TST BOCES - Tompkins · Seneca · Tioga

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law, requires that the Tompkins­Seneca-Tioga BOCES (TST BOCES), with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child‘s education records. However, the TST BOCES may disclose appropriately designated “directory information“ without written consent, unless you have advised the BOCES to the contrary in accordance with BOCES procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the TST BOCES to include this type of information from your child‘s education records in certain school publications such as an annual yearbook, a playbill, honor roll, newsletter, graduation programs, etc.

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, the NYS Education Law 2-1 and two federal laws require school districts receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with student names, addresses and telephone listings — unless parents have advised the school district that they do not want their student‘s information disclosed without their prior written consent.

TST BOCES has designated the following information as directory information:

• Student’s name

• Names of student’s parents

• Student’s address

• Student’s telephone number

• Student’s date of birth

• Student’s class designation (i.e., 10th grade, etc.)

• Student’s extracurricular participations

• Student’s achievement awards or honors

• Student’s weight and height, if a member of an athletic team

• Student’s photograph, including publication of the photograph on BOCES-sponsored websites

• School or school district student attended before enrolled in the current school district

If you do not want the TST BOCES to disclose some or all directory information from your child‘s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the BOCES in writing, as shown below, within 30 days after the publication of this notice: