Wahluke School District enjoys celebrating the achievements and activities of our students. There are times when our schools, athletics, activities, or events may be featured in various media. District staff may highlight and recognize student achievements and activities with our community through school and district newsletters, the news media (may include interviews), and on the internet (may include our websites or social media platforms). News reporters, photographers and/or film crews from TV, radio stations, newspapers, or magazines may wish to photograph and/or film your student in relation to a story about our schools or students. Your student’s name and grade may be included in the report. 

 Our schools are also visited by community organizations or partners who are providing services to students. These organizations or partners may wish to photograph your student and may want to use the photograph and/or your student’s name and the name of the school in their publications and informational materials. 

In addition, there may be instances when, under the guidance of instructors, student work is published Online.

Student achievements and activities may be published unless the parent/guardian directs otherwise.

If you choose to opt your student out of media, WSD will make every effort to honor your request. Please be aware that there may be circumstances when your student may be photographed or filmed beyond our control. Please discuss your wishes with your student so that she/he knows if you do not want them to be photographed or filmed.

Parents have the right to exclude their student’s name, photo, grade, school, and achievement/activities from publication. The WSD Media Release & Withholding Directory Information "Opt-Out" Form will be sent through ParentSquare during the first week of school and will be open 10 after it is sent to be submitted. 

The WSD Media Release & Withholding Directory Information "Opt-Out" Form will also be available to download and print on our school district website and available at each school building and district office by request. Parents and Guardians can call the district office at (509) 932-4565. 

Please note that this form must be re-submitted 10 days after the beginning of each school year.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that school districts, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent before disclosing personally identifiable information from your student’s education records. However, school districts may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent unless the parent advises the school district to the contrary. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the school district to include this type of information from your student’s education records in certain school publications. Examples include a playbill, showing your student’s role in a drama production, the annual yearbook; honor roll or other recognition lists; graduation programs; and sports activity sheets, such as for wrestling, showing the weight and height of team members.

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy, if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require local educational agencies receiving assistance under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to provide military recruiters, upon request, with three directory information categories—names, addresses, and telephone listings—unless parents have advised the school district that they do not want their student's information disclosed without their prior written consent.

If you do not want the school district to disclose directory information from your student’s education records without your prior consent, you must the WSD Media Release & Withholding Directory Information "Opt-Out" Form. The "Opt-Out" Form will be sent through ParentSquare during the first week of school and will be open 10 after it is sent to be submitted. 

The WSD Media Release & Withholding Directory Information "Opt-Out" Form will also be available to download and print on our school district website and available at each school building and district office by request. Parents and Guardians can call the district office at (509) 932-4565.