How to Opt Out of Sharing Personal Student Information
Resource Type: Fact Sheets
Focus Area:
Although federal law generally prohibits schools from sharing student records, the law permits schools to disclose certain basic information (such as student name, address, phone number, date and place of birth) without consent unless a parent (or student age 18 or older) “opts out” of sharing this “directory information.” This fact sheet explains your rights to keep this information private, if you wish.
ELC-PA has also created two new tools to help parents and “eligible students” opt out of “directory information,” as permitted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), if the students’ school does not provide a form of its own.
- Directory Information Opt-Out Request (Eligible Students): If a school does not provide a specific opt-out form, “eligible students,” students who are 18 years or older or are attending a postsecondary institution, can use this tool to opt out of the disclosure of directory information. Requests must be submitted by the deadline identified by the school. Click here for the tool.
- Directory Information Opt-Out Request (Parents): If a school does not provide a specific opt-out form, parents, guardians, people acting in the place of a parent/guardian, and educational decision-makers, can use this tool to opt out of the disclosure of directory information. Requests must be submitted by the deadline identified by the school. Click here for the tool.