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District moves student-directory policy to align with FERPA; staff to plan opt‑out logistics
Summary
General counsel and staff proposed correcting Policy 5.71 to align with FERPA by making directory information an opt‑out (rather than opt‑in) item; board members requested clarity about separating yearbook/photo releases from other directory uses and about reissuing choices at registration.
Duval County School Board staff presented a correction to Policy 5.71 on student directory information to align district practice with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Rick, the district’s general counsel, said the current wording in policy ran counter to FERPA and that the proposed change would restore the usual FERPA approach: directory information is public unless parents opt out.
Rick described directory information examples—photographs, name, address and phone number—and explained the change would make the district’s approach an opt‑out rather than opt‑in system. He said the prior policy “put a lot of work” on staff by requiring opt‑in and that the correction simply aligns the policy to federal law.
Board members raised practical questions about how opt‑out choices are collected and how parents can choose some uses but not others (for example, wanting a child in a yearbook or athletic program photos but not to have a public directory listing). Staff said the registration system can be used to record opt‑in/opt‑out and suggested that a policy change would prompt the district to reissue choice forms at registration so families could make an explicit selection. Staff also said the district already uses separate news/photo releases and that clarifying and possibly expanding fields at registration to separate yearbook/photo permissions from broader directory releases could be feasible.
Board members also noted logistics: many parents do not return paper forms, so electronic registration choices and clear communications would be necessary. Staff said the district could add fields or separate forms and explore digital options to make targeted opt‑outs possible; staff recommended legal review to confirm yearbook uses and news/photo releases could be separated from directory information under FERPA.
No vote on the revised language was recorded in the transcript. Staff said they would coordinate with legal counsel to refine forms and implementation details and would bring follow‑up information to the board, including whether yearbook/photo release can be carved out separately from directory‑information consent.
