Directory Information Notice

What is a Directory Information Notice?

 

A Directory Information Notice is an annual notice provided to parents or eligible students that describes the data elements the LEA would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. LEAs are allowed to disclose this information to the general public without needing parental consent. This notice can be altered and adjusted for the specific needs of each individual school and does not need to be consistent across an LEA.

 

Instructions & Requirements

 

NOTE: While the Directory Information Notice is typically a separate document from the Annual Notice of FERPA Rights, some LEAs include their Directory Information Notice within their Annual Notice of FERPA Rights. Check your LEA's Annual Notice of FERPA Rights before creating a stand-alone Directory Information Notice.

 

Follow the instructions below to create or update your Directory Information Notice.

 

Check your Annual Notice of FERPA Rights. 

Most LEAs have their Annual Notice of FERPA Rights and their Directory Information Notice in two separate documents. However, some LEAs have the two notices combined. Check your Annual Notice of FERPA Rights to see if it contains the information in the "Create or update your LEA’s Directory Information Notice or Limited Directory Information Notice" section below. If it does, you can either keep the directory information notice combined with your Annual Notice of FERPA rights or separate the two notices.

 

Decide if you want a Directory Information Notice or a LIMITED Directory Information Notice.

An LEA may choose to create a "Limited Directory Information Notice" which specifies the disclosure of certain directory information will be limited to specific parties, for specific purposes, or both. You may want to do this for situations where you need to share information that may be sensitive but still serves a purpose. This could include pictures to be shared with the yearbook company. If designated as limited directory information then you could state that you will only share student pictures with the yearbook company and no one else. This provides parents with a level of security in which they will allow the school to use this data for specific purposes. 

 

Create or update your LEA’s Directory Information Notice or Limited Directory Information Notice.

Consider using our model document(s) found under the "Resources" tab of this page to create or update your notice. Your Directory Information Notice must:

List the types of personally identifiable information that the LEA has designated as directory information.

• • • Student information which your LEA may designate as directory information includes, but is not limited to:
      • student's name
      • address
      • phone number
      • email address
      • photograph
      • date and place of birth
      • major field of study
      • grade level
      • enrollment status (e.g., undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time)
      • dates of attendance (not specific dates, but a rather large chunk of time; for example, "attended 2023-2025")
      • participation in officially recognized activities and sports
      • weight and height of members of athletic teams
      • degrees, honors, and awards received
      • most recent educational agency or institution attended
    • LEAs may not designate the following student information as directory information: 
      • Social security number (note: Utah law actually forbids collecting students' social security numbers in the first place)
      • Student identification (ID) number, except as provided in the following two bullet points:
        • A student ID number, user ID, or other unique personal identifier used by a student for purposes of accessing or communicating in electronic systems, but only if the identifier cannot be used to gain access to education records except when used in conjunction with one or more factors that authenticate the user's identity, such as a personal identification number (PIN), password or other factor known or possessed only by the authorized user; and
        • A student ID number or other unique personal identifier that is displayed on a student ID badge, but only if the identifier cannot be used to gain access to education records except when used in conjunction with one or more factors that authenticate the user's identity, such as a PIN, password, or other factor known or possessed only by the authorized user.

 

State the right for parents to opt-out of directory information.

Opting out means informing the LEA that they do not want any or all types of information about the student designated as directory information.

 

State the process for opting out of directory information.

For most LEAs this is usually as simple as saying that the parent must notify the LEA in writing.

 

State the timeline or "due date" for opting out of directory information.

Below are some examples of due dates that LEAs select.

• • • No later than October 1
    • By the tenth school day of the year
    • Prior to September 15

Make sure your timeline or due date is generic enough that you won't need to update your notice each year. Avoid specific dates like those listed below.

• • • No later than October 1, 2014
    • By the first day of September, 2020
    • Prior to September 15, 2018

 

Provide information about Military Recruiters and Institutions of Higher Education (only applies if your LEA has students in grades 11-12)

If your LEA has students in grades 11-12, your Directory Information Notice should include information about disclosures to military and institutions of higher education recruiters. See the Military Recruiter & Institutions of Higher Education Notice page in this module for more information.

 

Post the Directory Information Notice on your LEA website (optional).

 

Provide notice to parents annually.

The means of notification could include publication in various sources, including a newsletter, local newspaper, school website, or in the student handbook. The school could also include the Directory Information Notice as part of the Annual Notice of FERPA Rights (see the Annual Notice of FERPA Rights page in this module). The school is not required to notify a parent or eligible student individually. 

 

2024-25 Privacy Compliance Review

 

Will our LEA need to submit a Directory Information Notice in the 2024-2025 Privacy Compliance Review?

• We encourage you to review your agency's Directory Information Notice, to ensure information is current and accurate. 
• All LEAs will submit this document this year 
  • We ask that you provide a link to your notice, or you can upload the document you distribute to parents if it is not linked on your website.

 

Are the 2024-2025 Directory Information Notice requirements the same as last year's requirements? 

Yes, the requirements are the same as last year.

 

How and when will the Directory Information Notice be submitted?

If your LEA is required to submit your Directory Information Notice, the primary data manager will submit the notice in the Privacy Compliance Survey.** A link to the survey will be sent to the primary data manager of each LEA in October 2024. 

 

If your LEA has a stand-alone Directory Information Notice, then in the survey the data manager may either:

• paste a link to your Directory Information Notice, OR
• upload a copy of the Directory Information notice.

If your Directory Information Notice is contained within your Annual Notice of FERPA Rights, then in the survey the data manager may either:

• paste a link to your Annual Notice of FERPA Rights, OR
• upload a copy of the Annual Notice of FERPA Rights.

 

*You can see your 2023-24 status for your Directory Information Notice on your most recent Privacy Compliance Report. Contact John Lyman, or Nicole Sanchez if you need a new copy of your report. 

**See the Annual Privacy Compliance Review page for more information about the Privacy Compliance Survey.

 

Resources

 

Model document

Document	Notes
Directory Information Notice - Model Document Links to an external site.	Original author: U.S. Department of Education Modified by USBE as follows: Added wording to include higher education recruiters (in addition to military recruiters) Slightly changed the formatting for clarity

 

Other resources

Resource	Notes
FERPA Exceptions (Directory Information) video Links to an external site.	Video explaining directory information. Author: USBE
The A-B-C’s of Student Directory Information video Links to an external site.	Video explaining directory information. Author: U.S. Department of Education
Military Recruiter & Institutions of Higher Education Notice	Page in this Canvas module that explains the Military and Higher Education Recruiters Notice and instructions on adding this notice to your Annual Notice of FERPA Rights.

Legal References

 

34 CFR 99.37: What Conditions Apply to Disclosing Directory Information? Links to an external site.