SF School Hands Out Directory Consent Forms

As a Sioux Falls committee reviews a school district policy dealing with student information, a local elementary is taking action on its own.  Robert Frost is sending notes home with students, letting them know about the Parent-Teacher Association's school directory. It's put together ever year but administrators say it's important now more than ever to let parents know who's looking at their child's information.

This week, Robert Frost students got a note from their school asking parents if they'd like their name, their child's name, home address and phone number listed in a school directory.

"We had quite a few come back already today and not a single one had 'no,’" Robert Frost Principal Colleen Werner said.

Werner says the same note has gone home with students for years, and it's different from the consent form for the district-wide directory. She says parents can give consent for that directory and still choose to opt-out of the school one.

The directory information is used for school purposes only, and parents say it's a valuable tool to have in their home.

"Line up play dates, send birthday invitations, gives you an idea of kids in your neighborhood you might not know of," parent Heidi Dooley said.

Administrators also notified parents through phone calls and emails, trying to make sure families are informed of where this information will be used. And like the district-wide directory, parents don't have to include their child.

"They have the opportunity to decline, but if you're OK with it, it's great for you to have," Dooley said.

If a parent opts to not have their child's information in the district-wide directory, their name cannot be included in any school directories either.