The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Michigan Technical Academy, with certain exceptions, obtain parents/guardians and students over 18 years of age (“eligible students”) written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, the Academy may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the Academy to the contrary in accordance with District procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the Academy to include this type of information from your child’s education records in certain school publications.

Examples include:

· A playbill, showing your student’s role in a music or dramatic production;

· The annual yearbook;

· Honor roll or other recognition lists;

· Graduation programs; and

· Sports activity sheets, such as for basketball, showing weight and height of team members.

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. 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 Grosse Ile Township Schools to disclose directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the Superintendent in writing within 39 days of the date of this notice. The Academy has designated the following information as directory information:

· Student’s Name

· Student’s Picture

· Major Field of Study

· Participation in Recognized Activities, Sports and Related Information

· Grade Placement

· Honors and Awards Received

Applicable laws are: Section 9528, ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7908) as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110), and 10 U.S.C. 503, as amended by Section 554, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (P.L. 107-107) and FERPA (20 U.S.C. 1232g).