Dear Parent(s) and Guardian(s):

Your child will participate in a variety of events or activities throughout his/her academic career. In the course of these events, district-level staff, school personnel, or the local news media may photograph your child. Your child's name and/or picture may be published in the local paper, school newspaper, or school yearbook. An employee of the school or district office will be present whenever your child is photographed or interviewed.

Information about your child may appear in newspaper articles, on television, in radio broadcasts, on displays, on the World Wide Web (WWW) - a part of the Internet, or in district or school promotional pieces such as, but not limited to, school yearbooks and newspapers, brochures, flyers, newsletters, programs for sports or cultural events, television shows, videotapes, etc.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) authorizes Laurens County School District 55 to release directory information. Directory information includes student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, diploma or certificate and awards received, photograph, grade level, and the most recent previous school attended. Military recruiters are entitled, upon request, to some directory information.Parents have the right to deny this directory access, however, by denying this access, parents are also denying the right for colleges to recruit students and offer scholarships to students. Also by denying directory access, parents deny the right to publish any information about the student in the school yearbook and newspaper, and in the graduation program or programs for sports, concerts, plays, or other cultural events.

Directory information will not be released to any person or agency for commercial use.

The USA PATRIOT (Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) Act authorizes the district to release student records without parental consent to federal law enforcement officials in some circumstances relevant to a terrorism investigation.