Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) takes student privacy very seriously. Sometimes we are asked to provide information about schools and students to organizations or individuals, and sometimes we share pictures of students, student work, and other information about school activities.
If you DO NOT want to:
share directory information about your child (or about yourself, if you are a student 18 years of age or older*)
have your child to be involved in media coverage (or yourself, if you are a student 18 years of age or older*)
have City Schools include your child in reporting, publications, or other coverage (or yourself, if you are a student 18 years of age or older*)
you can opt-out as part of the Annual Student Verification process at the start of the school year or fill out this form (Spanish) and return it to your child's school.
What information may be shared with outside groups? City Schools may share “directory information” with outside organizations. A federal law (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA) defines this as information that is generally not considered an invasion of privacy to release. City Schools designates a student’s name, address, telephone number, current school name, photographic image, participation in activities and sports, height and weight (if on an athletic team), years in attendance at City Schools, grade level, major field of study, degrees, honors and awards received, and most recent educational institution attended prior to City Schools as directory information.
There are also two federal laws that require City Schools to provide military recruiters, upon request, with student names, addresses, and telephone numbers, unless parents/guardians (or you, if you are a student 18 years of age or older*) have advised us that they do not want the information disclosed.
If you DO NOT want your directory information released to some or all outside organizations, you must opt-out through the Annual Student Verification process at the start of the school year orfill out this form (Spanish) and return it to your child's school. Unless you do so, City Schools may release this information without your written or oral consent, including to military recruiters.
What about information shared with TV or radio stations, newspapers, magazines, or other reporters? Media outlets and reporters often report on students or school activities. In the course of their reporting, they may publish photographs of students, audio or video recordings of students, directory information, creative work (e.g., drawings, performances, written work), or other intellectual property. Please keep in mind that these reports may appear on local or national publications, television, or radio stations, including media outlets' online and social media channels. For more information see Board Policy EGAD (Intellectual Policy) and the accompanying administrative regulation.
How does City Schools itself share pictures, video, or other information about my child? City Schools often shares stories with the public about student accomplishments and school activities—for example, on our website (baltimorecityschools.org), TV station (Education Channel 77 on Comcast in Baltimore City), and social media (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube), and similar vehicles produced in partnership with the Maryland Stadium Authority, City of Baltimore, and the Interagency Committee on School Construction for the 21st Century School Buildings Program. We also include pictures of students and examples of student work in publications (e.g., the Family Calendar, the Middle and High School Choice Guide) and promotional materials (e.g., fliers, brochures, and advertisements, which can include things like MTA bus placards or billboards).
*If you are a current student, 18 years of age or older, do not live at home, and are not claimed as a dependent by your parent/ guardian on his/her tax return, you are considered an “eligible student” and can fill out this form yourself.
Annual Notification of Your Rights under FERPA
As a parent/guardian of a Baltimore City Public Schools student, you have certain rights regarding your child’s education records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), applicable federal regulations, and the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 13A.08.02. These rights are summarized below and described in more detail in Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) Regulation JRA-RA, Maintenance and Release of Student Records, or the annual Back to School Family Guide.
1. Review of Student Records. You have the right to inspect and review your child’s education records no later than 45 days after the school receives your written request. It is the goal of City Schools that schools should comply, whenever practicable, within 10 days after receiving a written request and prior to any hearing relating to the identification, evaluation, or placement of the student. The school will make arrangements for access and notify you of the time and place where your child’s records may be inspected. The principal/designee will be present during this review.
2. Amendment of Student Records. If you believe your child’s records are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of your child’s privacy rights, you have a right to make a written request for the school to amend the records. Regulation JRA-RA, Maintenance and Release of Student Records, outlines procedures for addressing these requests including hearings, as appropriate.
3. Disclosure of Student Records. You have the right to provide written consent before City Schools discloses personally identifiable information from your child’s education records, unless federal law or state law specifically authorizes disclosure without consent. Guidelines for release of directory information, as well as the opportunity to opt-out from this release, are referenced on the other side of this form. In addition, please note that consent is not required for disclosures to school officials with legitimate educational interests,** including administrators, teachers, or other or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel) or a person serving on the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the school who performs an institutional service or function for which City Schools would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of City Schools with respect to the use and maintenance of personally identifiable information from education records (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, vendor, nurse, or therapist); or a parent or student volunteering to serve on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee; or a parent, student, or other volunteer assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
Upon request, City Schools also discloses education records without consent to officials of other schools, school districts, or institutions of postsecondary education, if the disclosure is for purposes of the student’s enrollment in or transfer to that school, school district, or institution of postsecondary education.
City Schools may lawfully disclose personally identifiable information from student records, without your prior written consent, for other reasons authorized by FERPA, including to specified governmental agencies, for approved research projects, in compliance with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena, or in a health or safety emergency.
Additional information may be found in Regulation JRA-RA, Maintenance and Release of Student Records available on the City Schools website or at your local school.
4. Complaint to the U.S. Department of Education. If you believe your rights under FERPA have been violated and efforts to resolve the situation through City Schools appeals channels have not proved satisfactory, you have the right to file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office in the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-5920 or call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327).
*Rights of Eligible Students. The rights described above transfer to a student who is 18 years old or is attending a postsecondary education institution; parents/guardians of dependent eligible students, however, may access their child’s records without prior consent of the eligible student.
** School officials have a legitimate educational interest if the officials need to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibility.
Baltimore City Public Schools does not discriminate in its employment, programs, and activities, based on race, ethnicity, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy or parenting status, family structure, ability (cognitive, social/emotional, and physical), veteran status, genetic information, age, immigration or citizenship status, socioeconomic status, language, or any other legally or constitutionally protected attributes or affiliations, as outlined in Board Policies JBA, JBB, JICK, ACA, ACB, and ACD. Link to Full Nondiscrimination Notice.