HOUSTON - July 25, 2012 - As the school year begins, students will be bringing an important notice concerning privacy and student information home to their parents and guardians. Parents may choose to complete any or all of the sections on the notice and return it to their student’s campus registrar, or they may choose to discard it. Whatever their decision, the district is asking parents to please read it carefully.

Federal law sets restrictions on what student information may be released or shared by the school district with the public, and this single sheet of paper will control their child’s privacy status for the new school year.

The form contains three sections covering a student’s information – General Student Data, Student Publicity and Military Recruitment. The parent’s signature on any or all of these sections will restrict the district from sharing their child’s information in the area covered by that particular section.

If a parent does not have any privacy concerns, the form does not have to be completed, signed or even returned to the school. If they do have privacy concerns, they must complete and sign the section or sections regarding information they want kept private and return the form to their child’s school within ten days.

Parents need to be aware that if the Student Publicity section, located in the center of the form, is signed and returned to the school, then their child’s name and photograph will not be permitted to appear in articles about awards and achievements on district and campus websites or in district publications, including yearbooks, school event programs and sports rosters.

Spring ISD is pleased to share and publish students’ success stories, but must refer to these privacy forms to make sure that the parents’ wishes are respected. Parents are asked to read the privacy form carefully and feel free to contact their campus registrar if they have any questions about privacy or what kinds of restrictions their signature will set in place.