Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires Tuscaloosa City Schools, with certain exceptions, to obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, Tuscaloosa City Schools may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised TCS to the contrary in accordance with school system procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow TCS to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain publications. Examples include:

• a playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production 

• the annual yearbook

• honor roll or other recognition lists

• graduation programs

• sports activity sheets, such as for football, showing weight and height of team members

 Directory information 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. 

If you do not want Tuscaloosa City Schools to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify TCS in writing no later than the end of August each year. You can obtain a form at your local school. TCS has designated the following information as directory information:

• student’s name

• address

• telephone listing

• date and place of birth

• grade level

• dates of attendance

• participation in officially recognized activities and sports

• weight and height of members of athletic teams

• photograph

• degrees, honors, and/or awards received

• most recent educational agency or institution attended

• email addresses

This information may be used by Tuscaloosa City Schools to communicate and/or conduct telephone, text message, or email surveys pertaining to the school district.