Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Brunswick County Schools, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child's education records.  However, Brunswick County Schools may disclose appropriately designated "directory information" without written consent, unless you have notified your child's principal in writing.  

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, including media outlets 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 the following information - 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 Brunswick County Schools to disclose directory information from your child's education records without your prior written consent, you must notify your child's principal in writing by September 15th of each school year.  Brunswick County Schools has designated the following information as directory information: 

• • • Name
    • Photographs
    • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
    • Weight and height of members of an athletic team
    • Dates of attendance
    • Diplomas, certification and awards received
    • Most recent previous school or educational institution attended by the student
    • Grade level
    • Pictures or videos taken on buses, school grounds, in school buildings and at school activities - with the exception of those pictures or videos generated by security and/or surveillance monitoring equipment - unless the picture or video may reveal confidential information about a student, including the identification of students involved in disciplinary actions and/or investigations
    • Address, phone number, email address only if requested by law enforcement