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Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Tuscumbia City Schools, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, Tuscumbia City Schools 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 Tuscumbia City Schools 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 (must sign below for your child to be included); Honor roll or other recognition lists; graduation programs; and sports activity sheets, such as wrestling showing the 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 student’s information disclosed without their prior written consent. 1If you do not want Tuscumbia City Schools to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing by the last school day of August. Tuscumbia City School has designated the following information as directory information: Student’s Name, Photograph (website or local publications), grade level participation in officially recognized activities and sports Honors, and awards received. These laws are Section 9528 of 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 the Fiscal Year 2002 (PL. 107-107), the legislation that provides funding for the Nation’s armed forces.