Board tightens directory-information sharing; student handbook updates to follow
Summary
The board approved limits on release of directory information and directed that changes to the student handbook be communicated to parents; administrators said directory information will only be shared under three specified conditions and that parents should be notified when the handbook is updated.
The Morton 709 Board of Education approved a revision limiting how the district shares directory information in response to public-record (FOIA) requests. Administration explained the change was recommended by the board attorney to narrow who may receive directory data; the revised provision restricts disclosure to requesters who meet one of three conditions specified in the materials.
A board member asked whether the student handbook would be updated midyear if necessary; administrators said the handbook had been updated previously during the year for legal changes and that, if updates are made, the district will notify parents and highlight what changed. "If that isn't what happened, that's what should happen if you're changing expectations," a board member said.
The board approved the item by roll call as part of the consent agenda. Administrators noted the change makes directory information "more restrictive" than past practice and said that was a feature, not a bug, intended to improve privacy protections.
