FERPA, directory information and school photos: the opt-out most parents never hear about

What directory information is

FERPA lets schools designate certain information — name, grade, honours, and commonly photographs — as directory information that may be disclosed without consent, provided the school gives annual notice and a reasonable opportunity to opt out.

What that means for photo apps

• Your annual notice should state whether photographs are directory information and how to opt out.
• Directory-information opt-outs must be honoured across yearbooks, websites, social media — and any app that shares beyond the child's own family.
• A private, per-family feed (the parent seeing only their own child) is generally a disclosure to the parent, not to the public; group and public sharing are where opt-outs bite.

Making opt-outs impossible to miss

Record the opt-out on the child's profile in the system that does the sharing, so it is enforced automatically for group photos and public content. A spreadsheet and a teacher's memory will fail on a busy Friday. This is exactly what per-child consent flags in Oyku do.

Public vs private schools

FERPA applies to schools receiving federal funds. Private preschools and daycares often fall outside it — but state laws, licensing rules and plain good practice point the same way: tiered consent, enforced by software.