Disclosure of Yearbooks

Much of the information usually contained in a yearbook would be considered personal information and would be subject to the provisions of LAFOIP.

Section 27 of LAFOIP allows the board to use records for the purpose for which they were collected and for purposes that are consistent with that use. A reasonable expectation of use will be a consistent purpose. The publication of yearbooks is a well-known tradition and they have a very limited circulation within the school. Therefore, parents and students have a reasonable expectation that information such as name, grade and photo will be used for yearbook purposes. Photos such as those for school clubs and activities and photos from school-sponsored events will generally also be included.

It would be good practice however to inform students about the information that might be published. They can then be given the option of not having the information included in the yearbook.

When it is not a reasonable expectation that material will appear in a yearbook, specific written consents should be obtained. This will include materials such as written works, artwork and photos not taken at school events.

When publishing information about students in yearbooks, boards should never provide information that might disclose, even indirectly, sensitive personal information such as addresses or phone numbers of students.