The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, Carman-Ainsworth 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 Carman-Ainsworth to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school publications.

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. 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.

Carman-Ainsworth has designated the following information as directory information:

• Student’s name
• Parent’s name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Date and place of birth
• Major field of study
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Dates of attendance
• Degrees, honors, and awards received
• Electronic mail address
• The most recent educational agency or institution attended
• Grade level
• Similar information generally found in yearbooks
• Pictures and video tapes of the image of the student

If you do not want Carman-Ainsworth to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the District in writing. This letter must be resubmitted on a yearly basis to the building principal.