FERPA Directory Information

FERPA Directory

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that school districts, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child's education records. However, school districts may disclose appropriately designated "directory information" without written consent, unless the parent advised the school district to the contrary. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the school district to include this type of information from your child's education records in certain school publications. Examples include: a playbill, showing your student's role in a drama production; the annual yearbook; honor roll, awards, or other recognition lists; graduation programs; and sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing weight and height of team members.

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent's prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories-names, address and telephone listings-unless parents have advised the school district that they do not want their student's information disclosed without their prior written consent.

If you do not want the school district to disclose directory information from your child's education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing.