Are schools allowed to publish my child’s information?

Principles 10 and 11 of the Privacy Act put limits on the use and disclosure of personal information. 

The starting point for schools is that they must look after their students’ information and not release that information to third parties unless they have been given clear permission to do so. 

Schools need to make their purposes for collecting personal information clear when they collect information from students and their parents. Schools should be open and transparent about how they intend to use student information, and this should also apply to photos or any other type of recording. 

Many schools use photos of students in school publications, websites and on social media pages. When a child enrols in a school, the school usually asks parents to sign an agreement that confirms whether the school can use information, including photos of students, in its publications. 

Students should be able to opt out of having their photos used by the school. A student or his or her family’s refusal to have a photograph or other personal information published on a school’s website or internet is not a ground to refuse enrolment. It is an optional activity and consent should be obtained. 

Some schools publish directories of students with their parents’ contact details. These directories are permitted, as long as the schools tell the students and their parents that they are going to be in the directory when they collect their personal information. 

We recommend that parents be given the opportunity to opt out of being included in school directories as a way to protect the vulnerable, or to maintain good relations in the community. 

For more information on how the Privacy Act applies to schools, you can complete our e-learning module Privacy ABC for Schools(external link). 

We also have a blog post on school directories(external link).