If you are planning on conducting research in K-12 schools, additional requirements will apply to your research. These schools are autonomous institutions that retain the right to approve/reject any human research to be conducted on their site, in their facilities, or with their teachers, staff or students. The IRB therefore requires documentation from an appropriate authority at each school or district granting permission to conduct the human research. While the IRB does not require documentation be provided to us from an appropriate authority at each school or district granting permission to conduct the human research, it is expected the study team will obtain proper permission(s).

Each site may have different procedures for approving external research and different individuals who can grant permission for the research (e.g., a superintendent, principal, or review committee). You are responsible for contacting each school or district to obtain this permission and meet the requirements at each site. If review by a separate committee is required, you will need to plan additional time for this approval process as well as IRB review. Since some committees meet infrequently, it is especially important that you plan accordingly.

In some cases, the IRB may want to see evidence that the schools involved in the project support the research, such as a letter of support from the appropriate authority at each school or district. Letters of support should include the following information:

• Study title
• A scope of the research and/or activities to be conducted at the site
• Person or entity providing permission (including title, contact information, and confirmation of appropriate authority to provide permission)

Other important items to keep in mind:

• Often K-12 school sites will require proof of IRB review prior to their approval.
  • Note that human subjects research that involves students, parents and/or staff at schools that fall under the purview of Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) require approval by MMSD. MMSD generally requires the UW IRB to approve the study before granting its approval.
• If teachers/school staff are engaged in human research for studies that do not qualify for exemption, they must complete human subjects training, and be listed in the IRB application. If UW-Madison will be serving as their reviewing IRB, an individual investigator agreement may be required. (For assistance with such agreements, contact irbreliance@wisc.edu)
• Some schools require research personnel to undergo background checks. If required, you are responsible for completing any background checks prior to starting your research.
• Many school districts will not allow research activities to take place during normal class time.
• Many schools place limitations on the use of video or audio recording in classrooms. The school will want to see your video/audio recording procedure, and the IRB requires that it is included as part of your description of the scope of research to potential sites.
• Parental consent is required for minors to be included as research subjects. You must provide an appropriate method to obtain consent from parents (i.e., send the study information and consent forms to parents for review, etc.). You will also need to plan for a method of collecting the forms from the parents, without engaging staff. You will need to describe these processes in your protocol or application.
• Minor assent is also required prior to including minors as research subjects. Once parental consent has been obtained, their child(ren) can be asked to provide assent. The assent process should be similar to the consent process. Assent documents should be appropriate for the subject population (reading level, assent procedures, etc.).

For more information, refer to HRP 331-WORKSHEET-FERPA Compliance, HRP 416-CHECKLIST-Children, and the Assent Process and Documentation section.