.
  
  ​Parents/guardians have the right to request to preview the materials to be used in a research study that involves their child. Requests to review the Research Materials should be made with appropriate written advance notification to the school and to the researcher.
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  ​Except in a limited range of research areas where an Institutional Review Board determines that a waiver of assent is appropriate, student assent to participation in a research project must be obtained. If a student reaches the age of consent applicable to the subject matter of the research project, the student must be given the opportunity to provide informed consent. Students have the right to withhold their assent and have the right to withdraw without penalty. Students who are not participants in research studies may not be singled out in any way or penalized.​

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• ​​ Students Who No Longer Live with Their Parents/Guardians​​​
  
  Students who are legally emancipated​ (other than students who have been in a foster home ​or guardian arrangement​) and are not living in the home of parents/guardians may be precluded from continuing to attend an archdiocesan or parish high school. The principal is expected to confer with the assistant regional superintendent of the Department of Catholic Schools​ before making any final decision.

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• ​Responsibilities of the School Administrator
  
  ​​​Although a research project may have received prior approval from the Department of Catholic Schools​, the principal, in consultation with the pastor, is responsible for determining whether to participate in the research project. 

  
  The researcher must provide the participating principal with a copy of the approval letter from the Department of Catholic Schools; a copy of any communication to teachers, parents/guardians, etc.; and a copy of all materials and/or instruments to be used.
  
  The school and researcher must make every effort to minimize disruption to the daily school schedule.
  
  If the subjects involved are students, permission for their participation must be obtained in writing from parents/guardians and Informed Consent Forms and Subject’s Bill of Rights forms (“Disclosure Materials”) must be provided to students and parents/guardians.
  
  Informed consent requires that parents/guardians are given sufficient information about the research, prior to granting permission for their child’s participation in the research project. Informed consent also implies that parents/guardians, upon written request to the school and to the researcher, may preview the Research Materials at the school. Except where the school is informed that the Institutional Review Board has waived the requirement, minor students who participate in the research project must give their assent.  
  
  If requested, all Disclosure Materials and, where possible, all Research Materials must be provided to the students and parents/guardians in the language with which they are most familiar.
  
  Disclosure and Research Materials must be carefully supervised by the principal or the researcher, since appropriate ethical and professional standards must be observed in the use of copyrighted materials, such as test instruments. (Some tests are protected under copyright laws and ethical guidelines prohibiting prior review by test subjects must be observed.)
  
  Appropriate educational activities for children in control groups or for children not participating in the research project should be considered and provided, if necessary.
  
  Communication to parents/guardians about research projects should be handled in collaboration with the principal. The names and addresses of students or parents/guardians should not be given to the researcher without the prior consent of the parents/guardians.
  
  The local school administrator, in consultation with the Department of Catholic Schools, retains the right to withdraw from participation in a research project.​​

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