[Ohiogift] Media Blackout

Sun Feb 9 17:31:57 EST 2014

FERPA and state law allow for directory information to be shared without
permission unless the parent has specifically opted out of sharing
directory information. Districts send the opt-out form along with the stack
of forms at the beginning of the year. Few parents have any idea they can
opt out.

Here is a portion of the applicable statute:

3319.321 Confidentiality.

(A) No person shall release, or permit access to, the directory information
concerning any students attending a public school to any person or group
for use in a profit-making plan or activity. Notwithstanding division
(B)(4) of section 149.43 <http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/149.43> of the Revised
Code, a person may require disclosure of the requestor's identity or the
intended use of the directory information concerning any students attending
a public school to ascertain whether the directory information is for use
in a profit-making plan or activity.

(B) No person shall release, or permit access to, personally identifiable
information other than directory information concerning any student
attending a public school, for purposes other than those identified in
division (C), (E), (G), or (H) of this section, without the written consent
of the parent, guardian, or custodian of each such student who is less than
eighteen years of age, or without the written consent of each such student
who is eighteen years of age or older.

(1) For purposes of this section, "directory information" includes a
student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major
field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and
sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of
attendance, date of graduation, and awards received.

On Sun, Feb 9, 2014 at 4:20 PM, Colleen Boyle, PhD
<boyleconsulting at me.com>wrote:

> FERPA protects all private information about a minor child in the schools
> - academic and athletic.  However, in both cases, parents may sign a waiver
> granting districts permission to share specific information, photographs,
> names, video, etc.  There is often a blanket form that is sent with
> registration/first day of school paperwork, and sometimes there are more
> specific forms for particular events or organizations. My office uses
> specific forms for academic events all the time in order to publish
> non-athletic accomplishments of our students.  I would imagine athletes had
> to have similar forms signed at the start of their season.  Although I am
> sure district efforts to put out media releases may play a role in what is
> covered, in my experience, as Will states, what is published is a media
> choice rather than a FERPA issue.
>
> Colleen Boyle, Ph.D.
> Gifted Coordinator and Educational Consultant
> Columbus, OH
> boyleconsulting at me.com
>
> Specialities:
> Educational Psychology
> Gifted Education and Psychology
> Educational Administration
>
>
>
>
>
> On Feb 9, 2014, at 4:00 PM, Rob Berryman <berryman at fairlawn.k12.oh.us>
> wrote:
>
> FERPA doesn't allow us to single out a kid for performing above and beyond
> our expectations academically, but yet student athletes can be photographed
> and recognized county and state-wide in the media.
>
>
> Very, very sad.
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* ohiogift-bounces at lists.service.ohio-state.edu <
> ohiogift-bounces at lists.service.ohio-state.edu> on behalf of Will Fitzhugh
> <fitzhugh at tcr.org>
> *Sent:* Saturday, February 08, 2014 8:42 AM
> *To:* ohiogift at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
> *Subject:* [Ohiogift] Media Blackout
>
>
> MEDIA BLACKOUT
>
> Will Fitzhugh
> *The Concord Review*
> 8 February 2014
>
>
> In the United States, *our media are not allowed to report on or discuss
> exemplary student academic achievement at the high school level*. For
> example, in the "Athens of America," *The Boston Globe *has more than 150
> full pages each year on the accomplishments of high school athletes, but
> only one page a year on academics--a full page with the photographs of
> valedictorians at the public high schools in the city, giving their name,
> their school, their country of origin (often 40% foreign-born) and the
> college they will be going to.
>
> The reasons for this *media blackout* on good academic work by students
> at the secondary level are not clear, apart from tradition, but while high
> school athletes who "sign with" a particular college are celebrated in the
> local paper, and even on televised national high school games, the names of
> Intel Science Talent Search winners, of authors published in *The Concord
> Review*, and of other accomplished high school scholars may not appear in
> the paper or on television.
>
> Publicity offers encouragement for the sorts of efforts we would like our
> HS students to make. We naturally publicize high school athletic
> achievements and this helps to motivate athletes to engage in sports. *By
> contrast, when it comes to good academic work, we don't mention it, so
> perhaps we want less of it? *
>
> One senior high school history teacher has written that *"We actually
> hide academic excellence from the public eye because that will single out
> some students and make others 'feel bad.'"*
>
> Does revealing excellence by high school athletes make some other athletes
> or scholar-athletes or high school scholars feel bad? How can we tolerate
> that? I know there are some Progressive secondary schools which have
> eliminated academic prizes and honors, to spare the feelings of the
> students who don't get them, but I don't see that they have stopped keeping
> score in school games, no matter how the losers in those contests may feel.
>
>
> *SAMPLE MEDIA COVERAGE OF HS ATHLETES*
>
> *Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Signing Day Central--By Michael Carvell*
>
> *11:02 am Wednesday, February 5th, 2014*
>
> *"Welcome to the AJC's Signing day Day Central. This is the place to be to
> catch up with all the recruiting information with UGA, Georgia Tech and
> recruits from the state of Georgia. We will update the news as it happens,
> and interact on the message board below.*
>
> *University of Georgia's TOP TARGETS FOR WEDNESDAY...AND RESULTS*
>
> *Lorenzo Carter, DE, 6-5, 240, Norcross: UGA reeled in the big fish,
> landing the state's No.1 overall prospect for the first time since 2011
> (Josh Harvey-Clemons).   Isaiah McKenzie, WR, 5-8, 175, Ft. Lauderdale
> (Fla.) American Heritage: This was one of two big surprises for UGA to kick
> off signing day
> <http://recruiting.blog.ajc.com/2014/02/05/uga-flips-te-committed-to-cincinnati-updated/>.
> McKenzie got a last-minute offer from UGA and picked the Bulldogs because
> of his best buddy and high school teammate, 5-star Sony Michel (signed with
> UGA).   Hunter Atkinson, TE, 6-6, 250, West Hall: The Cincinnati commit got
> a last-minute call from Mark Richt and flipped to UGA
> <http://recruiting.blog.ajc.com/2014/02/05/uga-flips-te-committed-to-cincinnati-updated/>.
> I'm not going to say we saw it coming, but ... Atkinson had grayshirt offers
> from Alabama, Auburn and UCF.   Tavon Ross, S, 6-1, 200, Bleckley
> County: The Missouri commit took an official visit to UGA but decided to
> stick with Missouri. He's signed.   Andrew Williams, DE, 6-4, 247, ECLA: He
> signed with Auburn over Clemson and Auburn. He joked with Auburn's Gus
> Malzahn when he called with the news, saying "I'm sorry to inform you.....
> That I will be attending your school," according to 247sports.com
> <http://247sports.com/>'s Kipp Adams.   Tyre McCants, WR-DB, 5-11, 200,
> Niceville, Fla.: Turned down late interest from UGA to sign with USF."*
>
> This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, of course, in the coverage
> of high school athletes that goes on during the year. *I hope readers
> will email me any comparable examples of the celebration of exemplary high
> school academic work that they can find in the media in their community, or
> in the nation generally.*
>
>
>
>
> *---------------------------"Teach by Example"*
> Will Fitzhugh [founder]
> *The Concord Review* [1987]
> Ralph Waldo Emerson Prizes [1995]
> National Writing Board [1998]
> TCR Institute [2002]
> 730 Boston Post Road, Suite 24
> Sudbury, Massachusetts 01776-3371 USA
> 978-443-0022; 800-331-5007
> www.tcr.org; fitzhugh at tcr.org
> Varsity Academics(R)
> tcr.org/bookstore
> www.tcr.org/blog
>
>
>
>
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