Student Records/Directory Information
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law, requires that the Colonial School District (CSD), with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, the CSD may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the District to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the CSD to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school publications.
Examples include:
- A playbill, showing your child’s role in a drama production;
- The annual yearbook;
- Honor roll 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 (LEAs) receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories – names, addresses and telephone listings – unless parents have advised the LEA that they do not want their child’s information disclosed without their prior written consent.*
If you do not want the CSD to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the principal of your child’s school in writing by September 30 of the current school year or within 10 days of entry into the District.
*These laws are: Section 9528 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7908), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110), the education bill and 10 U.S.C. 503, as amended by section 544, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (P.L. 107-107), the legislation that provides funding for the nation’s armed forces.
The CSD has designated the following information as directory information:
- Student’s name.
- Participation in officially recognized activities and sports.
- Address.
- Telephone listing.
- Weight and height of members of athletic teams.
- Electronic mail address.
- Photograph.
- Degrees, honors and awards received.
- Date and place of birth.
- Major field of study.
- Dates of attendance.
- Grade level.
- The most recent educational agency or institution attended.